I’ve gardened in NE Portland since 2005. My small urban garden measures roughly 45ft x 111ft, and is located about 2.25 miles from the Columbia River, which separates Western Oregon from Washington. The Columbia River Gorge sends cold winter winds through my part of town, and winter ice storms hit this area more frequently than the rest of Portland.
My USDA Zone 8 garden sits at an elevation of 150 ft. Summers have been warming, both the daytime temperatures (lots of 80s and 90s) and the nighttime, as the city isn’t cooling off the way it used to. Winters are erratic. There have been years I haven’t experienced a killing frost until after Christmas and others when it happens in November. The temperature extremes I’ve recorded here are a lows 12F just once, and 14F a couple of times, with several stretches where it remained below freezing day and night for days. Thanks to the Heat Dome of summer 2021 a new high of 108 was set, then 112 and finally 116F. The soil I started with was clay, although I’ve added a lot of compost over the years. Winters are wet (with the occasional heavy wet, and thus damaging, snow that thankfully doesn’t stick around long) and summers are dry. I do not have any irrigation in place, any summer water that “falls” in my garden is delivered by hand and hose. Pests in my garden include slugs, root weevils, cutworms, raccoons, the occasional rabbit—and sometimes an errant ball from a neighboring yard. My only control efforts are sending the slugs, root weevil larva and cutworms on an all-expenses paid vacation in the yard waste bin (picked up weekly by the City) and aiming the hose at the rabbits.
Adiantum aleuticum, Western maidenhair fern. I inherited this fern from the previous owner of the garden. Once exposed (it was languishing behind a mass of overgrown sword ferns) it has thrived. Over the summer I have to be sure water reaches the back of the planting bed where it grows, as it wants water! Grown on the north side of our garage in full shade.
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| Adiantum aleuticum, Western maidenhair fern |
Adiantum venustum, Himalayan maidenhair fern. This is an indispensable green carpet that helps me achieve the illusion that bromeliads “grow” in my garden year-round. It’s perfect for disguising their pots when I drop them in place once the weather warms. I’ve read that it can be cut back hard in the spring but I’ve never done so, instead just letting the underlayers naturally decompose. A friend once said “I see you’re suffering the scourge too”, pointing at this fern—as it does have a tendency to spread. One gardener’s trash is another gardener’s treasure! Grown on the north side of our garage and receives a little late afternoon sun.
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| Adiantum venustum, Himalayan maidenhair fern "carpet" |
Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata', variegated East Indian holly fern. Everyone who visits my garden remarks on this fern, I’m convinced it’s not more widely grown because it doesn’t look great in a nursery pot. I do trim off the older fronds periodically, as the variegated stripe can start to turn a brassy gold that I don’t care for. Grown as a foundation plant on the west side of our house—morning shade and afternoon sun, although shaded in the hottest part of the day.
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| Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata', variegated East Indian holly fern |
Asplenium trichomanes, maidenhair spleenwort. Simply the perfect little fern for tucking in everywhere. I’ve seen it growing happily in a rock crevice, in my fern bowl (similar to a fern table) and of course in the ground in my garden. I can’t say specifically where this one is growing, as it’s all around the garden.
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| Asplenium trichomanes |
Athyrium otophorum, eared lady fern. I sometimes forget about this fern, as it appears a little later in the spring than others in my garden. Once it does finally show up, it positively glows. Grown part shade and soil that tends to be a little on the dry side.
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| Athyrium otophorum, eared lady fern |
Blechnum chilense/ Parablechnum cordatum, Chilean hard fern. Such dramatic arching fronds! I started with this plant in a large planter, as I’d been warned of its tendency to spread when happy. Since it’s march has been slow, I’ve since planted it in the ground as well, with no problems—well, other than when a rabbit decided it was nice to much on. Grown in part shade/part sun with regular water.
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| Blechnum chilense/ Parablechnum cordatum, Chilean hard fern |
Blechnum penna-marina/ Austroblechnum penna-marina, alpine water fern. Speaking of a tendency to spread! I appreciate the free plants though, and find the colorful new growth especially lovely. Plants I’d newly planted out just prior to the Heat Dome last June looked like they were dead come August, but they’re coming back this year. Grown in several places, the ones that receive the most sun are also the most colorful.
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| Blechnum penna-marina/ Austroblechnum penna-marina, alpine water fern |
Coniogramme gracilis, narrow-leaf bamboo fern. This is the most robust of the Coniogramme I grow. I have two in containers and they’ve bulked up quickly and are the earliest coniogramme to emerge in the springtime. Grown in containers in mostly shade.
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| Coniogramme gracilis, narrow-leaf bamboo fern |
Polystichum setiferum Divisilobum Group, soft shield fern. This one is super easy-going and adds such an interesting texture. Grown in dappled shade.
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| Polystichum setiferum Divisilobum Group, soft shield fern |
Woodwardia unigemmata, while the fronds on my jeweled chain fern aren’t as large as others I’ve seen, I don’t care. That color and form is welcome at whatever size they achieve. I have a couple growing in almost full morning sun, several others in almost full shade—they’re all lovely. I think they’d been happier with more water, but I am fairly stingy with that resource. Grown all over my garden.
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| Woodwardia unigemmata |
Five ferns that didn’t do well in my garden
Asplenium scolopendrium, hart's-tongue fern. I’ve tried this little fern in several spots, it just sits there and does nothing, I’ve read that adding lime to the soil might help, but that sounds like more work than I’m willing to do when so many other ferns grow hassle-free.
Dicksonia antarctica, I know, tree ferns aren’t necessarily supposed to grow here in the PNW, but when I see them at the Amazon Spheres, and now at Heronswood—well, I want them here too. Truth be told I do have one that’s been “surviving” in a container for years, but every attempt I make to plant one in the ground fails. Recently I heard Monty Don on Gardeners World say: “if it hasn’t rained for about 3 or 4 days, make sure that the air around them is damp, and the trunk has a good soak”. It can go 3 or 4 weeks (make that 7 weeks this year, and counting) without raining here in the summertime, perhaps winter temperatures aren’t my only issue.
Dryopteris sieboldii, Siebold’s wood fern. I’m trying a fourth spot in the garden for this fern that I am aching to have thrive here. So far, it’s the best performing, but I feel like I’ve cursed them now by writing about it.
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| Dryopteris sieboldii, Siebold’s wood fern —still doing well! Look at all that sporangium |
Matteuccia struthiopteris, ostrich fern. Every time I read a warning about this fern’s tendency to spread I sigh. The ones I’ve tried in the ground die, it’s just too dry in the summer and I don’t lavish them with enough supplemental irrigation. A couple did well in containers for a few years, but they finally gave up too. I love this fern because it looks a little like a tree fern, at least when it’s really healthy and thriving. This year I’m trying a trio in a large stock tank, wish me luck.
Onoclea sensibilis, the sensitive fern wants more water than I am willing to give it (are you sensing a theme?). It starts out stunning in the spring—I love the brown outline on the early fronds—but by mid-summer is flagging and by late August it looks so bad I cut it back.
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| Onoclea sensibilis, newly emerged |
