Alabama Lipfern

Year-round

Alabama lipfern is a small clump-forming rock fern that likes sharp drainage, part to full shade, and lean, limey soil. Once its roots are set it wants very little from you. The biggest killer in the Dallas area is wet feet in heavy clay, so raise it and grit the soil.

• Establishment: plant in part to full shade in fast-draining, gritty soil. If you have Blackland clay, mix in decomposed granite or crushed limestone and set the crown slightly high so water never sits on it.
• Watering once established: water deeply only when the top inch or two is dry. This is a limestone-ledge fern that handles dry shade far better than soggy ground, so err toward less.
• Mulch: a thin layer of gravel or a light leaf mulch keeps the crown cool and the soil evenly damp. Keep mulch off the center of the clump so it does not rot.
• Common mistakes: overwatering, planting in full afternoon sun, and burying the crown in rich, moisture-holding soil. All three cause crown rot or scorch.

Fall

Fall is easy. As nights cool in the Dallas area the fern slows down. Leave fallen leaves light around it and taper off watering.

• Cut back watering as temperatures drop and rains return. The plant needs much less now.
• Let a light scatter of fallen tree leaves stay around the base as natural mulch, but brush any heavy pile off the center of the clump so the crown can breathe.
• Do not cut the plant down in fall. It holds its fronds into winter in many Dallas-area winters, so leave them be.

Winter

This fern is cold hardy well below Dallas winter lows, so it needs almost nothing now. In a mild winter it stays semi-evergreen; in a hard freeze it may brown back and return in spring.

• Leave the fronds standing through winter. Even if a hard freeze browns them, wait until spring to trim rather than cutting now.
• Water only during a long, dry, warm winter stretch, and only lightly. Do not water going into a hard freeze on already-moist soil.
• Make sure winter rain drains away from the crown. Standing cold water is the one thing that can rot this rock fern.

Leaving the fronds up over winter gives a tidy green or tan silhouette that reads as an intentional planting, which keeps a front-yard bed looking cared for and lowers the chance of a violation letter.

Spring

Spring is cleanup and new-growth time in the Dallas area. Trim off any fronds that got tattered or browned over winter so the fresh croziers can come up clean.

• Once new growth starts pushing in March, snip off dead or ragged fronds from last year at the base with clean scissors.
• Give one deep soak if spring rains are light, then let it dry between waterings. Do not fertilize heavily; a very light feeding at most is plenty for this lean-soil fern.
• Refresh a thin gravel or leaf mulch layer, keeping it clear of the crown.

Clearing the winter-browned fronds in early spring reads as intentional and tended, which keeps a front-yard planting looking cared for and avoids the untidy look that can prompt a violation letter.

Summer

Dallas summers are hot and dry, and this fern handles it better than most as long as it is in shade. Your main job is a little supplemental water during long dry spells, not constant watering.

• During extended heat with no rain, water deeply about once a week if the fronds look limp or the soil is bone dry a couple inches down. In cooler, damper stretches skip it entirely.
• Keep it out of hot afternoon sun. Morning sun with afternoon shade, or bright open shade, keeps the fronds from scorching in Dallas heat.
• If fronds curl or brown in a heat wave, that is often self-protection. Do not respond by drowning it; a deep soak after the peak heat passes is enough.