VMC Native Garden Perennial
Polystichum acrostichoids
Christmas Fern
Light: Part Shade to Full Shade
Water: Average
Soil: Dry to Medium
Hardiness Zones: 3 – 9
Height: 1 – 2 ft
Spacing: 1 – 2 ft
Bloom Times: N/A
Bloom Color: N/A
Garden Use: Evergreen fern provides ground cover in shaded areas when planted in masses.
Benefits: Easy to grow and low-maintenance. Can be planted under trees. Stays green throughout the year. Attracts songbirds. Provides food and cover for wildlife.
Q U I C K T I P S
If you walk in the forest in the northeastern part of the U.S., chances are that you will see Polystichum acrostichoids (Christmas Fern) growing underneath the trees that surround the trail. Used as a ground cover in shady areas, this fern grows in clumps that can overlap each other in the natural landscape.
One of its notable qualities is how it retains its green color in the dead of winter. Even with snow on the ground, the green leaves of Christmas Fern can be seen peeking out of the snow if it hasn’t been buried by it.
During the warmer seasons, this fern really stretches its fronds out and can transform drab, shady parts of your yard with a bright green sprays of color that last throughout the seasons.