Eilís O'Neill / KUOW/EarthFix Ellie and Emma are toddlers. They spend a lot of time with their dad Tim Billo in Seward Park, a fragment of old-growth forest on the edge of Lake Washington. Billo’s a ...

WHAT: Sword fern, Polystichum munitum, is one of our most useful native ferns and a staple in the Northwest garden. Sword fern is evergreen and forms a shapely, arching mound. WHY PLANT IT: It is ...

SANTA CRUZ >> Beneath California’s iconic towering redwoods, ferns carpet the forest floor. The Western sword fern is the most common plant in the coastal redwood forest, and it’s showing signs of ...

M.B.: Sounds like a natural to me. Our native sword ferns are easygoing and not easily upset. Minor or woodland bulbs that tolerate the shade are better choices than traditional tall tulips or ...

If you walk through Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunnellon, you are sure to notice ferns. First, there's the sword fern that spreads abundantly through moist garden areas and probably reminds you of ...

One doesn’t always think of ferns and Inland Northwest gardening in the same idea. Our climate isn’t anything like the West Side of the state, where sword fern can grow to 6 feet tall and other types ...

INDIANOLA — The barren patch of ground stood out in the midst of the lush forest understory. All around, sword ferns crowded between tree trunks forming dense thickets of greenery, but in this spot, ...

Delicate as lace, or seemingly tough as leather, ferns can be found in climates ranging from rain forest to tundra. It's no wonder that they find their way to so many Pacific Northwest gardens.

IS THERE a more useful plant than evergreen ferns? They’re the stalwarts of the winter garden. Slugs are munching on the tiny iris that are just starting to bloom, and camellia blossoms brown out with ...

Don’t give up on that seemingly uninhabitable part of the yard that’s shaded by towering evergreens. With some creative planning, this tree-filled area can transform from a dark, neglected spot to an ...