Dryopteris expansa
Spreading wood fern is perhaps the least common of native ferns in the garden setting - only due to the fact that it's hard to find in nurseries. Like lady fern, it is deciduous with a lacey, delicate quality. It emerges each spring it grows 2-3 foot long, deeply divided fronds with dramatically tapered tips, before dying back each fall.
- Plant type/canopy layer: deciduous, perennial, fern
- Size at maturity: 0-24" tall, 12"-36" wide
- Light requirements: full shade, part sun/part shade
- Moisture requirements: moist soil
- Bloom Time: n/a
- Growth rate/ease: moderate growth rate, easy to grow
- Wildlife support: supports hummingbirds
- Native habitat/range: generally found in cool forests or rocky slopes, from sea level to 2100m, across most of the western Pacific Northwest from Washington to northern California. It is also present in areas of northeastern North America, Eurasia, and Greenland. Portland Plant List - yes.
- Special features & uses: supports hummingbirds; deer resistant; rootstock is edible; landscape uses include raingardens, bioswales and woodland gardens
Gardening with Spreading Wood Fern: Tuck this fern into your rotting nurse logs or shaded water feature or other low-light areas of your garden that are rich in organic matter and moist year-round. Like other ferns, it is deer resistant and can provide a lush cover on the forest floor.
Photo Credit 1: "Dryopteris expansa" by Joan Simon is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo Credit 2: "Dryopteris expansa" by Joan Simon is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0