There is something wrong with my maidenhair fern, although I'm not quite sure what. I had been growing it in a large pot with several other ferns for several years, in a mixture of peat and sand and several other ingredients. It did very well, coming back bigger every year. Last fall, I decided to plant it beside a pond in our backyard, hoping that it would be able to grow larger in the unrestricted ground. The soil there is heavy and full of clay, as well as a bit of gravel and stones, and it's always moist.

This spring, it came up as usual in May, and produced several large, healthy fronds. There was a crab apple tree above it that kept it relatively shaded, although it received direct sunlight late in the afternoon. It did well for several months, until, however, the past few weeks. All the leaflets on the fronds have turned black and nothing but the stems remain. I have not seen any new growth for a while, and I am concerned, as I have had this plant for years, and it means a lot to me.

Does anyone know what could have caused this? The only change in growing conditions has been that a large branch from the crab apple tree came down in a storm, exposing the plant to more sunlight. However, it seemed to do fine for several weeks after that incident, with no burn marks or anything. It did get a bit overgrown by neighboring hostas, but that didn't seem to phase it much. Could it have been the increased sunlight? Can I still save it?

Many thanks!

-Ben