Plant Library
Height: 3 feet Spacing: 30 inches
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Hardiness Zone: 4a Other Names: Shield Fern Description: A lovely evergreen fern, this variety has tapering ladder like leaves with each leaflet subdivided to give a fine feathery appearance; excellent massed or as groundcover in shaded borders or featured in shady areas of rock gardens Ornamental Features Hard Shield Fern is primarily valued in the garden for its cascading habit of growth. Its ferny compound leaves emerge light green in spring, turning forest green in color the rest of the year. Landscape Attributes Hard Shield Fern is an herbaceous evergreen fern with a shapely form and gracefully arching fronds. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics. Hard Shield Fern is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Hard Shield Fern will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 30 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 15 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round. This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for rich, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This species is native to parts of North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by division.
