New York Fern takes its species name from the Latin for "from New York," though its native range sweeps across the eastern United States and Canada and stretches as far as China and the Russian Far East. In the garden it shows up as a well-behaved colonizer, spreading through dark brown-black scaly rhizomes to fill in the spaces that open when spring wildflowers fade. It thrives in the dappled light of woodland gaps and forest edges, and in strongly acidic soils below pH 4 it can outcompete many competing species.

Growing one to two feet tall on fronds that taper noticeably at both ends, it is a graceful plant for the woodland floor. It prefers moist to occasionally dry acidic soils with reasonable drainage, and tolerates deep shade though it flourishes where some canopy light filters through. In naturalized areas and cottage or shade gardens in zones 3 through 8, it fills structural gaps while sheltering toads and providing nesting material for songbirds and small mammals. Deer leave it alone.