Polystichum acrostichoides

Polystichum acrostichoides, commonly called Christmas Fern, is a non-flowering, evergreen perennial offering year-round interest. It stays green through the holiday season, hence the name Christmas Fern. Showy and long-lasting, the dramatic fern produces silvery, scaled fiddleheads in spring that unfurl into leathery, lance-shaped, dark green fronds. Tall, erect, and rigid, the fertile fronds die in winter. The smaller, less rigid sterile fronds are evergreen. Songbirds use the plant for winter cover and use the scale-like hairs in nest construction.

Polystichum acrostichoides is an herbaceous plant with an upright, clumping habit. Although rhizomatous, it does not spread or naturalize; but the tufted, circular, fountain-like clumps grow larger over time. It is shown to best effect massed or grouped and is naturally well suited to dry and moist woodlands. It is especially good for erosion control on slopes, even rocky, shallow-soiled ones. But it is perfect for adding fine, ferny texture underneath bigger shade plants and between deciduous trees and shrubs in mixed beds and borders. It also makes a nice specimen plant, suitable for containers.

Adaptable and low maintenance, Christmas Fern prefers full to dappled shade and organically rich, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil with a slightly acidic pH but tolerates a wide range of soils, including clay, sand, and loams. The plant is rabbit resistant and deer proof.

A native plant, Polystichum acrostichoides is indigenous to North America. Native plants are not only beautiful but also environmentally friendly. Naturally adapted to the climate and soil conditions of the region, they thrive without fertilizers or extra watering, once established. They also act as natural pest controls, reducing the need for pesticides in the garden. Landscaping with native plants promotes biodiversity and provides shelter and quality food for wildlife and pollinators, bringing gardens to life.