(aka: Thelypteris normalis A2T-025, Pelazoneuron ovatum var. lindheimeri) Thelypteris ovata var. lindheimeri ‘Austin City Limits’ is a wonderful but virtually unknown deciduous fern, closely related to the better known Thelypteris kunthii. In 2000, Texas plantsman/garden writer Scott Ogden took me to a road cut in Comal County, Texas (about 40 minutes south of the Austin city limits), where this tough fern was growing quite well in a sunny site among the beer cans and remains of slow armadillos. For us, Thelypteris ovata var. lindheimeri ‘Austin City Limits’ is one of the few ferns tolerant of full sun, where it makes a very attractive deer-resistant patch (5′ wide in 5 years) of thick, 2′ tall x 6″ wide, light green upright fronds. Thelypteris ovata var. lindheimeri has become one of our favorite and most durable garden ferns…even without the Texas roadside accessories.
