Ferns can grow naturally in clay, but a new plant needs assistance to establish into clay. 

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Dig a hole twice the size of the root ball. Check that the clay is free draining by filling the hole with water. If it takes more than 1 or 2 minutes to drain, use a spade to make full spade depth cuts in the clay radiating away from the hole for say 90cm to drain it.

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Remove the fern from its bag or container. Do NOT handle or rearrange the root ball – fern roots are brittle. Rough up the dug-out clay, mix with potting mix and a handful of wet, water-storage crystals, and use this to fill in around the root ball. Finish off with potting mix and firm the mix. Water well. 

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After planting, water regularly to maintain soil moisture. It should NOT be wet. Excess water in the soil excludes air in the soil and will kill the roots which need air to grow. If you push your finger down into the soil/mix and soil sticks to your finger when you pull it out, then that indicates adequate moisture.