Such a Fair Maiden

I had the opportunity to visit Stone Crop Gardens this summer, the former estate of  Anne and Frank Cabot (who founded The Garden Conservancy). Stone Crop has a wonderful series of gardens. While strolling through the woodland gardens, I came across a significant amount of Maidenhair Ferns. These ferns are native to eastern North America, and can be found throughout New York. I loved the thin black stems and the leaf structure. 

Maidenhair Ferns at Stone Crop

Seeing them in such abundance at Stone Crop was a wonderful experience.

So, I decided to ad a couple Maidenhair ferns (Adiantum pedatum) to the garden to see what might happen. The soil, water, and shade requirements are perfect for my garden - rich, moist and shady.

I placed one in a gap near Buddha, and the other along the fence line where another plant has been recently eaten by rabbits.

They look fine now, but I will need to see how the manage over the winter and if in time thy grow or spread too quickly, I may need to reconsider the locations. In the meantime, I think they look beautiful.