Fortune's Holly-Fern Plants

Cyrtomium fortunei. Fortune's Holly-Ferns. 2 Litre Pot Grown Plants

Cyrtomium fortunei is an attractive evergreen fern with leathery pinnate fronds and an upright ‘shuttlecock’ habit. Bright green leaves and contrasting black stems make it a smart addition to shady borders.

Very different from your average feathery fern, its foliage being more reminiscent of holly leaves and with a similarly tough texture. This, combined with its vigorous upright habit, makes ‘Fortunei’ a brilliant plant for using at the back of a planting scheme, or for planting en masse along shady paths and borders.

Ferns are delivered pot-grown, year round. 
Browse our other garden shrubs.

Features

• Upright, vivid yellow-green foliage with contrasting dark stems
• Evergreen in most of UK
• Non-invasive clump forming
• Loves dappled shade, not recommended for exposed, sunny sites.
• Hardy for most sheltered gardens, RHS rating H3
• RHS Award of Garden Merit
• Height and spread to under 1.5m x 1m in 5 years.

Growing Ferns

They love a moist, humus rich soil, and prefer dappled shade with shelter from wind. In the North, you can protect them from frost with fleece, or by trimming the leaves and covering the crowns with straw for winter. Cut back the old fronds in late winter.

Cyrtomium fortunei is ideal for sheltered courtyard and city gardens where its robust foliage will give year round interest. Use it to add an architectural element to rock gardens, ferneries and container schemes. It also looks lovely as a backdrop to informal cottage style borders.

The distinctive leaves are perfect as the ‘filler’ element in flower arrangements. Use the foliage as a stylish backdrop for colourful blooms. 

In a fernery or stumpery, combine with other ferns such as Dryopteris atrata and Dryopteris erythrosora for a beautifully textured effect. Underplant with shade-tolerant periwinkles for a touch of colour, and in the border try combining with our Shady Herbaceous Collection.

Did You Know?

Named after Robert Fortune. 
 

Dig over the soil, removing any stones and weeds. Add plenty of compost to enrich the soil in and around the planting hole – ferns are happiest in soil that is rich in organic matter.

Water well before planting. Prepare a hole that is slightly larger than the plant’s rootball and sprinkle some Rootgrow into the hole. Position the plant in the hole so that it is at the same depth as in the pot. Backfill with soil, firm in and water well.

Water regularly for the first year after planting, being careful to water the roots not the fronds. Established ferns may need additional watering during prolonged dry spells. In spring apply a general fertiliser and mulch with organic matter to retain moisture in the soil. Prune any dead or damaged fronds in late winter or early spring.