The GA Perimeter College Native Plant Botanical Garden (Decatur) usually has those for sale (no guarantee!), and they have a plant sale on Sat., April 4 and each Wednesday, when the educational series are scheduled.

Their 2009 schedule is on the link below.
Rb

Here is a link that might be useful: GA Perimeter College/sales

I saw it in Pike's on Hwy.92 in Roswell.

Are these native ferns growing in the woods?

If so, I have dug up several of them and planted near my garden in shadey aread. I did that past winter. Now the ferns are up. I want to make them real bushy.
As I understand, these ferns( most ferns) like two things:
1- shade
2- lots of water
maybe a (3)- prefer cool weather.
Plant them in a ditchs , not on a hills. They like their feet in the water, as much as they can.

thanks, rb33. i went to the perimeter college today and got 6 of 'em, along with a couple of painted ferns and ... i forget the other, but it was one of my faves and i got two of them.

Sh....
Did you purchase the Southern or Northern Maidenhair? They often have both.
If we receive near normal rainfall this year, I will probably plant some new starts of the Southern species next year. Mine have dwindled to near extinction due to the drought.

Remember, these ferns have spent their entire life in a greenhouse and need to be acclimated to the harsh realities of the outdoors!
Good luck!
Rb

i don't know which, honestly. it only says maidenhair, and i meant to ask about it but forgot. i had a guy that was following me around the plant sale and wanted to talk (about his American Yellowwood tree), he was very nice, but my head was burning and he made my wife uncomfortable.

the ferns looked pretty rough, so they cut 25% off the price. i had them outdoors for the first day and night, then outside the second day, then pulled them in for the cold (in garage now). will acclimate them over the next week and a half and probably put them in the ground. they have a lot fern buddies to chill with on the side yard. i have a lot of wild ferns that were popping up around our properties (mine & my various neighbors), and I've been transplanting for years.

meanwhile the other fern i couldn't remember the name of, but i love, is not a real fern :) it is Selaginella Kraussiana

I just looked up pictures - it's southern maidenhair, which i like much more than northern maidenhair.

i think i might actually have northern maidenhair on the side yard already. the neighbor on my south side has a couple of shoots of it that come back every year, and i steal them ever year :)

The Northern Maidenhair fern is a fairly widespread species in the northern counties, but the Southern species is sparse, except in the southwestern part of the state. It is a fairly hardy species and can be found as far north as SD & Can (BC). Some gardeners in MI have it in their gardens.
The downside is, that it requires constantly moist soil.

The only Selaginella kraussiana cultivar that I have been able to successfully grow in the garden, is 'Aurea' and it is marginally hardy here. A native of S. Africa, it is rated as a Zone 8 and higher plant. I cover mine with several inches of pine needles in the fall and remove them when new growth appears in the spring.
Good luck with yours!
Rb

thanks for the tips! i wasn't aware of the selaginella, it was an impulse buy. thing is, i'm 100% positive that Urban Gardener had a selaginella variety growing around the building when they were on Moreland Ave. it sure looked like spikemoss, at least. seemed to grow really well.