Collection: Sweet Fern

Sweet Fern is not a fern, but a deciduous shrub in the bay family. It forms a moderately-sized mound of attractive, aromatic, fern-like foliage. Small yellow- green flowers appear in late spring or early summer. They are nothing special, but they do give way to brownish seed capsules which persist on the plant through winter. Foliage turns an orangey-brown in fall. This East Coast native shrub grows in just about any condition, but it prefers acidic, sandy loam in full sun. It thrives in soils with low-fertility.