Hello:

I am helping a friend design a very small Japanese garden for her new garden level apartment in Bethesda Maryland (zone 7). There is a large light well that opens onto 3 windows in the main sitting area. The bottom of the light well is covered with medium sized white pebbles. The light well gets filtered shade for much of the day. The back & sides of the light well are lined with masonary walls, about 2.5 foot tall .

Anyway, the main plant element is likely to be a shallow planting dish filled with moss & perhaps a single fern. I would love some advice on picking a particular fern species. It would ideally be somewhat upright, perhaps 2 to 3 ft tall. Hardy in Zone 7. The foliage might be evergreen, or at least retain some interesting shape in the winter months. Ferns able to take a bit of abuse are better than delicate ones.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Dan