Emerging from supporting roles as masses of background greenery, ferns can hold
their own as centerpieces, indoors or out.

Primitive yet sophisticated, ferns predate dinosaurs and flowering plants, their 300 million years on the planet a clear indication of their adaptability and durability. Settling into niche habitats — damp shade, rock crevices, attached to trees — where many plants wouldn't grow, ferns thrived. Most of the approximately 12,000 species are native to tropical forests; about 1,000 are from temperate climes. Typically easy to grow, the majority of ferns need three things: shade (dappled or with bright, diffused light, not total darkness); loose, rich soil with good drainage; and (for most) soil that never dries out. A longtime fixture in homes and gardens, ferns' relegation to a supporting role has recently given way to star status, recalling the unabashed fern craze during the Victorian period. Shown here as individual fronds to emphasize texture, shape and subtle color, this tip-of-the-iceberg sampling reveals that ferns possess a structural quality as beautiful as any flower.