I moved into this house in July. There were lots of ferns in the gardens. They all seem to be one type. Anyway, they turned brown and flopped over in the winter. Some still had some green fronds but the stalks were brown and they had also flopped over. Now I had never lived anywhere where ferns live so I don't know anything about them. Is this normal? I cut the dead parts back and even the flopped over green ones. THey do grow back in the springtime, don't they? It has not been a particularly harsh winter here and I am sure they were not all just planted last summer right before we moved here so I think they must be perennials. Am I right and what else do I do to care for them?
Christina newly in Belgium
Fern question
Christina, you're right. Those ferns will come back beautifully in the spring. Lots of ferns do that. You don't need to do a thing to them because, since you have lots of them, they seem to be happy!
If you need to cut them back for looks, go for it.
leaving them on always helps with a little extra frost protection...
I like to cut them back right before spring, otherwise cutting the brown out around tender green growth is somewhat tedious.
drew