Male fern
Also called Common buckler fern.
| Light | part shade |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 7 days in the growing season, every 30 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 100 cm (39 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats not known, dogs not known |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, no entry for Dryopteris filix-mas.
This is the fern that grows in every damp British wood and in cool gardens across the world, and it is the one to plant where nothing else will grow. It is deciduous, so the fronds die back in winter and a fresh set of croziers unrolls in spring, which is one of the better sights of the gardening year. Plant it in spring or autumn in the north, and through the winter dormancy in South Africa when the hardy perennials go in. Give it leafy soil, water it through its first summer, and it will then look after itself under trees. Leave the old fronds standing over winter rather than tidying them away, because they shelter the crown from hard frost and give insects somewhere to sit out the cold.
Ailments observed
| Brown crisp edges on the leaves | Wind and sun on new fronds, or soil that dried out in spring. Plant it where a wall or a shrub takes the wind, and mulch deeply. Scorched fronds do not recover, so cut them off at the base. |
|---|---|
| Long bare stems and pale new leaves | Too much shade combined with hungry soil under a greedy tree. Mulch with leaf mould each autumn and, if it sits under a conifer, move it. Very dry shade under evergreens beats even this fern. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner, Plants for infrequent watering
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