Missouri’s evergreen fern is called Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). She is a perfect choice for shady doorstep and woodland gardens. More tolerant of fluctuating dry/ moist conditions and clay soil than other ferns, she is the absolute happiest when allowed to put to use her many talents in the average landscape.
A natural conservationist, she is great at protecting the ground from drying out. She prevents soil from washing away and she creates the perfect setting for leaf composting and wildlife support. Especially song birds, who instinctively know to look under her pinwheel blanket for food!
Christmas fern is adaptable. She is well suited for the easy life in a cultivated shade garden but she also does well as a work horse when stabilizing the sloped sides of shady rain gardens or natural stream banks.
A Missouri native, she is use to normal wet / dry season cycles. So she looks good as long as she has moisture periodically and the drainage is good. She is very drought tolerant once established.
She does change her posture significantly through the season. In the spring, her last season’s growth, still green, hugs the ground as the new growth emerges from the center like a silvery fist. Gradually the core cluster of leaflets becomes individualized. Each frond independently unfurls, reaching skyward and maturing to apple green.
By mid-summer, the frilly fronds have all stretched to their max and have started to relax and bend outward. This creates a casual bouquet of sword shaped leaves. Finally, Autumn signals Christmas fern, now a deep forest green, to hug the ground like a blanket to warm and protect the decomposing leaves. These reclining fronds, still green, stand out in the stark winter landscape providing color and interest in the cold.
Christmas fern is never aggressive in the landscape. She holds her place and just extends her reach gradually over time. She provides an important habitat role by protecting the soil from wind, drying out, or washing away. This assists with process of natural leaf composting and habitat support for insect feeding song birds. She is a preferred nesting site for turkeys and usually quite deer resistant!
Care Factor Rating: 1 (She must be watered regularly till established but is very drought tolerant.) Very little care is required unless used in a very tidy landscape. For a manicured look, manage mature plants once annually in early spring and growth cycle begins but before crown growth becomes pronounced. Do this by lifting last season’s growth together and trim just above crown height. Be careful not to damage the crown while handling as it is very soft and tender at this time.
Note removal of the old growth reduces ground protection for wildlife and is not necessary in an informal setting. Divide in the spring after new growth extends. Division is not necessary unless greater spacing is desired or for propagation. When dividing, it is best if entire clump is lifted, divided and reset in the ground. Re-establishment is same as transplanting care. Adequate water must be provided during root trauma. This includes planting, transplanting and re-establishment. Do not drought stress until established. Many plants appear most balanced if the height and width are somewhat equal. When including this fern in a design, consider leaving a 2’ minimum footprint.
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