Thelypteris noveboracensis (New York Fern)
Thelypteris noveboracensis (New York Fern) is a soft, deciduous fern with fine-textured, pinnate-pinnatifid, ellipitical and tapering, light yellow-green fronds, 8-25 in. long (20-62 cm). They feature approximately 20 pinnae (leaflets) that are deeply cut into smaller, oblong and rounded subleaflets. The fertile fronds are larger and more upright than the sterile fronds, and produce a few small, circular sori near the margins of the pinnae. This fern grows in clumps of three or more fronds along a dark brown, slightly scaly rhizome. This fern can multiply very quickly to form dense colonies. Native to eastern North America, New York Fern is well-suited for massing along streams and ponds in shade or filtered sun. It makes a good companion for spring ephemerals, covering the gaps they leave in the woodland garden.
- Grows up to 1-2 ft. tall (30-60 cm) and 1-3 ft. wide (30-90 cm).
- Performs best in part shade to full shade in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soils. Will spread less, but survive in dry conditions.
- This plant is a great choice for shady beds and borders, cottage gardens, woodland gardens or containers.
- No serious pest or disease problems. Deer resistant.
- Remove faded fronds regularly and divide plants when crowded.
- Propagate by rhizome division or spores.
- Found throughout the eastern United States and Canada, from Louisiana to Newfoundland, but most concentrated within Appalachia and the Atlantic Northeast.
Requirements
Hardiness | 3 – 8 |
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Plant Type | Ferns |
Plant Family | Dryopteris – Ferns, Polypodium – Ferns |
Exposure | Partial Sun, Shade |
Season of Interest | Spring (Mid,Late)Summer (Early,Mid,Late)Fall |
Height | 8" – 2' (20cm – 60cm) |
Spread | 1' – 3' (30cm – 90cm) |
Spacing | 24″ – 36″ (60cm – 90cm) |
Water Needs | Average |
Maintenance | Low |
Soil Type | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand |
Soil pH | Acid, Neutral |
Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained |
Characteristics | Showy |
Native Plants | United States, Midwest, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Northeast, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Southeast, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Southwest, Oklahoma |
Tolerance | Deer, Wet Soil |
Garden Uses | Beds and Borders, Patio and Containers |
Garden Styles | Informal and Cottage |