5 damp shade ferns

 dryopteris erythrosora                                                                                                                                              
This fern will brighten up any garden, with broad glossy bipinnate fronds this is an essential addition to any fern collection, as the new growth is a  delicious glossy red, giving a wonderfully surprising contrast with the fresh greens of other species.   These intense colours in the spring gradually fade through to bronze and eventually to green.  It also generally has one or two new growths right through the season giving a little colour until quite late in the year.  As with other evergreen ferns all that is required is a little tidying up of the old tired fronds in the early spring before the new growth starts to show, usually by this time the old fronds are a nice yellowy colour.
Easy to grow in moist lightly shaded area, will grow in full sun given plenty of moisture, tolerances dry shade ,but water regularly when first planted
Autumn fern  /  Japan  /  China  /  Evergreen  /  2ft height 

 Osmunda regalis purpurascens

This lovely deciduous fern is purple stemmed royal fern, Which also has purple flushed new croziers in spring. It does not grow as tall as osmunda reglis. native and lovely addition to the garden where enjoys really moist ground and prefers a soil on acid side of neutral. Often called the flowering fern as the fertile fronds have a flowery appearance. Excellent for autumn colour too!

leave the collapsed fronds to protect the crown in winter, then tidy them away in early spring as new growth appears. divide in in early spring or collect spores from the fertile fronds in winter and sow fresh.

grow up to 4ft and deciduous  

Onclea sensibillis

The fronds of this fern are triangular pinnate, a lovely light green occasionally with a degree of red edging also some plants have reddish stems. This fern has similarities with M.struthiopteris in the production of spore.  Again sterile fronds are sent up first, then later in the year the fertile fronds appear. The plant is also good for the same position as M.struthiopteris preferring a moist to quite wet site in shade or semi-shade.  It runs around on shallow rhizomes which make for easy propagation and also for the easy removal of the plant if it becomes too large for the area.
Deciduous, rhizomatous fern forming extensive colonies of board, light green, pinnate fronds to 60cm in length, the pinnae deeply lobed. shorter,narrow fertile fronds have much reduced blackish lobes.
Max 2ft  /  Moist soil  /  Avoid full sun light  /  North America.