Japanese Maple and Fern

Residential front yard, January 12, 2012

It is winter so I'm allowing the water loving plants to go on this blog for now. This Japanese Maple is so big that it probably doesn't need much supplemental water, but what better plant to put underneath but the ferns which do love a little extra water. I believe this is the Western Sword Fern which grows in damp areas all over California, so they don't need a lot of water as one of the indoor ferns might. This Japanese Maple pictured here is beautiful all year round. Even this Winter it has a  nice shape. The small print is - for California and where water is conserved - keep these kinds of plants to a minimum. :)

Above: Common name: Japanese Maple (in winter)
Genus species: Acer palmatum
Below: Common name: Western Sword Fern
Genus species: Polystichum munitum
This front yard in Montclair district of Oakland, California is heavily shaded by the Japanese Maple and neighboring Monterey Pine and has spray head irrigation.