Polystichum acrostichoides

Christmas fern

The best thing about ferns is their near-architectural forms. Some are more captivating than others, but Christmas fern is one of those that always catches my eye.

Native throughout the eastern half of the United States, this evergreen fern is bold in it's display of long, arching leathery fronds of deep green. Even in spring the young fiddleheads are attractive, emerging silvery-brown and scaled.

It's best grown in rich, dry to moderately wet, well-drained soils in full to partial shade. This fern doesn't colonize, but instead continues to produce a slightly larger clump each year.

Naturally found on forest floors and along shady, rocky slopes, I find that it works best in my shade garden as an accent plant. Grow one singly or do clumps of three; if the latter, let other shady groundcovers like Veronica peduncularis 'Georgia Blue' ramble through. I find it particularly interesting with Ligularia 'Little Rocket'.

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Courtesy Missouri Botanical PlantFinder