Why ferns earn their place in British shade

Most British gardens have a shady corner — under a mature apple, along a north-facing fence, or in that awkward strip behind the shed. Rather than fighting it, fill it with ferns. They are among the oldest plants in the garden, they ask for almost nothing, and they bring a texture and movement that flowers rarely manage. The soil in these spots tends to stay cool and moist, which is exactly what most ferns want, and in return they knit together a planting scheme that looks settled within a single season.

There is also something quietly satisfying about watching the croziers — the tight fiddlehead coils — unfurl in April. Choose a mix of deciduous and evergreen types and you will have something worth looking at all year.

The tough workhorses: male fern and hart's tongue

If you want one fern that will cope with almost anything, choose the male fern, Dryopteris filix-mas. It is native, thoroughly hardy, and tolerant of dry shade beneath trees where little else survives. A mature clump forms a shuttlecock of deep green fronds around a metre high, and older plants can be lifted and split with a spade if they lose their centre. It is semi-evergreen, so the old fronds sit around through winter and can be cut back in February just as the new ones prepare to move.

Hart's tongue fern, Asplenium scolopendrium, offers a completely different shape — undivided, glossy, strap-like leaves that look almost tropical. Give it a moist, humus-rich spot, ideally on the limey side, and it will self-seed gently into cracks and crevices. It is evergreen, unfazed by deep shade, and looks superb planted against a shady wall or between paving stones.

Softer characters: shield ferns and maidenhairs

The soft shield fern, Polystichum setiferum, has finely divided, feathery fronds in a soft green and holds them right through winter. It manages dry shade surprisingly well once established, and there are excellent named forms if you fall for them. Its relative Polystichum polyblepharum, the tassel fern, has a smart, formal look that suits a shaded front garden.

For pure delicacy, the Himalayan maidenhair, Adiantum venustum, is hard to beat. Its black wiry stems carry pale, fan-shaped leaflets, and it creeps slowly into a soft green haze. It is far tougher than it looks and copes with quite dry conditions. The tender true maidenhair, Adiantum capillus-veneris, needs more mollycoddling — a sheltered, frost-free corner with reliably damp roots — but it is worth the effort in a courtyard or a pot.

Then there is the Japanese painted fern, Athyrium niponicum var. pictum, with silver and burgundy markings that glow in shadow. It wants moist soil and shelter from strong sun, and it combines beautifully with dark-leaved heucheras.

Matching the fern to your shade

Before planting, work out which sort of shade you actually have. It matters more than the fern names themselves.

• Dry shade under trees: male fern, soft shield fern, common polypody, and hart's tongue if the soil is not too parched.
• Damp or wet shade: royal fern, ostrich fern, lady fern and Blechnum spicant, the hard fern, which also needs acid soil.
• Acid soil: hard fern, buckler ferns, and most woodland natives.
• Limey or neutral soil: hart's tongue, maidenhair spleenwort and the shield ferns.

If your soil sits somewhere in between, almost all of these will manage perfectly well.

Planting, feeding and dividing

Plant ferns in spring or early autumn, when the soil is warm and damp. Dig in a generous bucketful of leaf mould first — ferns adore it — and set the crown exactly level with the soil surface. Burying the crown is the quickest way to kill a fern. Water well through the first summer, and mulch each spring with another layer of leaf mould or garden compost; that is all the feeding they need.

Leave old fronds in place over winter. They protect the crown from hard frost and shelter overwintering insects, and cutting back too early can leave the new croziers exposed. Tidy them away in late February, just as the fiddleheads begin to show. Divide congested clumps every three or four years, in early spring, and replant the outer pieces — the centre of an old clump is usually exhausted, and the young growth around the edge will romp away.

Woodland companions to plant alongside

Ferns look best in company. Underplant them with Cyclamen hederifolium, wood anemones and snowdrops for winter and early spring interest; add hellebores, epimediums and pulmonarias for flowers that echo the woodland mood. Geranium macrorrhizum makes excellent ground cover in dry shade and hides the ferns' ankles. In damper spots, hostas, tiarella and astilbes complete the picture.

Get the soil right, plant with the crown proud, and your shade will stop being a problem and start being the most restful part of the garden.