Dryopteris marginalis - Marginal Wood Fern

Dryopteris marginalis is a pretty evergreen fern native to North America and very hardy. It has stiff, upright fronds that form a spreading clump of moderate size. They are bipinnate, fairly dark green, and slightly arching to create a beautiful cluster of foliage emerging from a very dense central stump. It thrives in shade, moist to marshy soils, slightly acidic or neutral. It can easily adorn a shady rockery or colonize the ground in a woodland.

Dryopteris marginalis, sometimes called marginal wood fern, belongs to the Dryopteridaceae family and gets its species name, 'marginalis', from the arrangement of its sori on the edge of its leaflets, on the underside. This very robust species is endemic to woods and forests in eastern North America, and grows as far as Greenland and Newfoundland, at an altitude below 1500m (4921ft). It forms a clump 40 to 60cm (16 to 24in) tall and 40 to 50cm (16 to 20in) wide. Its tough fronds, wider than they are tall, are evergreen unless the winter is too harsh. They are finely divided, delicate as lace, and perfectly arranged in a bouquet around the central stump. Their color is a slightly glaucous, greyish green. The rhizomes of this plant form an upright crown.

Dryopteris marginalis is a good perennial for shady and cool areas. It can be planted among the rocks of a shaded rockery or left to grow in a slightly wild garden, under trees, in moist soil. This fern pairs well with purple-leaved Heucheras, hostas, wood anemones, Caucasian forget-me-nots, Geranium macrorrhizum 'Spessart', or pink or white lilies of the valley. It looks just as beautiful planted alone as in large groups, which will hide the bare ground in winter, if the weather is mild enough.