This week: Merry Christmas Fern!
Hello,
A little evergreen adds structure to wintertime gardens, and one little evergreen is Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). It is a short-statured Eastern native perennial, reaching heights of just one to two feet, and thrives in shade.
It’s not a delicate fern—in fact, it’s rather chunky, with coarse, blunt pinnae (leaves). But, the fronds are glossy and dark green, setting off other lighter-colored ferns and groundcovers on the forest floor. While the fern is often flattened by the snow in the winter, it retains its green color. In the spring, fiddleheads emerge and unfurl into new fronds, while the older foliage dies back. Zero maintenance!
In the home garden, it is a well-behaved plant that can be used as a shade ground cover, especially under trees. Because it is a clump-former, it won't overtake more delicate perennials like Virginia Bluebells and Wild Geraniums. It is also deer-resistant (given your local deer population is not starving).
Tips for Planting Under Trees
If you’re planting Christmas Fern under trees, don’t add soil to create a bed—that will only suffocate the tree’s roots and cause them to grow upwards, girdling the tree. It will also introduce moisture and (potentially) disease to the tree trunk. Instead, maintain the current level of soil and protect the tree’s natural root flare. To minimize disturbance to tree roots from digging, shop for bare roots or small-sized potted plants.
Elsewhere:
Still looking for gifts for avid gardeners? One of my most-used reference books is The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust. Like many books, it has photos and descriptions of native and non-native plants. But what sets this book apart is the care instructions for each plant. Can you divide it? Should you prune it? Is it normal for this plant to vanish mid-season? This book has the answers.
Have a great week,
Julie
PS: The Blooms to Bees shop is still open for holiday shopping!