Ferns are easy to grow and come in so many different textures, colours, sizes and shapes that they’re a go-to for creating a high-end landscaping look. Native ferns are ideal for planting in drifts in shady corners, while tall tree ferns with their arching fronds are good to create a tropical mood in a sheltered spot such as a patio, terrace or courtyard. You can also use smaller varieties to create a lovely leafy mix in container garden ideas.
Some varieties are evergreen and keep their foliage all year round, and many are perennial, coming back year after year. Ideally ferns like to be planted in dappled shade or in a spot that receives early morning sun. But there is a fern out there to suit most parts of the garden. There are even ferns that will thrive in sunshine or used as marginal plants around ponds.
So be sure to include ferns in your modern garden ideas to give your design the edge, especially if you love the idea of the layered urban jungle garden look. We asked leading garden designers for their input on landscaping with ferns and here they share some of their favourite ideas to help you get started on creating a look of your own.
1. Layer Up Leafy Green Foliage in a Shady Urban Garden
Ferns come in different heights and sizes, giving you an opportunity to layer your scheme.
(Image credit: Fiona Lamb Design)
Ferns are particularly well suited to shady gardens because they naturally thrive in low-light environments where many other plants struggle. They can be really useful in urban gardens too, where buildings cast long shadows and outdoor spaces are often enclosed, making reliable, adaptable greenery that doesn’t depend on direct sunlight to flourish.
Lovely sculptural tree ferns are particularly adept at thriving in urban settings, and are low-maintenance once established. “These are a fantastic choice because they bring a sense of structure, drama, and calm without demanding excessive space or care,” says garden designer Fiona Lamb. “Their tall, architectural trunks lift a canopy of soft, feathery fronds above ground level, making them ideal for gardens where vertical interest matters more than spread, and also allowing you to layer plants beneath them if space is limited.”
Ferns are also great for softening the hard edges typical of urban settings, explains Fiona. Their finely divided fronds create a lush, layered texture that contrasts beautifully with brick walls, paving, and metal surfaces, helping a garden feel calmer and more organic. “Even a small planting of ferns can transform a stark corner into something more inviting.”
Fiona Lamb is an established garden designer based in London, known for creating elegant and practical gardens with a strong emphasis on sustainability. Delivering projects that respond sensitively to each site she uses strong architectural shapes and detailing softened by gentle, naturalistic planting. Fiona studied at London College of Garden Design and Capel Manor College in Horticulture and then Garden Design, and is a pre-registered member of the Society of Garden Designers and a member of The Association of Professional Landscapers.
2. Use Ferns to Create a Tranquil Seating Area
Ferns have that cocooning feeling, with soft leaves you won’t might sitting among.
(Image credit: Sarah Cuttle/RHS)
Ideas for landscaping with ferns can be used to create an oasis of calm that represents a sanctuary you can escape to. This small garden design by Rosemary Coldstream shows how a limited space can be transformed by the addition of leafy ferns to create a sheltered retreat with a tropical feel.
The experience of the garden is enhanced by a smooth bench seat made from reclaimed timber that offers the opportunity to pause and reflect, and the soothing sound of trickling water from the small cream water bowl feature just seen in this shot. The black fencing is the perfect backdrop to show off the sculptural qualities of the ferns.
An evergreen Dicksonia antarctica tree fern is used as a central focal point, and is hardy in all but the coldest UK gardens. Smaller ferns such as the New Zealand silver fern are planted in handmade black clay containers, and the use of matching pots in the same colour and shape unifies the small space. A tall evergreen pineapple guava with grey-green leaves underplanted with vibrant flowers continues the tropical theme.
Why Not Try?
Athyrium Niponicum ‘Niponicum Metallicum’ — Hardy Silvery Japanese Painted Fern
3. Create Privacy With Taller Varieties of Fern
Tree ferns are a more dynamic privacy option for that jungle-esque look.
(Image credit: Karen McClure Garden Design)
Tropical, bold architectural ferns can be added to a garden to provide useful privacy screening. This helps to create a cocooned place where you can relax and enjoy a hot tub or outdoor shower without being overlooked.
“This design uses ferns to create a garden sanctuary, a space for calm and wellness, cocooned by lush planting,” says garden designer Karen McClure. “Bringing exotic elegance to this garden design, Dicksonia antarctica (tree fern) is used as a strong architectural plant to create height, texture, and vertical interest that thoughtfully integrates the planting scheme, offering privacy and screening.”
Karen points out that some ferns prefer to be situated somewhere protected, in a shady, moist environment, so using a spot behind the shower wall as she has done in this design is perfect for them.
Karen McClure is director and lead designer of the award-winning creative team at Karen McClure Garden Design. She has successfully grown her business from her passion and love for the horticulture and landscaping industry. Delivering beautiful, functional landscapes, KMGD is an end-to-end specialist, from concept and initial sketch, to overseeing the build and planting strategies.
4. Enhance a Water Feature by Surrounding It With Ferns
Their evergreen nature means a water feature will be well-framed all year round.
(Image credit: Tim Sandall/RHS)
With their beautiful textural leaves, evergreen ferns provide a long season of interest, and the shades of green provide a calming backdrop that works particularly well when combined with a water feature. This sleek idea by garden designers Jen Donnelly and Catherine Gibbon illustrates how water and ferns are a natural match.
For the best results when growing ferns, plant them in a spot with light or dappled shade, one that is preferably sheltered from strong winds. Growing ferns in an enclosed area, such as a courtyard, will boost the humidity that helps them thrive. Try piling up some chipped wood bark around them as a mulch to improve moisture retention in the soil, which they will love.
Two of our favorite varieties for landscaping with ferns around water garden features are Asplenium scolopendrium (hart’s tongue fern) with its wavy-edged evergreen fronds, and Polystichum setiferum (soft shield fern) for tufted clumps of soft-textured, lance-shaped dark green fronds with attractive orange stems.
5. Turn a Courtyard Garden Into a Leafy Paradise
Use ferns to add lushness to your garden’s shadiest corners.
(Image credit: Haddon Studio)
Small courtyard garden spaces often have shady corners where it can be hard to grow plants. Ferns create a beautiful form in a shady courtyard, both when they begin to unfurl and when they’re in full ‘leaf’.
“For this urban courtyard design, we carefully assessed the site and the lines of shadow that fell across the garden in both summer and winter,” explains garden designer Matthew Haddon. “It was because of this knowledge that the placement was straightforward. The ferns were planted in the shady spaces. We used Dryopteris filix-mas (the male fern) and Athyrium niponicum var. dictum (the Japanese painted fern) to create a splash of brightness in the shade, with the green of the Dryopteris behind for contrast.”
Matthew also recommends Dryopteris wallichiana (alpine wood fern), which is much larger than most ferns and creates a real statement in the right place, and Dryopteris erythrosora (the copper fern) for a splash of colour, especially when paired with the ornamental grass Anemanthele lessoniana (pheasant’s tail grass).
Matthew Haddon is an award-winning garden designer and creative director at Haddon Studio. Based in York they offer unrivalled garden designs across Yorkshire, the Midlands, and the North East. Haddon Studio are best known for creating uniquely beautiful and enduring spaces that provide a haven for people and nature alike.
6. Focus on the Finer Details With Modern Container Garden Ideas
Small varieties of fern make great pot fillers.
(Image credit: Tim Sandall/RHS)
Modern container gardens filled with textured greenery look effortlessly beautiful. It might not be the first idea that comes to mind when you think of landscaping with ferns, but it can work really well, as this idea by garden designer Sonja Kalkschmidt shows.
To get the look, choose smaller varieties of fern such as Dryopteris wallichiana (alpine wood fern), Blechnum spicant (deer fern), or Athyrium okanum (eared lady fern). Pair them with plants like hosta ‘Devon Green’ and ornamental grasses such as Carex ‘Ribbon Falls’ to create a display where the foliage becomes the main story.
These types of shade plants for containers contribute to a soft, naturalistic planting style that feels minimal but nevertheless special. It works by layering up a textural look with lush greenery. There is a subtlety to this style, which is basically a way of copying woodland planting using hardy perennials in pots.
If you love the idea of landscaping with ferns check out more landscaping ideas for design-led looks that work for city yards and other urban gardening ideas to make your outdoor space feel like a real retreat.
