This morning I ran across a book I had not thought to look in for fern information. So I took the time to look in Pleasures and Problems of a Rock Garden, written by Louise Beebe Wilder in 1927 … and discovered an entire section on ferns. Her enthusiasm is infectious. She writes,

"Ferns play a most significant part in the spectacle of beauty unfolding week by week in the shaded rock garden. The earliest mildness stirs the eager young crosiers to action in sheltered places… and long before the winter's grasp is relaxed they begin to uncoil and restlessly to push aside their brown leaf blanket. All through the summer and autumn their fresh beauty lasts unimpaired, and many remain cheerfully green through the dark days of winter. Thoreau wrote, "Nature made ferns for pure leaves, to see what she could do in that line." How successful was the experiment is evidenced by the innumerable forms of loveliness to be found among them."
She summarized by saying, "Ferns are a sure investment in pleasure, making of the shaded garden that is well furnished with them a cool retreat in the heat of summer days. Few plants can be naturalized with finer effect."

These two ferns were planted in an 8x2.5 foot bed that had a grouping of large black lava rocks at one end and a cut-leaf Weeping Japanese Maple at the other. Within 3 years the ferns filled the bed with beautiful, delicate fronds.
The blue-gray fern is Japanese Painted Fern [Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum']. John Mickel, in Ferns for American Gardens, made a very reassuring comment about this fern when he said, "To say that this fern does very well in a shaded, moist garden where the soil is loose and the rhizome and roots can spread well is one of the great understatements of fern horticulture."
The two large ferns with glossy, bright green foliage are Japanese Tassel Fern [Polystichum polyblepharum]. "This native of Japan and Southern Korea is very handsome, does well in rich garden soil, and appreciates consistent moisture." <John Mickel
This fern is a bit more particular about growing conditions than the Painted Fern... just make sure you prepare an extra-good planting hole and backfill... and give it extra moisture during the heat of summer.
The realization that ferns can be grown well in Oklahoma City was a belated but very welcome one... and I've been planting ferns ever since. The best performers in my garden are Autumn Fern, Sensitive Fern, Tokyo Wood Fern, 'Parsley' Fern, 'Ghost' Fern, Korean Rock Fern,
I still get MOST excited when the Peonies, Dutch Iris, False Garlic and 'Blue Mouse Ears' Hostas bloom... but as each season passes I find myself watching, and being relaxed by, the ferns more than flowers.
Ferns are memories.

Japanese Painted Fern


Japanese Tassel Fern