Shaggy shield fern

Sun

Partial to full shade; protect from strong afternoon sun and drying winds.

Water

Keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged, especially during establishment and hot weather.

Soil

Humus-rich, well-drained soil, preferably slightly acidic to neutral; tolerates clay if drainage is adequate.

Height

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Spread

1.5-2.5 ft (0.45-0.75 m)

Foliage

Evergreen. Upright to arching, dark green, leathery fronds with narrow, deeply lobed leaflets. Dark brown to black scales give the stalks and central ribs a shaggy appearance.

Growth

Slow to moderate

Care needed

Low

• Deer resistant
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.4 ft (0.42 m)

3. After 2 years

   1.7 ft (0.53 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.1 ft (0.65 m)

5. After 5 years

   2.5 ft (0.75 m)

   full size

About 4 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant with the crown at soil level, not buried.
• Water deeply during dry spells; do not let newly planted rootballs dry out.
• Apply leaf mould or compost each spring, keeping it clear of the crown.
• Avoid heavy feeding; an annual compost dressing is usually enough.
• Shelter from cold, drying winds and intense afternoon sun.

Pruning. In late winter or early spring, cut damaged or collapsed fronds back near the base before new growth unfurls. Leave healthy green fronds in place and avoid cutting emerging croziers.

Late winter

Remove weather-damaged fronds before new croziers start to unfurl.

Spring

Plant new ferns and water thoroughly; keep the crown at soil level.

Mid-spring

Top-dress with compost or leaf mould without covering the crown.

Summer

Check soil moisture during hot or dry weather and water deeply when needed.

Autumn

Renew a light mulch and remove any thick, wet leaf mat lodged in the crown.

Winter

Leave sound fronds standing and check that water is not pooling around the roots.

• Plant beneath deciduous trees where filtered light and leaf-rich soil suit its woodland character.
• Group beside hostas and brunneras to contrast its narrow leaflets with broad leaves.
• Use as an upright foliage accent beside a shaded path or courtyard wall.
• Grow in a large, well-drained container in a sheltered shady position, checking moisture regularly.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Japanese, Green on green, Modern courtyard, Pacific Northwest woodland and Secret garden.

Plant it with: Hostas, Siberian bugloss, Hellebores, Epimediums, Japanese forest grass and Japanese painted fern.

Wildlife: Dense fronds and surrounding leaf litter provide shelter for small invertebrates. It produces neither flowers nor nectar.

• Brown, crisp frond edges usually indicate dry soil, strong sun or drying wind; water thoroughly and improve shade or shelter.
• Crown or root rot can develop in waterlogged soil; improve drainage and keep mulch away from the crown.
• Slugs and snails may damage emerging fronds; inspect new growth and use hand removal or an appropriate labelled control.
• Winter cold can blacken exposed fronds; leave them until late winter, then remove damaged growth without disturbing the crown.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people, but species-specific safety information is limited. Do not eat the fronds, fiddleheads or rhizomes: some related Dryopteris species contain harmful compounds.

• Wallich's wood fern (Dryopteris wallichiana)

  Usually forms a larger clump with longer fronds and conspicuous golden-brown scales; shaggy shield fern generally has darker scales and a more compact outline.

• Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)

  Has more finely divided fronds and usually coppery or reddish new growth, rather than the coarser green fronds and heavily shaggy dark stalks of shaggy shield fern.

The epithet cycadina refers to its cycad-like foliage, while shaggy shield fern describes the dense scales on its stalks and the shield-shaped coverings over its spore clusters.

Propagation. Raise from spores collected from mature fronds and sown on a clean, moist medium under humid conditions. A mature clump with several distinct crowns can be divided carefully in spring, but single-crowned plants should be left intact.

Accepted botanical name

Dryopteris cycadina

Native range

China South-Central, China Southeast, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

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