Ferns That Are Used for Floral Arrangements

Ferns bring texture, form and news shades of green to floral arrangements. They also help cover the mechanics in arrangements, including floral wire, foam and container edges. Which fern to use depends partly on the colors of the flowers but also the style of the arrangement.

Which of the three main types of floral designs you're aiming for -- mass, line or line-mass -- helps dictate the types of flowers and foliage you should use.

Mass designs are full, do not have many spaces and use more plant material than the other types.

Line arrangements have only a few stems of flowers and greenery that create distinct lines. The stems have spaces between them to keep the arrangement from looking overcrowded.

Line-mass arrangements incorporate the clean look of lines extending out from the arrangement and the full appearance of mass designs where the lines join together.

Ferns can work in each of these arrangement types to complete the look whether by filling in spaces or accentuating lines.

The ferns you choose for a mass arrangement should be full so they can fill in spaces between flower stems and contribute to the overall look of the design. Leatherleaf fern (Rumohra adiantiformis) has triangular-shaped fronds and grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. Ming fern (Asparagus retrofractus), though not a true fern, is another good choice for a mass design because of the fluffy tufts of foliage that form the filler. Ming fern grows in USDA zones 9a through 11 and has stems that can reach 4 to 5 feet long. These dark green fillers pair nicely with light-colored flowers such as pink carnations (Dianthus spp., USDA zones 8 through 11), and yellow chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum x grandiflorum, USDA zones 4 though 10).

Line arrangements work best with ferns that have stems with a narrow outline of foliage, such as asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus). Although not a true fern, the thin stems of bright green foliage make distinct lines and can establish height in a floral design. Longer stems can be allowed to droop to extend the arrangement to the base of the container. Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata "Bostoniensis") is another good choice for a linear arrangement. The pale to medium green fronds are narrow and come to a point at the end. Both of these grow in USDA zones 9 through 11 and are suitable as accents in arrangements with deep colors such as red florist's anemone (Anemone coronaria, USDA zones 8 through 10), and purple delphinium (Delphinium spp. USDA zones 3 through 9).

Choose ferns with a defined line and a full appearance for line-mass arrangements. The fullness of the leaves of plumosa fern (Asparagus setaceous) at the base of the stem, combined with the narrow length of the twining stems, makes it a good choice for a line-mass design. Plumosa fern, which grows in USDA zones 9a through 12, has bright green leaves that works especially well with white flowers such as hybrid tea roses (Rosa spp. USDA zones 3 through 11). Another line-mass option is arborvitae fern (Selaginella braunii) which has strong lines and full, dark green leaves. Arborvitae fern grows in USDA zones 6 through 9 and it complements light-colored flowers such as pink false spirea (Astilbe spp., USDA zones 6 through 10). Although neither of these are true ferns, they fulfill the same function in the vase.