Polystichum Christmas Fern

The last thing you might expect to find during a mid-winter walk in the woods is a fern, but Polystichum acrostichoides, commonly known as the Christmas fern, defies expectations. This evergreen native keeps its lush, fountainous shape and vibrant color year-round. Its name stems from its green foliage during the holiday season, but the pinnae ("leaves") of each frond also resemble tiny stockings—adding a festive charm. Reaching 12 to 24 inches tall and wide, the Christmas fern unfurls silvery green fiddleheads in spring that mature to a soft mid-green, creating elegant texture throughout the seasons.

A hardy perennial (Zones 3-9), the Christmas fern is native to the eastern United States, where it thrives in both dry and moist wooded areas as well as along stream banks, ravines, and rocky slopes. Ideal for erosion control, this versatile plant is a natural fit for shaded woodland gardens and pairs beautifully with trilliums and Virginia bluebells. Sadly, cinnamon fern populations in the wild are now endangered, but you can support their survival by planting them in your garden. Our plants are nursery-propagated and always commercially grown, never harvested from the wild.

Christmas fern is a dependable, low-maintenance addition to the garden. It grows best in enriched, well-drained soil but adapts well to average, moist conditions and even tolerates drought. Resistant to deer and easy to care for, it requires minimal attention once established. Regular watering, a layer of mulch, and trimming back old fronds will keep this fern thriving. Ensure the soil drains well to prevent crown rot.

Plant Christmas fern roots in spring, spacing them 18 inches apart at a depth of 1/2 inch.