Looking lovely in the fall garden is the little-known fern, Microlepia strigosa ‘Shishi’. Despite the durability and appearance of this Southeastern Asia native, it has never been a fern that has sold well. In our garden it forms an 18″ tall x 3′ wide patch. Perhaps now that some fern taxonomists have moved it into a new genus, Dennstaedtia strigosa, that will help…but then, perhaps not. For us, the foliage remains looking great until night time temperature reach 10-15 degrees F, at which point it finally becomes deciduous. Hardiness Zone 7b-10b.
