fern
Christmas fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Christmas fern is a slow-growing evergreen fern hardy in zones 3–9. It grows 1–2 ft tall and 1–2 ft wide, so plant it 1.5 ft apart. Give it part shade to shade and average water. It is grown for its year-round foliage rather than its flowers. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the grass role: a fern that adds fine, feathery texture in the middle of the bed, where a grass would go in a sunnier bed. It is native to the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, the Midwest and Texas and the South-Central states. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Polystichum acrostichoides
- Plant type
- Fern, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 3 to 9
- Sun
- Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Tolerates dry shade and slopes once established.
- Mature size
- 1–2 ft tall × 1–2 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Grown for foliage
- Roles in a bed
- Grass, Filler
- Styles
- natural, classic
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. ASPCA lists Christmas fern (as Christmas dagger) non-toxic to dogs and cats.
- Native to
- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest and South-Central
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $12–$20 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat; keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Established plants need water only in dry spells.
- Pruning
- Remove last year's fronds in early spring.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; state extension service fact sheets; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings; state extension service; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States; state noxious weed and invasive plant lists; US garden-centre and home-improvement retail listings (general knowledge, 2026 estimate); USDA PLANTS database; state extension service native plant lists. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Dog-safe plants for a part-shade bed in zone 5 (as a substitute)
- Dog-safe plants for a part-shade bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a shady bed in zone 4 (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Christmas fern, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- White wood asterEurybia divaricataperennial · zones 3–8
- Pennsylvania sedgeCarex pensylvanicaornamental grass · zones 3–8
- FoamflowerTiarella cordifoliaperennial · zones 3–8
- Summersweet 'Hummingbird'Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird'shrub · zones 4–9
- Northern bush honeysuckleDiervilla lonicerashrub · zones 3–7
- Creeping Oregon grapeMahonia repensgroundcover · zones 4–8
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Christmas fern: same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants