Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
[pol-ISS-tih-kum ak-roe-stik-OY-deez]

Perennial Upright, Clump-Forming in the Dryopteridaceae Family
 
Buy Christmas Fern
Size Notes Price Availability
#1 gallon Field $14.06 Likely available
1/24 - 4/4
#1 gallon Field $19.02 Likely available
1/24 - 4/4
Tray of 6 #1 gallons Field

Dk green leathery foliage; full; VERY NICE (9/27)

 $90.45 Likely available
1/24 - 4/4
Tray of 6 #1 gallons Field $97.65 Likely available
1/24 - 4/4

An evergreen native fern with leathery, boot-shaped fronds that stay green all winter — a reliable, low-maintenance choice for shady gardens, and the source of its own Christmas-time common name.

Polystichum acrostichoides, commonly called Christmas Fern, is an evergreen fern native to eastern and central North America. Its common name comes from its dark green, leathery fronds, which stay green through winter and were historically cut for Christmas greenery and decorations.

The fern forms an upright, fountain-shaped clump of lance-shaped fronds, each lined with 20 to 40 pairs of leaflets with a small "ear" or lobe at the base of each leaflet, giving them a boot- or stocking-like outline. New fronds emerge in spring as silvery, scaly fiddleheads. Fertile fronds, taller and narrower than the sterile ones, produce spores on their undersides from roughly June through October rather than true flowers.

Christmas Fern thrives in part shade to full shade and well-drained, humus-rich soil, tolerating dry to medium moisture once established. It spreads very slowly by rhizome, gradually forming larger clumps rather than naturalizing aggressively, which makes it a reliable, low-maintenance choice for woodland and shade gardens.

Pros

  • Evergreen — holds its color through winter when little else in the shade garden does
  • Genuine Illinois native, tolerant of deer, rabbits, and drought
  • Low-maintenance; spreads slowly without becoming invasive

Cons

  • Needs good drainage — prone to crown rot in heavy, soggy soil
  • Slow to fill in; not a quick groundcover
  • Non-flowering, so it offers no bloom color or fragrance
Why Like A true Illinois native, common statewide in woods, rocky shaded slopes, streambanks, ravines, and along stone walls. Its evergreen fronds give songbirds low winter cover and nesting material, and it draws Ruffed Grouse; white-tailed deer browse it occasionally without seriously damaging established plants.
Highlights Confirmed non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses (ASPCA); genuine Illinois native, common statewide; one of the few ferns that stays green through a Chicago winter.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 12 - 24 inches tall. 12 - 24 inches wide.
Growth Rate Medium
Sun Exposure Full Shade - Partial Shade
Moisture Tolerance Dry - Medium
Zones 3a - 9b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Attracts Birds, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Dry, Dry Shade Tolerant, Erosion Control, For a Shady Spot, Full Shade, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Illinois Native, Low Maintenance, Medium, Native to North America, Partial Shade, Perennial, Rabbit Resistant, Shade Tolerant, Winter Interest, Woodland Garden
Bloom Period Non-flowering
Flower Color Non-Flowering
Foliage Color Silvery, Scaly New Fronds
 

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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/03 - 10/04
2024 : 05/01 - 10/05
2023 : 04/13 - 09/30

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

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