A LITTLE MORE LIFE
Spreading wood fern
Dryopteris expansa
Native fern clumps add dense, finely divided foliage in cool, moist shade.
MAKE IT FEEL AT HOME
A spot to thrive.
Give acidic to neutral soil and consistent moisture; protect from hot, drying conditions.
- Sunlight
- Shade
- Soil moisture
- Average moisture
- Mature size
- 1–3 ft tall · 1–3 ft wide
- Season of interest
- Seasonal fern foliage
- Local climate
- Choose nursery stock suited to local winters.
- Garden role
- Lacy fronds for a cool woodland
ONE GOOD SWAP
Instead of japanese holly fern.
Cyrtomium falcatum
Try spreading wood fern for lacy fronds for a cool woodland.
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Dig a little deeper.
Plant profile & growing information Native range: Kew Additional growing guidance Find a native nursery
Photo credits & licenses
Spreading wood fern: Petr Filippov · CC BY 3.0
Japanese holly fern: Stan Sheb · CC BY-SA 3.0
Resized, converted to WebP, and cropped in the layout. Each photo retains its listed license. All photo credits