by Ann Elliott | Feb 24, 2025 | Featured, Native Gardening Advice
Gardening with Natives
Caroline Christman
Lady Fern – Athyrium filix-fimina
Photo by Caroline Christman
Winter in California is a magical time. After the dry days of autumn, rain returns and a wave of green covers the landscape. Once golden-brown hills seem to grow a green stubble overnight, and even the cool, shady forests are transformed by lush young foliage. A walk in a coast redwood or Douglas-fir forest, or even around the neighborhood, is an opportunity to see beautiful plants emerging. One plant group that shines especially bright in the winter is our native California ferns.
California polypody emerging from the hillside Photo by Caroline Christman
Ferns are Pteridophytes, members of a group of ancient vascular plants which evolved before gymnosperms (such as conifers) or angiosperms (flowering plants). They reproduce via spores produced on the underside of leaves in structures called sporangia, which often are grouped together into visible sori. Most ferns grow from rhizomes, an underground stem, which can survive disturbance and hot, dry periods. During the wet winter months new fronds emerge from the rhizome with the characteristic fiddlehead. These unravel into intricate, delicate green fronds that are sure signs of spring approaching.
The delicate appearance of ferns belies their true hardiness. In my Sausalito neighborhood, I see ferns unfurling from steep road cuts, near shaded building foundations, from amongst solid expanses of English ivy, and pretty much anywhere that is moist. In the garden, tough native ferns can be a substantial component of the understory, cover steep slopes, protect creek banks, or be grown in a pot to brighten up a deck or shady entryway.
Giant Chain Fern only slightly nibbled
Photo by Caroline Christman
Ferns bring a dazzling array of vibrant greens to the garden. The attractive foliage provides protective cover for birds, insects, and other small wildlife as well as being an important food source for butterflies and moths. Ferns are generally not a favorite food for deer, but young fronds may be nibbled when other food sources are limited. Ferns can either grow in clumps from a central point, such as Western sword fern, or form spreading colonies. California polypody ferns send up single fronds along their rhizome to create a low-growing fern blanket. Because most ferns grow from rhizomes, they can easily be divided to expand your fern understory or share with a neighbor.
Polystichum munitum – Western sword fern
Photo by Ann Elliott
There are many species of fern native to Marin. A walk around your neighborhood or local park is a great way to see which species do well in your area. In considering adding ferns to your garden, it’s important to note that some ferns are semi- or completely deciduous (summer or winter), and this will vary depending on growing conditions. For example, the same species of fern may be summer deciduous in sunnier or dryer conditions and will not be summer deciduous in shadier or moister spots. Most ferns prefer shady, moist locations, but some are more drought and sun tolerant than others.
Below are some common native ferns for the Marin garden. Each species name is linked to the Calscape page, which has more species information as well as nurseries which carry them. The spring Marin CNPS native plant sale (online plant sale April 3-6) is a great place to purchase plants and chat with experienced native plant gardeners. If you can’t make it to the CNPS plant sale, try local nurseries which specialize in native plants, including ferns, such as California Native Landscape (CNL) Nursery in Mill Valley and O’Donnell’s Nursery in Fairfax.
Blechnum spicant – deer fern
Photo by Ann Elliott
Dryopteris arguta – coastal wood fern Ann Elliott
Evergreen or Semi-evergreen Ferns
Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum): This large, upright fern has dark green foliage and does well beneath a dense canopy. It prefers shade and moisture, and in dryer conditions is semi-deciduous in summer and more prone to thrips infestations. It grows in clumps and does not spread quickly.
Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant): This small, upright fern prefers moist, cool conditions. It has two types of fronds, sterile fronds which arch out from the center and fertile fronds which grow straight up and die back in fall/winter. It grows in clumps and does not spread quickly.
Coastal Wood Fern (Dryopteris arguta): This small fern is more drought tolerant than other ferns and can grow in somewhat sunnier and dryer conditions. It can often be found on woodland slopes. Fronds grow in clusters, but can spread to form colonies. This species can be hard to find in nurseries, other ferns in the genus Dryopteris may be available.
Giant Chain Fern (Woodwardia fimbriata): This is the largest fern in North America. Its graceful arching fronds are the perfect adornment in partial or deeper shade. Performing best with regular water, it grows in clumps and does not spread quickly.
Lady Fern emerging from the roadcut
Photo by Caroline Christman
Deciduous Ferns
Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina): This large, lacy fern is winter deciduous with bright green fronds bursting forth in early spring. It grows in round clumps and can spread to form colonies in moist soil.
California Polypody Fern (Polypodium californicum): This small fern is summer deciduous but makes a great winter groundcover. It does well on steep slopes and, if happy, will spread slowly to form a colony.
These are just six of our lovely native ferns, and there are many more not included here. With ferns of varying sizes, growth habits, and spreading propensity to choose from, there is likely a good fern for any shady or moist spot in the garden.
We want to hear about your native habitat gardening experiences! Please send writing, photos, tips, or questions to Ann Elliott for inclusion in the next newsletter.
Additional Resources:
Selecting Ferns for the Garden
Gardenia.net: Recommended Native Ferns for the Northern California Coast
Pacific Horticulture: California Native Ferns
Calscape Fern List
Fern Ecology
US Forest Service: Fern Structure
American Fern Society
Pteridophyte Collections Consortium
Ferns Past and Present
Introduction to Ferns
Bay Nature: Fantastic Ferns and Where to Find Them
by Ann Elliott | Jan 30, 2025 | Featured, Native Gardening Advice
Ribes sanguineum
Photo by Caroline Christman
Gardening with Natives
Caroline Christman
If you have a shady spot in the garden to fill, look no further than the flowering currant. Ribes sanguineum and R. sanguineum var. glutinosum are wonderful plants for the Marin habitat garden; they are beautiful, easy to care for, and provide food for a wide variety of native birds and insects. They are also readily available at many nurseries and local plant sales.
Although winter deciduous, flowering currants add interest to the garden all year round. They have an upright growth habit, creating an elegant form that gradually expands to create a vase-shaped shrub up to 10 ft high and 6 ft wide. They are great as a foundation plant along edges, fence lines, or in corners, providing a structural element and backdrop to lower growing plants. In winter, leaves drop to reveal delicate branches. Soon after, pendant pink flowers emerge like hanging chandeliers to brighten shady nooks and attract pollinators. Soft green foliage begins to grow in spring as the flowers fade.
Flowering currants are drought-tolerant in coastal zones. They do well in shade or part shade, such as under oaks or bay laurel, in north or east-facing areas of the garden, or along the outer edges of a riparian corridor (as long as their feet are not wet and soil drains well). They also can do well in more acidic soil under conifers. Once established in a shady spot, they will generally not need summer water. However, if planted in full sun or areas with hotter summer and fall conditions, summer water may be needed.
Ribes sanguineum bush
Photo by Caroline Christman
The entire flowering currant plant has habitat value for native wildlife. In winter and spring flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies (including Monarchs). Later in the year berries are a food source for a variety of birds and small mammals and foliage is eaten by caterpillars. Deer will also browse on currant foliage, so netting or protection of some kind may help young plants get established.
In my walks around Sausalito, I visit this flowering currant in an east-facing garden under coast live oak and bay laurel. It is on the boundary between two houses, and though both gardens have recently been redone, the flowering currant has been saved. I like to think it is an inspiration, as the houses on either side have added native plants to their gardens. In all seasons, it beckons to me; as I round the corner and catch my first glimpse of pink flowers or the smudge of distinctive green it brings a smile to my face.
See more about R. sanguineum and R. sanguineum var. glutinosum at Calscape.
Do you have stories, tips, or photos from your garden that you’d like to share? Please send these to Ann Elliott for inclusion in an upcoming Marin CNPS Newsletter.
by David Long | Mar 23, 2014 | Native Gardening Advice
California Natives are adapted to our climate and soils
California native plants evolved over thousands of years in our soils and climate. California has one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. These range from seashore to high mountain top; from coastal areas with a temperate Mediterranean climate to deserts with dramatic temperature extremes including some of the hottest on earth.
Natives are beautiful
Clarkia in a Native Garden
California native plants can create a garden that is every bit as beautiful as one populated with exotic plants from faraway places. And native plants can be combined with other common garden flowers and shrubs. However, a garden in which California natives predominate is hard to beat for natural beauty. Our local natives, many with green, gray and silver foliage, provide a restful and tranquil quality to the garden. But if you want bright color, local natives such as California fuchsia (Epilobium canum), California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) and Clarkia will knock your eyes out.
Reduce water usage
One of the myths about California native plants is that all are drought tolerant. Many are, but the diverse plant habitats in California include riparian, wetlands and bogs, with plants that need regular water. By using some of the many California natives that are drought-tolerant, you may be able to significantly reduce your water use.
Reduce maintenance and reduce or eliminate fertilizer and pesticides
It is another myth that California native plants in the garden need virtually no maintenance. While some are maintenance free, most require some periodic attention such as weeding, pruning, and checking irrigation. But being adapted to California soils, most need little or no fertilizer. And because native vegetation attracts lots of good bugs you are much more likely to be able to rely on nature’s balance for control of insect pests rather than resorting to pesticides.
Increase biodiversity
Biodiversity is increasingly recognized as the key to a healthy planet. By developing, paving over and building on huge swaths of formerly pristine land, we have set in motion an unprecedented threat of extinction for not only many plants, but also birds, butterflies, bees and larger animals.
Native Bumblebee on Native Coast Buckwheat (Eriogonum latifolium)Native gardens can play an important role in maintaining and expanding biodiversity. Scientists have found that in urban and suburban gardens native plants are much more effective than exotic plants in supporting biodiversity. Plants and insects, which are at the bottom of the food chain, are the foundation of all other biodiversity. California native plants and insects have coevolved and are the food source for local butterflies and birds. Most insects are “plant specialists” and can’t survive on exotic plants. For example, research by Douglas Tallamy, an entomologist at the University of Delaware, found that native plants in gardens, in comparison to exotic garden plants, produced four times the insect biomass, three times as many insect species and 35 times more caterpillar biomass (D. Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home (Timber Press 2007)). This is the food chain and source of biodiversity that is missing in gardens that use only exotic plants. Another example closer to home: Gordon Frankie, a bee researcher at UC Berkeley, has found that many California native plants are highly attractive to local bees; see Best Bee Plants for California.
Attract Wildlife
One of the great joys of gardening with native plants is observing the critters that are attracted throughout the year. Our Marin native gardeners report that their gardens are focal points for birds, bees and butterflies.
