Male fern
Dryopteris filix-mas · Polypodiaceae
A robust, upright shuttlecock of dark green fronds. One of the toughest ferns: it tolerates dry shade, poor soil and neglect.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around male fern
The planner designed this bed around male 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 male fern stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Male fern × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Lingonberry × 9, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 16, blue
- 4 Japanese meadowsweet × 3, pink
- 5 Gray's sedge × 3, green
- 6 Hardy cyclamen × 8, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Gray's sedge (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 18 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 3 of the 5 groups (60%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Gray's sedge flowers longest, for 15 weeks. There is more leadwort than anything else, 16 plants in all.
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 male fern goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The fern to plant where others have failed. It is not the most refined, but it is dependable, and it looks handsome all summer without extra water.
- Dry shade under trees
- Reliable structure for difficult shade
- Massing
What to plant with male fern
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Solomon's seal: adds the flowers, early May to late May.
- Lenten rose: adds the flowers, late March to early May; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about male fern
Does male fern need sun or shade?
Male 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 ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does male fern grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °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 male fern be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many male fern plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 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 male fern poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. The underground stems (rhizomes) are poisonous if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like male fern?
These come closest to doing what male fern does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Silvery glade fern: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower, wants moist soil.
- Braun's holly fern: the same job in a bed; 12 in shorter, 6 in narrower.
- Marginal wood fern: the same job in a bed; 12 in shorter, 12 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat male fern?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does male fern look like in winter?
Male fern holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Dryopteris
- Autumn fern Dryopteris erythrosora
- Autumn fern 'Brilliance' Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance'
- Champion's wood fern Dryopteris championii
- Dixie wood fern Dryopteris x australis
- Evergreen wood fern Dryopteris intermedia
- Golden-scaled male fern Dryopteris affinis
- Goldie's wood fern Dryopteris goldiana
- Log fern Dryopteris celsa
- Marginal wood fern Dryopteris marginalis
- Southern wood fern Dryopteris ludoviciana
- Wallich's wood fern Dryopteris wallichiana
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Vase-shaped, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Polypodiaceae
- Comes from
- Temp. Northern Hemisphere
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, 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.