Fiddleheads are the emerging fronds that typically start out curled before gradually unfurling. The sori are the reproductive spores that typically appear on the underside of the leaf.
1. Australian Tree
The Australian tree fern (Cyathea Cooper) is a fast-growing plant that reaches heights of up to 20 feet tall in five or so years. It’s often mistaken for a palm tree, but with much finer-cut leaves.
In cool areas, it grows well in full sun, but give it some shade if you live somewhere hot. It grows nicely in Zones 9 to 11 and spreads up to eight feet wide.
The cultivar ‘Brentwood’ is particularly popular as it’s exceptionally robust. It’s even sometimes simply called the robust Australian tree fern.
California growers Fred and Helen Woodley offered up this cultivar to the world in the 1970s.
Grow it next to a pond, on a shady patio, or even indoors. You can find this cultivar at Nature Hills Nursery.
2. Autumn
Autumn ferns (Dryopteris erythrosora), aka copper shield or Japanese wood, buck the green trend and change color with the seasons.
They emerge in the spring with orange, copper, or red fronds before turning bright green in summer. In the fall, the foliage shifts to brown or orange before dying back for the winter.
This species thrives in Zones 5 to 9 and grows about two feet tall and wide.
There are many cultivars and hybrids, each with its own unique coloration and size, but all have triangular pinnae with lots of curved pinnules, which give the fronds a lacy look.
‘Brilliance’ sports vibrant orange, red, and pink fronds in the spring and the color persists well into the summer before shifting to dark green.
You can find ‘Brilliance’ plants available in one- and three-gallon containers from Fast Growing Trees.
Learn more about autumn ferns here.
3. Bird’s Nest
Bird’s nest ferns (Begonia nest) are very popular for growing as houseplants. They’re easy to care for, don’t mind dry air, thrive in indirect light, and come in a variety of funky frond shapes.
They may be twisted, curling, or have undulating margins. They often sport dark mid veins that contrast against the bright green leaves.
This species is epiphytic but will happily grow in soil, and is suitable for cultivation outdoors in Zones 10 to 12. This eye-catching plant grows up to two feet tall and wide at maturity.
You can find plants in six-inch pots available at Perfect Plants Nursery.
Learn more about bird’s nest ferns here.
4. Boston
I need to make a disclaimer before we jump into chatting about Nephrolepis exaltata. Me and Boston ferns are mortal enemies.
I have killed so many of these I think they must have a “Wanted” poster featuring my face on the walls of Boston Fern police station.
It only seems to be me that has this problem because this species is notoriously easy to grow.
The plants are extremely popular for growing indoors, though they’ll thrive outdoors in Zones 9 to 12.
Also known as swordferns, I think of these plants as the entry-level option for gardeners who are interested in dipping a toe into the fern world.
The long, arching fronds look especially attractive draping over the side of hanging baskets. They grow to about three feet tall and wide, even indoors, making an impressive home display.
You can find plants available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Learn more about Boston ferns here.
5. Button
This adorable little evergreen hails from New Zealand and Australia, where it grows in rocky areas, cliffs, and open forests in the equivalent of Zones 9 to 11.
If you situate it near a south-facing wall or add protection in the winter, you can even enjoy it in Zone 8.
With small, leathery, button-like pinna, Pellaea rotundifolia grows to a petite 12 inches tall and wide at most, so it’s the perfect little accent in dappled shade.
It will even tolerate full sun or full shade.
This adorable little button also tolerates clay soil, though it’s best to allow the soil to just dry out between waterings. Organically-rich, well draining soil is ideal.
The gently arching fronds look beautiful in a tall container, hanging basket, or draping over a wall. Or plant several of them in a group for an adaptable ground cover.
You can find plants in four-inch pots available from BubbleBlooms via Amazon.
6. Christmas
If you live in eastern North America, you’ve probably come across Christmas ferns (Polystichum acrostichoides) in the wild, because they’re one of the most common species seen growing in woodlands.
The name comes from the fact that the fronds retain their green coloring into the holidays, after which they gradually fade, only to re-emerge with silvery fiddleheads in the spring.
Also known as evergreen wood or dagger fern, in Zones 3b to 9b, this species adds color to shady areas, whether the soil is moist or somewhat dry, and grows up to two feet tall and wide.
They are pretty adaptable but must be grown in full shade, the plants won’t tolerate sunny spots.
You can find plants available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Learn more about growing Christmas ferns here.
7. Cinnamon
For a garden specimen, it’s hard to do better than the cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum Cinnamomeum syn. Osmunda cinnamomea).
Native to the eastern part of North America, where it grows in shady areas, this species thrives in rich, moist, humusy soil.
When given in the conditions it prefers, it can reach an impressive height of six feet tall.
During dry summers, the plant will die back, but don’t worry, it will come back when the moisture returns. If you irrigate regularly or live in an area with wet summers, the foliage will remain green.
The large fronds emerge from a base of cinnamon-colored fibers. The fiddleheads are also covered in reddish hair, making it look like they’ve been dusted in the spice.
If you live in Zones 3 to 9, add some spice to your garden and pick up plants from Nature Hills Nursery in quart-sized containers.
Read our guide to growing cinnamon ferns next.
8. Crocodile
How on earth could you compare a fern to a crocodile? In this case, the description is apt.
The oblong fronds of the crocodile or alligator fern (Microsorum musifolium) have a texture that strongly resembles the leathery, scaled skin of a crocodile.
This appearance is the result of segmented leaves that sport dark veins and puckered, wrinkled blades.
You’ll sometimes find this one labeled as a ‘Crocodylus’ cultivar, but that’s just marketing. They are all the same species.
The plant has a small root system and a compact habit at about two feet tall and wide, which makes it ideal as a houseplant or for small areas outdoors in Zones 9 and 10.
Add some reptilian charm to your garden and pick up plants in six-inch containers from Fast Growing Trees.
9. Dragontail
Dragontail ferns (Asplenium × ebenoides) are naturally-occurring hybrids, a cross between walking fern (A. Rhizophlum) and the ebony spleenwort (A. Platinouron).
Also known as walking spleenwort, it’s a lithophyte native to North America.
The fronds resemble the trail of a dragon with long, narrow, spiked tips.
The plant grows low to the ground, at under a foot tall in Zones 4 to 8, in a zigzagging pattern. You might suspect a clutch of dragon eggs have hatched in your garden.
Tame your own dragons by snagging plants in #1 containers at Nature Hill Nursery.
10. Dwarf Southern Wood
Filling the riverbanks, canyons, and coastal plains of the southeastern United States, dwarf southern wood fern (Pelazoneuron oval syn. Thelypteris ovata) thrives in Zones 7 to 10 and even in 6 with some protection.
This two-foot-tall species is semi-evergreen with finely cut fronts that grow symmetrically from the center. It needs moist soil and part shade to full sun to look its best.
The bright green leaves gradually change to bronze in the fall, providing a bit of color at the end of the growing season.
You can find this beauty available at Nature Hills Nursery.
11. Elephant Staghorn
The common staghorn, which we discuss below, has earned its status as the most popular species in the Platypirium genus, grown widely as a houseplant.
But I think the elephant staghorn (P. elephantotis) is even more impressive. Instead of having antler-like fronds, it has massive, round fronds that resemble an elephant’s ears.
It’s truly striking, whether you grow it in a large container outdoors or mounted on wood in your living room.
