FERNS,
GRASSES & VINES
For
more information on any of these plants use this link:
PLANTS
DATABASE
FERNS
Click
on Common Name for a picture of the plant
Christmas
Fern
(Polystichum acrostichoides)
Grows 1 to 2 feet. Evergreen
fern with once-divided, leathery, dark-green foliage.
Forms large clumps, 2 to 3 feet across.
Good on rocky, woodland hillsides. Part-sun
to shade. Moist, well-drained soil.
Zone 3 N
Cinnamon
Fern
(Osmunda cinnamomea)
Grows to 3 feet. Vigorous,
spreading to form large, vase-shaped clumps.
Large, doubly-divided fronds are light-green in spring and dark-green by
fall. Fertile fronds are fuzzy,
cinnamon-brown. Very hardy.
Full sun to shade. Moist, acid, highly organic soil best. Only tolerates full sun if plenty of moisture.
Zone 3
N
Hay-scented
Fern
(Dennstaedtia punctiloba)
Vigorously spreading fern grows to 12 inches wiith light-green,
finely-divided fronds. Foliage
sweet-scented when crushed. Versatile
fern grows in many soils and tolerates drought.
Found in clearings and on rocky slopes.
Part-sun to shade. Moist,
well-drained soil. Drought
tolerant. Zone 3
N
Interrupted
Fern
(Osmunda claytoniana)
Grows 3 to 4 feet in large, vase-shaped clumps.
Pale-green fronds not as deeply divided as Cinnamon Fern.
Green, sterile portions of fronds are ‘interrupted’ along the stalk
with brown, fertile portions. Part-sun
to shade. Moist, acid soil.
Good, woodland fern. Zone
4 N
Lady
Fern
(Athyrium felix-femina)
One of the only ferns offered in different varieties.
Grows in clumps 2 to 3 feet tall with lacy, pale-green, arching fronds.
Found in moist, partly-shady areas but tolerates more sun and dry soil
than most ferns. Part-sun to shade. Moist,
rich soil best. Zone 4 N
Ostrich
Fern
(Matteucia struthiopteris)
Known for its fiddleheads in the spring.
Grows to 4 feet. Large,
upright, coarse-textured fronds. Found
in swamps and moist woods. Part-sun
to shade. Rich, moist to wet soil.
Zone 3
N
Royal
Fern
(Osmunda regalis)
Beautiful, stately, vigorous fern with branching, pale to bright-green
fronds, depending on the amount of light. Grows
2 to 6 feet (tallest in wet conditions). Spreads
slowly. Full sun to shade.
Best in part-sun to shade. Wet
soils but not submerged. Zone
3 N
Sensitive
Fern
(Onoclea sensibilis)
Interesting fern with completely separate fertile fronds often used in
dried arrangements. Grows 1 to 2
feet in moist soil. Fronds pale to
deep-green and twice-divided with fertile fronds brown with persistent,
bead-like spore cases along the stalk. Full
sun to shade. Moist to almost wet
soil. Zone
3 N
GRASSES
Bulrushes
(Scirpus sp.)
Many species of tall (4 to 6 feet high) grass-like plants with long,
narrow leaves and striking flower heads; some with dark-brown ‘spikelets’
and others fluffy. Found in wet
areas and shallow water. Full to
part-sun. Wet soil, standing water.
Zones 3 to 4
N
Bur-Reed
(Sparganium sp.)
A family of grass-like plants growing 1 to 4 feet high in shallow water
with either upright or floating stems and long, narrow leaves.
Flowers are greenish-brown and followed by a bur-like ball. Full to part-sun. Wet
soil, standing water. Zone
3 N
Big
Bluestem
(Andropogon gerardi)
A versatile group of grasses; this species tolerant of dry, poor
conditions. Long-lived, grows 3 to
6 feet tall with lush green leaves that turn red in fall and bluish-purple
stems. Flower and seed heads branch
into 3 parts. Needs extra care to
get established but forms excellent cover once established.
A common prairie grass. Full
sun. Moist to dry soil.
Tolerates poor, dry, sandy soil. Zone
3 N
European
Dunegrass (Elymus
glaucus) Native to western
America. Grows to 2 feet. Vigorously spreading, ornamental grass. Good for erosion control on sandy, dune areas.
Tolerates drought and salt. Good
for bank stabilization. Highly
aggressive. Blue-gray, arching foliage and green to yellow flower
clusters in late summer. Full sun.
Well-drained, sandy soil. Zone
4
Manna
Grass
(Glyceria aquatilis)
Spreading, cultivated grass for damp areas.
Grows to 3 feet with slender, arching, white and yellow variegated
foliage. Native species grow in
marshes, shallow water and wet areas. Full
sun. Wet soil.
Zone 3
Reed
Grass
(Calamagrostis canadensis)
Also called Canada Bluejoint Grass.
Other species and varieties are available.
Grows 2 to 4 feet. A
typical, upright, attractive grass. Spreads
slowly to form clumps. Some
varieties are more vigorous. Slender
stems and flower heads. Does well
in wet soil and is a good soil stabilizer.
Full sun. Moist, fertile
soil. Good near water. Zone 3
N
Ribbon
Grass
(Phalaris arundinacea var. picta)
Also called Reed Canary Grass. Cultivated
from a native grass. Vigorous and
ornamental with green and white striped, arching leaves and narrow clusters of
flowers in summer. Can be invasive. Grows 2 to 3 feet. Does
best in full sun and moist, fertile soil. Does
well close to water. Tolerates some
shade. Zone
4 (N)
Switch
Grass
(Panicum virgatum)
Several varieties. Grows 4
to 7 feet in thick, spreading clumps. Good
for wildlife and birds. Typical
long, narrow leaves and decorative, feathery flower heads.
Holds shape throughout winter. Needs
1 or 2 years to become established. Full sun. Tolerates
poor, acid, sandy, dry soil. Heat
and drought tolerant. Zones 3 to 5 N
VINES
Note:
The vines listed here are ones that make good ground covers in
particular. There are many more
climbing vines that could be added to a buffer simply for variation and to add
dimension. Check for ones that do
not overwhelm other vegetation.
Boston
Ivy
(Parthenocissus tricuspidata
veitchi) Dense, climbing or
sprawling vine with maple leaf-shaped ,glossy, dark-green leaves that turn
crimson in the fall. Tolerates dry
conditions once established. Sun to part-sun. Moist
to dry soil. Zone 4
English
Ivy
(Hedera helix)
Low-maintenance, dense, evergreen vine with broad, glossy, dark-green
leaves. Many varieties are available.
It climbs things or trails along the ground. Sun to shade. Moist
to dry soil. Tolerates some
drought. Zone
4
Sweet
Pea
(Lathyrus latifolius)
Vigorous, flowering vine good on rocky slopes.
Easy to grow once established. Forms
a 2 to 3 foot thick mat of vegetation making it good for erosion control on
poor, sandy or rocky slopes. Also
good food and cover for birds and wildlife.
Typical pea-like vines and leaves and long-blooming, showy white to pink
to red flowers. Blooms summer to
fall. Sun to part-sun. Moist, well-drained soil best but tolerates poor, sandy,
clayey soils. Zone 3
Virginia
Creeper
(Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Also called Woodbine. Rapid
growth. Spreads vigorously; can be
invasive. Good as ground cover over
rocky slopes. Deep-green, palmately-divided
leaves turn crimson in fall. Bluish,
black berries in fall. Good for
birds. Sun to shade. Adaptable to most soils.
Zone 3
N
Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation
District
