At a bare minimum, it’s essential for landscape designers to have a good sense for color and composition, and a knowledge of the plants best suited for their geographic region. However, one of my favorite job descriptions is “inspiration hunter.” Inspiration comes in many forms—the architectural style of the home or a past visit to a botanical garden. When starting a new project, my job is to listen and look carefully and eventually find the spark that will become the cornerstone for all aspects of the design. Sometimes (if I’m lucky) it can be as simple as something that already exists in the landscape.

That’s what happened when I first came upon jeweled chain fern. When walking around a new client’s property, I saw the glossy, graceful arching copper fronds of this shady gem and knew—this plant must stay. Not only did it remain, but it became the inspiration I was looking for when developing the color palette for the entire new garden.

Best suited for light to full shade, jeweled chain fern makes an ideal woodland garden plant. In warmer zones it will be evergreen, but in Zone 7 climates it will be semi-evergreen, and it’s a good idea to keep the crown well mulched in winter. For those living in colder climates outside of its hardiness range (Zone 6 and below), this fern can be grown successfully in pots and brought indoors during winter. It’s happiest and looks its best when it receives regular water and protection from drying winds. Jeweled chain fern is considered pest- and disease-free and only needs its old fronds pruned away when they begin to deteriorate—making it a low-maintenance dream. Fronds that touch the soil can produce small plantlets. In spring, when the new growth is starting to emerge, the plantlets can be carefully removed and transplanted to a pot. Just be sure you give the offspring moist conditions with high humidity while they mature.

While this gorgeous fern stays fairly low, give it a wide berth horizontally, as it can grow up to 7 feet in diameter. The new fronds emerge in shades of salmon and rusty red, then transition to vibrant green as they mature. It’s this size and color that makes jeweled chain fern a standout focal point plant and is how I use it in my designs. I like to pair it with the bold blue foliage of ‘Halcyon’ hosta (Hosta ‘Halcyon’, Zones 3–9), the burgundy veining of ‘Green Spice’ heuchera (Heuchera ‘Green Spice’, Zones 4–9), and the chartreuse blades of golden variegated sweet flag (Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’, Zones 5–11). Since that first sighting and spark of inspiration, jeweled chain fern has become my favorite choice for a shade garden in need of a little sparkle.

Jeweled chain fern Woodwardia unigemmata Zones: 7b–10 Conditions: Partial to full shade; rich, moist, well-drained soil Native range: East Asia

Sources:

Far Reaches Farm, Port Townsend, WA; 360-385-5114; farreachesfarm.com

Dancing Oaks Nursery and Gardens, Monmouth, OR; 503-838-6058; dancingoaks.com

Courtney Olander is a horticulturist and landscape designer based in Seattle.

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