Soft Shield Fern Plants

Polystichum setiferum Herrenhausen, Soft Shield Fern. 2 Litre Pot Grown Plants

A lovely and reliable, mid-sized evergreen fern that has quite delicate fronds. Delightfully hardy and great for those shady or woodland areas where other plants won't reach.

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

Features

• Delicate fronds
• Evergreen
• Spreading to 50cm x 50cm
• Partial or full shade
• Hardy
• Native
• RHS Award of Garden Merit

Growing Soft Shield Ferns

This shade-loving and hardy fern is not fussy about soil quality, it only needs moisture and good drainage to thrive.
Well established plants are quite tolerant of dry conditions, but they much prefer moist and cool soil.

Clean off tatty fronds in early Spring and remove dead ones at any time to allow the light to reach the remaining ones.

In Your Garden Design

Utilise that dark area of the garden or any woodland patch you have with these classic ferns. Ferns are extremely popular in city gardens which are often in cramped overlooked areas. If you can't beat shade then join it, by planting lots of ferns together using this one as your staple. Following as the basis of your design, it would be fantastic to add in a dwarf palm tree or two and combine with hostas and heuchera. 'Use green to be seen' is the motto, following all the different shades of the palette using the brighter lime-green and copper colours to illuminate the darkest of areas.

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 mulch of organic matter to retain moisture in the soil. Prune any dead or damaged fronds in late winter or early spring.

Did You Know?

Poly-stichum means many rows of spores, and seti-ferum means bristle-carrying. There are famous Palace Gardens at Herrenhausen in Hannover, Germany, laid out in a grand grid of sections around a great big round waterfall feature.