Quick Facts
Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
Height at Maturity: 1-3 Feet
Usage: Border Plants
Shipped As: Bare-root
Planting Zones: 3-9
Product Details
Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is a native evergreen fern, so its fronds stay green after the rest of the woodland floor has turned brown. We ship it bare-root in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500, for woodland beds, shaded slopes, borders and restoration plantings.
Christmas Fern Size, Zones and Shade
A clump grows 1 to 3 feet tall and about as wide, at a medium pace, and it is hardy in zones 3-9. Dappled light, partial shade and deep shade all work. It grows in loam, sand and shallow rocky ground, and acidic soil with good drainage suits it best.
Fronds and Fiddleheads
Fronds are leathery, dark green and lance-shaped, more than 6 inches long. The sterile ones hold their color through winter. The taller fertile fronds carry spores on their undersides near the tips and die back when cold arrives. New growth opens in spring as silvery, scaly fiddleheads.
Christmas Fern on Slopes and in Woodland Beds
Planted in masses, the clumps hold soil on a slope. They spread slowly, so leave 1 to 3 feet between plants. Songbirds line their nests with the scaly hairs from the fronds, ruffed grouse visit the plants, and the evergreen fronds give small animals ground cover in winter. Deer nibble them now and then without much harm. For plants that share its conditions, see our list of shade perennials for a woodland border.
Good to Know About Christmas Fern
Crowns can rot over winter in poorly drained soil, so pick ground that sheds water. To make more plants, divide a crown. Our notes on moving ferns without losing fronds cover the steps.
Christmas Fern Packs and Shipping
Christmas fern ships bare-root now, in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500. Volume pricing available. Browse more fern plants for sale.