Other shade-loving flowers that will grow well with hardy fern include red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), and sweet Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum).

A well-known strategy in flowering plants is to produce nectar to attract "ant bodyguards." Recent research explores the evolution of this same defense strategy in ferns. Jacob Suissa, an ...