PlantFiles: Northern Maidenhair Fern, Five-finger fern, Five-fingered Maidenhair, American Maidenhair
Adiantum pedatum

Tough but very slow to spread from experience and height tend to vary depending on exposure to winds which can vary from year to year depending on the average height of other plants. Have seen patches in the wild near the St. Croix river.

This fern is native to Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec), Alaska, and the eastern half of the USA (Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia).

Easy to find in nurseries locally. It is listed as an exploitably vulnerable species in the state of New York.

Was not successful in trying to grow this fern outside, so I simply potted it up in a loamy soil which was modified with some lime. It responded very well, so I keep it inside during our winter months and let it enjoy our coastal South Carolina summers in the shade. Docturf.

This tough fern grows wild and in profusion in south-eastern Ontario, Canada. I transplanted a piece from my cottage to my town garden, where it enjoys a moist soil and about 3 hours of direct sun daily. It dies back in late fall, and sprouts heartily in late April, with the trilliums. Every two years I cut a third of it off as gifts to friends, and it just keeps coming back. The foliage gets a little brown-edged by late August, understandably. Hmm, sounds like me!

Uncommon, but not rare in these parts, these ferns can be found along shady creekbanks and damp forest floors.

I've transplanted them from the wild with good success, but they never seem as vigorous as some of the other wild ferns.

Delicate and airy, they are very nice along with plants that do not overpower them.

This is my very favorite fern. I found several patches of it growing wild in our woods and dug one or two for the yard. After a few years the clumps had grown to 80+ frons ! It does much better in the yard than out in the woods.
I divided one of the clumps and now have Maidenhairs all over the hard, which are getting bigger each year.

This hardy fern is native to North America. Provide a shaded growing area with a rich, well-drained, alkaline soil. Maintain an adequately moist soil. The fronds are supported by nearly black stems and may provide a display of yellow fall foliage color.

Old folklore said if a maiden handled a stem and the leaves didn't flicker, her virtue was assured.