Grow Christmas fern plants for a festive groundcover that doesn't require excessive maintaining, but provides much-needed shelter.
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Christmas Fern Plant Overview
Common name: Christmas fern
Botanical name: Polystichum acrostichoides
Hardiness zones: 3 to 9
Light needs: Full to part shade
Water needs: Dry to medium
Size: 1-3 feet tall and wide
Pollinator and wildlife benefits: No pollinators, but provides protective habitat for small animals and birds
How to Grow Christmas Fern
Christmas fern plants are evergreen ferns native to eastern North America. They’re comprised of foot-long green fronds emerging from a central crown. Usually, there are about 20 fronds on a 2-foot high and 2-foot wide plant. New fronds, known as fiddleheads or crosiers, emerge in spring, while old ones wither away. (Note that these fiddleheads are not edible.)
You can find these ferns in shady areas in moist, well-drained soil. They’ll appear in places such as dry slopes or upland areas of forests; unlike other ferns, they don’t require constant moisture. Although they have rhizomes, they do not spread. Instead, they reproduce through spores released from fertile fronds. Non-fertile fronds are still green by winter, while spore-producing fronds wither.
“The Christmas fern is one of the less picky ferns to grow,” explains Angela Magnan, an agricultural science research technician at the U.S. National Arboretum. “It can grow in both wet and dry areas. It will prefer the shade, but it can grow in sunnier areas if there is plenty of moisture.”
Angela recommends planting Christmas ferns in the spring in cooler climates, although fall is also an option for milder regions. Water consistently while plants are establishing in a new location.
Benefits of Growing a Christmas Fern
One perk of growing these ferns? They’re a low-maintenance ground cover. “Christmas ferns do not need any maintenance once established,” explains Angela. “They are one of the easiest native ferns to grow.” They don’t require fertilization or pruning, and in fact, Angela recommends leaving old growth alone. “Even though the fronds can start looking a bit ratty, the older fronds help keep weeds from growing up under the ferns,” she says. “Once new fronds emerge in the spring, older fronds are hidden away and not noticeable. They will eventually break down on their own.”
Because these ferns don’t produce flowers, they don’t attract pollinators. However, Christmas ferns are still valuable! In covering the soil’s surface with accumulating old dead fronds, they help control erosion and create a protective, concealing habitat for ground-feeding and ground-nesting birds. Fronds can also be cut and used for wreaths, floral arrangements, and garlands, especially during the holiday season.
Looking for more ferns to add to your yard? Try Japanese painted ferns.
Why Is the Plant Called a Christmas Fern?
As with many uniquely named plants, the Christmas fern’s name has a few possible origins. Gardeners might notice its leaflets are shaped like Christmas stockings hung on a mantel. Some theorize that the plant is named “Christmas” because of those festive-looking leaflets, while others say it’s because Christmas ferns are one of few still-green plants available in winter to decorate the house during the holidays. In fact, the fronds were once sold to florists to create holiday wreaths!
Next, check out the top 10 plants to grow in dry shade gardens.
About the Expert
Angela Magnan, an agricultural science research technician, has been working at the U.S. National Arboretum for more than a decade. She oversaw the propagation and planting of more than 30,000 plants for the Springhouse Run stream restoration project and manages the Fern Valley Native Plant Collection, an eight-acre woodland garden that highlights hundreds of cultivars of native plants.
Sources
- Sarah P. Duke Gardens, “Christmas Fern“
- NC Cooperative Extension, “Christmas Ferns – More Than Decoration“
- University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, “Plant of the Week: Fern, Christmas“
