Most gardeners would agree that if there were a beauty contest for ferns, then Northern Maidenhair Fern would be the clear winner. A beautiful, delicate but tough native of woods all the way from Canada to Georgia. In early spring, burgundy fiddleheads reach high, and then suddenly unfurl into flat tray-like hands of delicate fronds, clear green with striking black stems, arrayed in a perfect circle. All Maidenhair asks is a shady spot, some fertility in the soil, and to be kept moist throughout the growing season. It's magnificent with Trillium and other early spring flowers.