WHAT: Sword fern, Polystichum munitum, is one of our most useful native ferns and a staple in the Northwest garden. Sword fern is evergreen and forms a shapely, arching mound. WHY PLANT IT: It is ...

Eilís O'Neill / KUOW/EarthFix Ellie and Emma are toddlers. They spend a lot of time with their dad Tim Billo in Seward Park, a fragment of old-growth forest on the edge of Lake Washington. Billo’s a ...

SANTA CRUZ >> Beneath California’s iconic towering redwoods, ferns carpet the forest floor. The Western sword fern is the most common plant in the coastal redwood forest, and it’s showing signs of ...

IS THERE a more useful plant than evergreen ferns? They’re the stalwarts of the winter garden. Slugs are munching on the tiny iris that are just starting to bloom, and camellia blossoms brown out with ...

The sword fern poses a threat to indigenous species because it spreads aggressively and is able to form dense stands, quickly displacing indigenous vegetation. PHOTO BY INVASIVE.ORG.ZA We all know ...

Delicate as lace, or seemingly tough as leather, ferns can be found in climates ranging from rain forest to tundra. It's no wonder that they find their way to so many Pacific Northwest gardens.

Don’t give up on that seemingly uninhabitable part of the yard that’s shaded by towering evergreens. With some creative planning, this tree-filled area can transform from a dark, neglected spot to an ...

Mention the word fern, and many gardeners will envision an indoor grotto filled with Boston and maidenhair fern. Or maybe a tropical forest full of wild ferns. But in their garden? Maybe a Western ...

Boston ferns (AKA sword ferns or Nephrolepis exaltata) occupy vast swathes of the world’s tropics and subtropics, thriving in the rich, moist soil, humidity and shade of jungle canopies. If you are a ...