A Lady, A Maiden, and Fritz

Could you fern fans guess what the title means? Today I'm posting about the ferns in my garden. Above and below are pictures of Athyrium felix-femina, the lady fern.



Lady ferns grow to about 2 feet tall and 1.5 feet wide. The one in my garden gets plenty of water and just an hour or two of early morning sun. It's growing well, which always surprises me when it comes to ferns.



Here are two pictures of Adiantum pedatum (?), or maidenhair fern. This fern is also growing well in almost full shade. I think it's my favorite fern.



There are different types of maidenhair fern, and I can't find the tag to be sure exactly which species I have. Doesn't it look like it belongs next to a waterfall in some gorgeous wild setting? I can't believe it's growing so well in my yard.



Above and below are photos of Athyrium filix-femina 'Frizelliae', or tatting fern. I'd nickname it Fritz, except it's obviously the most delicate and feminine fern in my garden.



The fronds would make a pretty necklace. I bet they'll be pretty in floral arrangements once my little plant gets bigger and I'm willing to sacrifice some fronds for the vase.



Above is a picture of Japanese tassel fern, Polystichum polyblepharum. It's a good thing I'm writing all these names down in a post. If I lose the tags, I'll never be able to remember them. This poor little guy is supposed to get 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide, but he's smaller this year than last year. He probably needs a different spot.



Here is what I think is an ostrich fern frond, Matteuccia struthiopteris. I brought it home from a plant exchange without being sure of the name. Can anyone correct me if I'm wrong? I have it in a pot because I heard that it would take over the yard if I put it into the ground.



This is an interesting little - really little - fern that's supposed to grow in full sun to part shade. I have it in part shade just to be cautious. It's called Dwarf Golden Scale fern, or Dryopteris affinis 'Crispa Gracilis'.



At full size, this fern can get 8-12 inches tall and 10-12 inches wide. Mine is a bit smaller than that, but otherwise doing very well. It does get some hot sun for parts of the day and doesn't seem to mind.
I also have a Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum') in the garden, but forgot to take a picture. Its silvery leaves wouldn't blend in with all the green ferns anyway. But it looks very nice with 'Green Spice' heuchera and 'Blue Angel' hostas. Despite being a die-hard flower lover, I'm very fond of my ferns.