Hart's-tongue fern

Sun

Partial to full shade. Gentle morning sun is usually acceptable if the soil stays moist; avoid hot afternoon sun and drying winds.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist but not waterlogged. Water during dry spells, especially in containers and beneath trees.

Soil

Humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil with good drainage. Prefers neutral to alkaline conditions and grows well among limestone rocks; tolerates mildly acidic soil.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Foliage

Evergreen. Glossy green, leathery, strap-shaped fronds with pointed tips, heart-shaped bases and often gently wavy edges. Mature fronds carry parallel brown spore-bearing lines underneath.

Growth

Slow to moderate

Care needed

Low

• Plant with the crown at soil level, in shelter from hot sun and drying winds.
• Water deeply when the surface soil starts to dry; do not leave containers standing in water.
• Mulch annually with leaf mould or well-rotted compost, keeping it clear of the crown.
• Feed container plants lightly in spring; plants in humus-rich garden soil rarely need extra feeding.
• In hot parts of Australia and the southern United States, choose a cool, shaded position; prolonged heat can be more limiting than winter cold.

Pruning. In late winter or early spring, cut off dead or badly damaged fronds at their bases before new growth unfurls. Leave healthy green fronds in place.

Early spring

Remove winter-damaged fronds without cutting emerging growth.

Spring

Plant or repot, keeping the crown at its previous depth.

Mid-spring

Apply leaf mould around the clump and check tender new fronds for slugs.

Summer

Check soil moisture regularly and water during dry spells, particularly beneath trees.

Early autumn

Plant new specimens while the soil is still warm and reliably moist.

Winter

Check container drainage and shelter pots from drying winds; retain healthy evergreen fronds.

• Plant in small groups beneath deciduous trees, contrasting its broad fronds with finer-textured ferns.
• Edge a shaded path with repeated clumps for a clear, evergreen outline.
• Tuck into soil-filled pockets beside limestone rocks or at the foot of a shaded wall.
• Combine with hellebores and snowdrops for foliage structure around winter and early spring flowers.
• Use in a shaded courtyard container with good drainage and dependable watering.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Moss and fern garden, Modern courtyard, Green on green, Winter interest and Japanese.

Plant it with: Hellebores, Snowdrops, Epimedium, Siberian bugloss, Japanese painted fern and Soft shield fern.

Wildlife: Dense clumps provide sheltered, humid cover for small invertebrates. It has no flowers, nectar or pollen for pollinators.

• Slugs and snails can chew emerging fronds; inspect at dusk, remove them by hand and use iron-phosphate bait according to the label if needed.
• Brown, crisp frond edges usually indicate dry soil, hot sun or drying wind; water thoroughly and provide cooler shade and shelter.
• Crown or root rot can develop in saturated soil; improve drainage, keep mulch away from the crown and avoid standing water beneath pots.
• Hard frost can scorch exposed fronds, especially in containers; shelter pots and remove damaged foliage in spring.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people, and no part is recognised as a significant poisoning hazard. It is not a food plant; eating foliage may still cause stomach upset.

• Bird's-nest fern (Asplenium nidus)

  Also has broad, undivided fronds, but forms a larger nest-like rosette and lacks the distinct heart-shaped lobes at the base of each hart's-tongue frond. It is tropical and cannot tolerate freezing conditions.

The common name compares the long, undivided fronds to the tongue of a hart, an adult male deer.

Propagation. Propagate from spores sown on a clean, moist medium under humid conditions; development is slow. Large clumps with several crowns can sometimes be divided carefully in spring, but single-crowned plants should not be split. Buy nursery-propagated plants rather than collecting from the wild;

Accepted botanical name

Asplenium scolopendrium

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Corse, Czechoslovakia and Denmark.

Measured

Average height 35 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.