Adiantum

Himalayan Maidenhair Fern. Evergreen to semi-evergreen creeping fern making the the most textural groundcover imaginable. Salmon pink new growth goes to light olive and finally green leaflets on black wiry stems just 8"-12" high. Likes a loose moist soil but will tolerate dry when established.

A new name for this West Coast native that hangs out in moist shaded places especially loving mossy cliffs in the cooling mist of a nearby waterfall yet very easy in the garden. Nice black stems holding the fronds. The stems were flattened and used for imbrication in basketry by coastal tribes. Adiantum pedatum is now the East Coast version.

Our collection from the eastern extension of its range in Hubei, this wild provenance is a rare offering of this exceptional garden fern. It must be a given that this is in the Top Ten of Hardy Ferns as it offers incredible texture forming a small dense carpet. Clip old fronds off close just before the new growth emerges or not, beautiful either way.

By all appearances, a diminutive form of this indispensable species. Our friend Diana Reeck of the memorable Collector's Nursery, introduced this from her trip to Yunnan in 1996. Just 3"-4" tall and spreading commensurately slowly, this is a choice gem. We got this from Diana ages ago and have been loathe to sell any as we are far from having too much of this sweetie. It has occurred to us that this is likely very scarce in cultivation and we had best get some distributed to hedge against catastrophic loss of our plants.

A fern with a murky past, originating from a hybrid between the Southern Maidenhair and a rapscallion, vagrant, absentee, no-good, layabout jackanape second parent thought to be one of the tropical species. Fear not however, as this has all the makings of a classic bildungroman where the unsuspecting background of our title hero is overcome to great effect, with greater hardiness and vigor than it's parent(s) making it a excellent standby for that classic Adiantum look. Sterile though so it's lineage will die with it, setting up for an excellent sequel where it can play the role of aged wealthy benefactor of a talented orphan street urchin.

This whimsically named maidenhair reflects its origin via Piping Tree nursery. Diminutive in stature like its pixie namesake and flecked with red as if dabbed by paint from an otherworldly visitor, or perhaps variably expressing a gene controlling pigment production. You say tomato I say Solanum lycopersicum, different strokes for different folks, or ferns, painted by fairies. What was I talking about again? Oh yeah this excellently cute little version of our native maidenhair sure to add charm to any shady spot!

Ultra-choice dwarf form of our Western Maidenhair fern that is currently known from just a few coastal cliff sites on Vancouver Island and historically on the Olympic Peninsula. Short black stems hold dense perfection of classic maidenhair leaves on plants not exceeding 8" in height. These are established divisions from our plants originating from the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden. Often listed as 'Subpumilum', we're going with the Alverson revision.