Plant guide : Polystichum setiferum
Botanical name: Polystichum setiferum
The gorgeous lush foliage of Polystichum setiferum makes this one of our all-time favourite ferns. (Actually, it’s one of our all-time favourite plants, full stop…)
Often known as the soft shield fern, this is an evergreen fern, with a rich mid-green leaf colour, and fronds that can reach heights of up to 1m. It’s a fabulous and dramatic choice for a shady spot in the garden, where it will instantly make a gloomy spot feel verdant and alive, but it works well in pots too, either as a backdrop for flowering plants, or paired with other green foliage plants with stunning leaf shapes.
Plant type:
Evergreen perennial
Lasts for a number of years and stays green throughout the winter.
Growing conditions:
Like (almost) all ferns, this prefers a shady spot and plenty of moisture. It is tolerant of a range of different conditions though, and can grow in sunnier spots, as long as it is well watered.
It prefers a rich, crumbly soil, with plenty of organic matter. If you have light soil or thick, heavy compacted clay, then dig it over first and add plenty of well-rotted organic matter first.
It’s a large fern, that can reach up to about 1.2m tall, so place it somewhere with plenty of space, where it won’t outgrow smaller plants.
How to plant:
Best planted in either the Autumn or the Spring.
Dig a hole to the depth of the pot, and twice as wide. Remove the plant from its pot, place it in the hole and back fill the gap. Mulching around the plant, just up to the crown, but without touching it, can help to improve soil nutrients and encourage it to establish well.
Care:
This is a low maintenance plant, that shouldn’t need a huge amount of attention once it is established. In the first year after planting, make sure to water regularly and well, while its roots develop. After that, it should only need a water in any extended dry periods.
Though the plant is evergreen, the old fronds can start to look a bit tatty by the end of the Winter. You can cut them back before that (which is useful if you have spring bulbs or other spring plants growing among the ferns) or leave them in place over the Winter and then cut back any bedraggled looking fronds in Spring, once the new growth is just starting to show through…
Grow with:
Polystichum grows well alongside other shade or semi-shade loving plants. Its foliage provides a great contrast for flowering shade-friendly plants such as foxgloves (we especially love it paired with ‘Sutton’s Apricot’).
Or match with other plants grown for their impressive leaves – it looks glorious contrasted with big flat shaped leaves such as colocasias or hostas.
