I’ve been enchanted with the New Zealand native fern, Paesia scaberula, since obtaining my first specimen from Washington fern guru, Judith Jones in 2011. We didn’t expect any plant from the cool summer climate of New Zealand to have a chance of surviving here, but after fourteen years, it actually thrives. We almost failed on our first attempt at growing scented lace fern, by planting it in shade instead of sun…something we’ve corrected since.
This small growing fern is finely cut, and while the fronds look tender, they are incredibly tough and durable. In the wild, Paesia scaberula grows in ruderal areas, like roadsides, where it can be found among grasslands and coastal scrubby brush. While it does spread, it does so slowly in our climate. So far, we’ve never managed to grow a patch much wider than 18″, but we’ll be trying it in crevice garden habitat next. We currently have this in production and hope to have enough to share by 2027.
