skip to main content

Companion Ferns for Hosta

6 years ago

What are your favorite ferns to use as companions for hosta?

Featured Answer

arcy_gw

6 years ago

I love many: Christmas, Maiden hair, Lady, Japanese painted, I LOVED Autumn but it was not hardy in my zone:( The ones that wander ( Ostrich) I put in pots and sink them in my gardens to keep them in one place. Lady is my all time favorite and was the biggest challenge to get to thrive but just tonight,

washing dishes I noticed one had gotten quite large!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I like them all but I am limited by my zone, perhaps you are warmer.

Adiantum pedatum - Maidenhair fern

Athyrium n. var. pictum and named cvs. - Japanese painted fern

Osmunda regalis - Royal fern

Osmunda cinnamomea - Cinnamon fern

Matteuchia - Ostrich fern......
mikgag Z5b NS Canada
6 years ago
Athyrium Ghost
Related Discussions
Fern companion plants for winter interest
Q
Comments (2)
Probably original poster received an answer elsewhere... I wouldn't put ajuga near the hosta, but creeping jenny works okay & comes out easily. I tried corydalis lutea (yellow bloomer) because it was slug resistant, but it was a bit too vigorous crowding the hosta & swarming around the clumps. There are a few evergreens in zone 7 that I like: hardy ginger heuchera & our PNW native Tellima vinca minor carex esp. Ice Dance or any of the variegated light up on gray days of winter 'Wanda' primrose & others are evergreen or semi Bergenia Campanula - serbian bellflower, but do keep it a bit away from the hosta as it is a vigorous spreader. sword fern (not lady or cinnamon though lovely ferns) hardy geranium small types planted 2' away from taller large leaf hosta added a punch of color this year & I will see how evergreen they are...
...See More
Fern Companion Plants - New Combinations
Q
Comments (12)
I am trying a combination this year of: Asparagus ferns, Ligularia - with the big round leaves that are green on one side and purple on the reverse. They almost look like a lotus leaf; and, hosta "Great Expectations" So far they all look really nice together. I am just uncertain of how I want to space them. I am going for a rather Asian feel here. I will be adding a beautiful big buddha head, somewhere.
...See More
Companion plants for hostas under black walnuts
Q
Comments (4)
Some shrubs don't do well with black walnuts, hydrangeas and physocarpus as Chris pointed out; any kind of roses, azaleas, weigelia, spireas, lespedsia, are all things I've tried a time or two and didn't succeed. I tried Madonna lilies three times before I gave up, they just got weaker each year and finally stopped coming up. But hibiscus, cimicifuga, garlic, thyme, artemesia, lavender, dianthus, passionflower, Dutchman's pipe vine, columbines, ruellia, creeping veronica, lamiums, can all be added to the list of things that will grow under them or within range of their roots.. Most native wildfiowers; trilliums, dog-tooth violets, mayapples, false solomon's seal, woodland phlox, Dutchman's breeches, wild strawberries (but not garden strawberries), ginseng, colt's foot, toothwort, other spring ephemerals, are all good. Sandy This post was edited by mosswitch on Tue, Jun 25, 13 at 10:55
...See More
Hosta companions
Q
Comments (4)
How about a specimen plant like a Japanese maple - look into the variety of leaf shapes and colors. Have you considered adding plants for winter interest when all the herbaceous plants go dormant? If yes, try compact shade evergreens and conifers like Dwarf Hinoki Cypress- they come in many colors and choices. (Second guessing myself- maybe they are not companion plants- but they seem to be OK for similar sun requirements of hosta).
...See More
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
6 years ago
Male Robust Fern
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
6 years ago
I have Tassel ferns and Autumn ferns and love them..
mountainy man z8 Ireland
6 years ago
I really like ferns but I cannot get to grips with the names, luckily I have never had to try to pronounce them in front of anyone.
Karin Black Cat
6 years ago
Denis, good that I'm not the only one to have problems with naming ferns :-) Meanwhile I a have a lot of them, but no names...I really do like them together with my hostas...

I got Athyrium niponicum 'Burgundy Lace' and 'Metallicum/Pictum'

a few weeks ago, but as soon as the tag is lost in the depths of my garden I will forget those names too...

Soemtimes they settle together with my hostas in the pots :-)
msbaby1
Original Author
6 years ago
Warm Indeed, peren.all! Will the ferns that you all so nicely recommended tolerate hot summer weather?

I think my problem may be that I am in Zone 8 and the summers are very hot and humid. The painted fern a friend gave me is doing alright in the shady spot where I have my hosta bed so far but it's only June.
Jon 6a SE MA
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Japanese Painted fern.
Transplanted to the Ravine along with some wild fern dug up in the woods.
Japanese Painted fern good to zone 5 and the wild fern is obviously good to 6a. Jon Love the Japanese Painted
msbaby1 thanked Jon 6a SE MA
windymess z6a KC, Ks
6 years ago
I recommend you do a Google search: ferns for zone 8 . And see if anything seems appropriate for your site.
msbaby1 thanked windymess z6a KC, Ks
teuth
6 years ago
I have a few ferns but none I'm delighted with. I think my Japanese ferns have suffered from my constantly moving them.

It's growing and not dying but the form sucks :[

This one is doing better:
(sharing pot with a really cool dark Thalictrum, probably "Evening Star")

A shiny one between El Nino and Maui Buttercups. I don't remember what it's called but it seems pretty happy.
msbaby1 thanked teuth
marquest
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
arcy_gw, I love, love love your shade garden. I love natural shade gardens. The look of full and lush like woodland created and not a man made hosta here with lots of space and mulch between the plants.

Your garden distracted me and forgot my favorite ferns.

like so many others I love the painted ferns.

Ostrish fern in the back Christmas fern in the front
msbaby1
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks for all the suggestions and beautiful photos. arcy_gw
your shade garden is to die for! I did a search for ferns in Zone 8
and there were several possibilities that might suit my (not very big)
area. One that is recommended for my zone that looked interesting is the Haycented Fern. Are any of you familiar with it?
windymess z6a KC, Ks
6 years ago
msbaby, one of the greatest things about these gardenweb forums is finding out about the real-world experiences of regular people working with these plants! I love it... and it's gotten so I rarely buy a plant without looking it up in one of these forums (I also like to check the home forums for info on appliances, and all kinds of things there, before making a big purchase). Anyway, in searching the hosta forum for info on "hayscented fern," there are quite a few threads.... looks like that's one that people like, but that maybe you have to be careful so it doesn't go wild and take over. Here's one of those threads: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2010181/tokudama-flavocircinalis-through-the-years?n=10

I've been trying to learn a bit more about ferns too, and as soon as I have a little more shade (grow trees grow!) I'll be planting some. I especially like the looks of Autumn Fern... I just keep passing it by at the nursery, but one of these days I'll buy some.

Related Stories

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Make Your Roses Even More Beautiful With These Companion Plants

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Nourish your rosebushes and create a visual feast with these 7 classic and unexpected plant pairings

EDIBLE GARDENS Garden BFFs? Why Your Vegetables Are Begging for Companion Plants

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Foster friendships among plants for protection from pests, pollination support and color camaraderie

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Japanese Painted Fern Weaves a Garden Tapestry

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Bring striking colors and texture to your woodland garden with Athyrium niponicum var. pictum

FOLIAGE Great Design Plant: Foxtail Fern

By Annie Thornton

Not actually a fern, this vivid member of the asparagus family has a distinctive appearance to awaken a garden year-round

PLANTING IDEAS Ferns: A Shade Gardener’s Best Friend

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Bring rich texture and contrast to a dark woodland landscape with wonderfully diverse ferns

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Try this giant among ferns for a showstopping sight in a shady or even somewhat sunny woodland garden

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Autumn Fern Adds Color All Year

Use this evergreen, easy-care fern for soft texture and coppery tints in container gardens and the landscape at large

GARDENING GUIDES 7 Fabulous Shade-Loving Ferns for Containers

By Olander Garden Design

Shade-loving ferns can add color and texture to your container designs

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Northern Maidenhair Fern Softens Shade Gardens

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Stir up some romance in dark corners with the billowy fronds of native Adiantum pedatum

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Cyrtomium Falcatum ‘Rochfordianum’

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Adding Japanese holly fern to your woodland garden is a great way to celebrate the holidays and create lasting memories

Sponsored

More Discussions

OY! Gonna be 28 degrees tomorrow night in Baltimore!

8

My LS Midight Miss is unhappy

15

Fieldstone Gardens in Maine?

1

What is wrong with Forest Shadows?

15

New Hostas 2024

4