Even though it’s not a true fern we like this plant for several reasons: It has sweet aromatic foliage that makes it hard to walk by without crushing the nicely textured leaves and taking a good whiff. Feel free to trim it to control height until late July, it will branch nicely. It’s native to the eastern US, and unlike most native ferns which need moist soil and a shady location, Sweetfern will grow in shade but also thrives in a full sun location and sandy, well drained soil. It’s a great choice for embankment plantings to stabilize/control erosion and along roadsides, but also looks interesting massed in dry difficult areas. Interesting fact: Sweetfern can fix their own nitrogen.