Hart's tongue fern
Asplenium scolopendrium ·
Glossy, bright green, undivided fronds shaped like straps or tongues, in an evergreen rosette. It looks nothing like a typical fern.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around hart's tongue fern
The planner designed this bed around hart's tongue 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 hart's tongue fern stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hart's tongue fern × 3, green leaves
- 2 Blue star creeper × 18, blue
- 3 Polyanthus primrose × 8, yellow
- 4 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 5, pink
- 5 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 6 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 7 Snowdrop × 10, white
- 8 Spring snowflake × 10, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is the step between blue star creeper (3 in) in front and tall astilbe 'Superba' (4 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to tall astilbe 'Superba' (4 ft) and turtlehead 'Hot Lips' (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 9 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 7 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Cool colours (blue, pink and purple) with yellow as the warm note, and white to calm things between them. White runs through the planting: 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers have it.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. 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 hart's tongue fern goes in a border
At 16 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A fern with a simple, solid leaf, so it contrasts with every other fern. Its shine lights up dark corners. It needs lime and good drainage, and dislikes hot summers.
- Bold, glossy foliage for shade
- Contrast with lacy ferns
- Limy soil and shady walls
What to plant with hart's tongue fern
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: adds the flowers, late March to early May.
- Hosta: happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese painted fern: fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about hart's tongue fern
Does hart's tongue fern need sun or shade?
Hart's tongue 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 wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does hart's tongue fern grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should hart's tongue fern be planted?
16 in (40 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hart's tongue fern plants do I need?
At 16 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 7 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 8 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 21 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 three in one group.
Is there a native plant like hart's tongue fern?
Hart's tongue fern is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Bulblet fern: the same job in a bed; 4 in narrower, fine leaves, not bold.
- American alumroot: the same job in a bed; 4 in shorter, not evergreen.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does hart's tongue fern look like in winter?
Hart's tongue 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.
More Asplenium
- Maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern
- Size
- 16 in (40 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 16 in (40 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Bold texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.