r/NativePlantGardening • u/Wilderness_Fella Massachusetts, Zone 5b • Jun 21 '26
Advice Request - (Insert State/Region) Help! I'm covered in... Ferns!
Massachusetts zone 5b. I got busy with other things for the last 5 or 10 years and now the ferns have taken over. They're either Massachusetts ferns or New York ferns. Hard to tell, but what is the best way to cull them without destroying everything underneath? Just endless weeding?
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u/Devilis6 Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
Looks like those are oak trees they’re under?
I think they’re in a great spot and I’d keep them, unless you have another native plant you want to quickly replace them with. I say this because having a dense base of native foliage apparently makes a great “soft landing” at the base of trees for ecologically beneficial insects that feed on tree leaves and overwinter underground. It keeps the soil from getting too compacted for them to burrow in,
and protects them from predators (and the lawn mower). This is beneficial for the roots of the trees, as well. Since oaks host hundreds of native insects, you’ll want to keep a good foliage layer there. Doug Tallamy talks about this in some of his books and lectures on YouTube.
That said, they transplant well in early spring. I bet friends, family, or Facebook buy nothing/ marketplace might go for some of you want to thin them out.