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Tagged: ferns, shade garden
I have to the northside of my house, around 2 azaleas and a rhodendrum, a lot of fern.
When the heat wave hit the hudson valley, they started to look bad, like a lot of other plants from the drought. I assumed they would perk up when the rain hit, but rather they look like they have been hit with a laser beam and fried. I had some overgrown plants and trees removed the month before and I think they may be getting more sun then they use to. Some of the branches of fern only half got fried, is this weather conditions or the heat, and will they come back and is there anything I should do? the center of the bunch is still alive and green just the outer edges are dried up and look awful.
Thanks,
Karen
You can cut off the ‘fried’ fronds as these will not perk up. Instead the fern will send up new fronds from the center. They can do this all year, so as soon as there is enough water they will start regenerating. Most established ferns can take a few years of drought before they are so weakened that they have trouble sending up new fronds. The new fronds will also be adjusted to the new light conditions.