The Japanese holly fern is another very successful fern inhabiting our woodland garden. There are two large ones that look fresh and bright even now, in September. About two-feet across, they are only about a foot tall.

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You wouldn’t expect a fern to provide contrasting foliage to other ferns, but the solid leaves of holly fern are very different from the doily-esque leaves of the nearby common male ferns.

My future plans for these plants are to grab some leaves with spores and spread them around the greenhouse. Maybe I’ll get some baby holly ferns next year.