Evergreen wood fern
Dryopteris intermedia · Dryopteridaceae
The laciest of the evergreen ferns: finely cut, blue-tinted green fronds in a graceful vase that lie flat in winter and stay green until spring.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 2½ ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around evergreen wood fern
The planner designed this bed around evergreen wood fern when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why evergreen wood fern stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Evergreen wood fern × 1, green leaves
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 7, tan
- 3 Polyanthus primrose × 8, yellow
- 4 Japanese meadowsweet × 3, pink
- 5 Blue wood aster × 5, lavender
- 6 Bleeding heart 'Gold Heart' × 1, pink
- 7 Winter cyclamen × 12, white
- 8 Snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- In the middle. At 2½ ft it is the step between polyanthus primrose (8 in) in front and Japanese meadowsweet (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant. Three or more is usual for a plant of this kind, and reads better.
- Fine leaf against bold. Japanese meadowsweet is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 8 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Snowdrop stands beside winter cyclamen, a proven pairing. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, in mid May.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where evergreen wood fern goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
It gives the delicate look of a lady fern all year round. The winter fronds are a good background for snowdrops and hellebores.
- Fine texture that lasts all winter
- Native woodland gardens
- With spring wildflowers
What to plant with evergreen wood fern
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Foamflower: adds the flowers, late April to late May; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Wild ginger: bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- White trillium: adds the flowers, mid April to mid May; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about evergreen wood fern
Does evergreen wood fern need sun or shade?
Evergreen wood fern grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does evergreen wood fern grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should evergreen wood fern be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (70 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (70 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many evergreen wood fern plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is evergreen wood fern poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat evergreen wood fern?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does evergreen wood fern look like in winter?
Evergreen wood fern keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone. It is grown for fine texture that lasts all winter as well.
More Dryopteris
- Autumn fern Dryopteris erythrosora
- Autumn fern 'Brilliance' Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance'
- Champion's wood fern Dryopteris championii
- Dixie wood fern Dryopteris x australis
- Golden-scaled male fern Dryopteris affinis
- Goldie's wood fern Dryopteris goldiana
- Log fern Dryopteris celsa
- Male fern Dryopteris filix-mas
- Marginal wood fern Dryopteris marginalis
- Southern wood fern Dryopteris ludoviciana
- Wallich's wood fern Dryopteris wallichiana
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Plants for deep shade
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native plants for shade
- Garden plants native to Canada
- Evergreen perennials, ferns and grasses
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern
- Size
- 2½ ft (70 cm) tall, 2½ ft (70 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Vase-shaped, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Dryopteridaceae
- Comes from
- North America
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, wet soil, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.