A Fern is a seedless plant that does not flower. The reproduction of a fern takes place thanks to spores and not through seeds. The spores are the little brown splotches that are on the bottom of the fern leaves. The leaves of a fern are called Fronds.

Ferns are often used as houseplants and in landscaping. They are almost all perennial and will return each year. The evergreen types of fern will stay green all through the winter, but the deciduous ferns will shed their leaves in the winter.http://www.gardens.si.edu/horticulture/res_ed/fctsht/fern.html

These woody plants grow best in shaded areas and many will do best with high humidity. However, having low humidity will not stop the fern from thriving in your landscape setting. When at all possible the fern should be planted on the north side of the house.

When the fern is planted in your garden make sure that there is plenty of space for the fronds without being damaged by footsteps or raking. Since the bottom of the frond is where the spores are located, the fronds should be protected.

Ferns can also grow inside in containers. Since ferns do not need much sunlight they will thrive with bright indoor light that is defused through the windows. Their soil should be kept moist, and one efficient way to water ferns is through misting instead of pouring water directly onto the soil.http://www.gardens.si.edu/horticulture/res_ed/fctsht/fern.html

There are ferns in New Zealand that grow over 30 feet tall named the Cyathea medullaris, popularly known as the Black Tree Fern. These are the largest known ferns.

The smallest fern is the Cheilanthes and this will include the lip fern and cloak fern. This variety of ferns thrive in the desert but they do need protection from winters that are too wet when brought out of their natural habitat.

One fern is known to vary in it's own size. The Phegopteris connectilis also called the Beech Fern can be small but sometimes it will just take off and become a large plant that will need a new pot if it begins life as a container plant.

This is just a small sampling of the types and varieties that are available for planting indoor and out.

Many people attempt to grow their own ferns from the spores and it is not a very difficult process as long as you realize that most of the growing cycle will take place in a covered container that is tucked away out of the sunlight and remains in an unopened condition.

Harvesting the spores from the frond and sprinkling the spores over the soil is fast and easy. There is a video showing every step in the process for those fern lovers that want to attempt to grow their own ferns. Scraping the spores from the frond you will collect then add to amended soil that can be purchased from the FernFactory.com. The kit contains the perfect amounts of the peat moss] and the perlite that is needed for the project as well as the actual fern seeds.. Once you have sprinkled the seeds into the soil mix the waiting begins.

If you were to open the closed container before the ferns are about five months old they can be harmed by bacteria from the air. Once the fern has been untouched for about five months, the container can be opened and the plants misted to stimulate fertilization. Then placed back into the dark area for another four months being taken out and misted every 3-4 days to encourage germination. After they have been germinating for four more months, you can see the ferns growing in the baby state. These can now be transplanted carefully into two or four inch pots.

• • Mahalo's Guide to Gardening
• HGTV: Growing Ferns
• University of Vermont Extension: "Growing Ferns Sucessfully Indoors"
• Clemson Extention: Indoor Ferns
• University of Georgia: Growing Ferns

• Australian National Herbarium: "Ferns and Man in New Guinea"

• University of Michigan: "Ferns Provide Model for Tiny Motors Powered By Evaporation"(2006)

• Article: Medicinal Ferns

• Food Network: Recipes Using Fern

• Botanical.com: Ferns