I Found A Web Site Stating That Kimberly Queens, If…
Jeff Asked
I found a Web site stating that Kimberly Queens, if planted in the ground and heavily mulched, will die off but then grown back the next spring. I would love to get some but don’t have the indoor space to over-winter. I live in a 7a-6b zone. Any thoughts?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Jeff: I would have to see this with my own eyes to believe it, at least for those of us gardening in zones 6 and 7. This may be true for gardeners living farther south and maybe the site you were looking at was in a warmer area. Kimberly Queen ferns (nephrolepis obliterata) are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9-11. This means that the average annual minimum temperature they can survive is 20-25 degrees F. Depending on which zone you are in, 6b or 7a, the lowest possible average temperature is -5 to 0 degrees F and the warmest possible average temperature is 0-5 degrees F. This is quite a drastic difference and not even a heap of mulch will help protect this fern; if so, that would be a pretty impressive microclimate. If you are looking for a hardy fern, the Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) may be a good substitute.
