A LITTLE MORE LIFE
Christmas fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Evergreen fronds provide winter cover close to the ground and nesting material for songbirds.

MAKE IT FEEL AT HOME
A spot to thrive.
A clumping fern for well-drained woodland soil; avoid standing water around the crown.
- Sunlight
- Shade
- Soil moisture
- Average moisture
- Mature size
- 1–3 ft tall · 1–3 ft wide
- Season of interest
- Evergreen foliage
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 3–9
- Garden role
- Year-round fern texture
ONE GOOD SWAP
Instead of japanese painted fern.
Athyrium niponicum
Try christmas fern for year-round fern texture.
Compare plantsNATIVE TO YOUR PLACE
Find it in your state guide.
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Dig a little deeper.
Photo credits & licenses
Christmas fern: Photo by Cranbrook Science · CC BY 2.0
Japanese painted fern: ProteinBiochemist · CC BY 2.0
Resized, converted to WebP, and cropped in the layout. Each photo retains its listed license. All photo credits
