Ferns are among the oldest plants on earth. With them you not only literally bring the forest into your garden, but also plants that are easy to care for and easy to combine. Which companion plants are suitable for ferns? You can read this below.
Which plants go well with ferns?
To combine ferns attractively, choose companion plants with similar location requirements such as partial shade, fresh, moist and humus-rich soil. Suitable candidates are hostas, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, forest foam blossom, astilbe, show leaf, silver candle and elf flower.
What factors should you consider when combining fern?
To emphasize the delicate appearance of a fern, you should consider the following factors when choosing planting partners:
- Leaf color: green, gray-green or blue-green, less often silvery or reddish
- Location requirements: Partly shaded to shady, fresh to moist and humus-rich soil
- Growth height: up to 250 cm
When combining ferns, consider its foliage color. Green ferns can be combined with numerous plants that have similar location requirements. More colorful ferns such as the magic fern or red veil fern, on the other hand, look attractive next to their plainer colored plant neighbors.
Since ferns prefer shady locations and typical forest floors, the combination partners should get along just as well.
Ferns reach different heights depending on the species. Place the larger specimens in the background and the miniature versions in the foreground of the respective companion plants.
Combine ferns in the bed or in the bucket
In combination with other foliage perennials, but also with flowering perennials and grasses, ferns can create pretty accents. With leafy perennials you can add greenery to shady areas in a decorative way. Colorful flowering plants can enhance their effect. In principle, however, ferns should be combined with plants that were originally native to forests.
These candidates, among others, go well with ferns:
- Funkia
- hydrangeas
- Rhododendrons
- Forest Foam Blossom
- Astilbene
- Sheet
- Silver Candle
- Elf Flower
Combine sword fern with orchid
A popular combination for the pot in the home is made from the delicate sword fern and the orchid. The sword fern is able to add greenery to the orchid, which is rather bare below. You can combine white, yellow, red, pink or violet orchids with the sword fern. Any flower color suits this fern.
Combine peacock wheel fern with hosta
The lush green peacock fern can play a worthwhile role next to all hostas. White striped or variegated hostas as well as blue-leaved hostas look wonderful when combined with it. Since both plants cope well with partially shaded to shady locations, they will quickly make friends in the bed. Be sure not to place the peacock fern in front of the hosta, but rather next to it. Otherwise it could cause the hosta to disappear visually.
Combine sickle fern with rhododendron
The sickle fern loves slightly acidic, humus-rich and permeable soil. It therefore feels extremely comfortable at the foot of a rhododendron that has similar location requirements. With its low height, it will not obscure the rhododendron or hinder its growth.
Combine fern as a bouquet in the vase
The fern in the bouquet creates tangible aesthetics. Flowers such as roses and lilies can be artfully showcased with the help of a few fern fronds and also have something natural and light in the overall picture. Fine grasses also fit into such a bouquet as an addition. Place the fern fronds below the bouquet as a base and drape the flowers over them.
- Roses
- hydrangeas
- Lilies
- Gypsophila
- Grasses such as diamondgrass and switchgrass
