Perennials are the backbone of summer shade gardens, disappearing with hard freezes and miraculously reappearing in the spring. Perennial ferns suitable for the Pacific NW cover a surprising range of sizes, from a foot tall to over four feet in height. The Chain fern, so named because the alignment of the sori/spores resembles chains, produces lush, feathery arching fronds that can form upright mounds four to five feet in height and width at maturity. It can happily share a container or hanging basket when young, but should be moved into the garden proper to reach its full potential in size. Well draining soil, regular watering, and shade or dappled sun during the hottest time of the day are optimal for this lush fern.