Tassel fern
Polystichum polyblepharum · Polypodiaceae
Very glossy, dark green fronds in a neat shuttlecock. The new fronds bend backwards at the tip as they unfurl, like tassels.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 5 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 tassel fern
The planner designed this bed around tassel 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 tassel fern stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Tassel fern × 3, dark green leaves
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 7, tan
- 3 English primrose × 5, yellow
- 4 White snakeroot 'Chocolate' × 3, white
- 5 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 6 Mountain hydrangea 'Tuff Stuff' × 1, pink
- 7 Double snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Winter aconite × 12, yellow
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 20 in it is the step between English primrose (6 in) in front and mountain hydrangea 'Tuff Stuff' (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 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 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: 5 of the 5 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by white snakeroot 'Chocolate' and tall astilbe 'Superba', the tallest plants on the plan. Moor grass 'Greenlee' and English primrose finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where tassel fern goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Among the shiniest of all ferns, and symmetrical enough for a formal setting. A row along a shady path looks polished all year.
- Glossy evergreen ferns
- Formal shade gardens
- Containers
What to plant with tassel fern
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Halcyon': bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Lenten rose: adds the flowers, late March to early May; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about tassel fern
Does tassel fern need sun or shade?
Tassel 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.
What zones does tassel fern grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °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 tassel fern be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many tassel fern plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 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 tassel 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.
Is there a native plant like tassel fern?
Tassel fern comes from China, South Korea and Japan. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Marginal wood fern: the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, wants average soil.
- Christmas fern: the same job in a bed and the same size; wants average soil.
- Northern maidenhair fern: the same job in a bed and the same size; fine leaves, not medium, not evergreen.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat tassel 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 tassel fern look like in winter?
Tassel fern keeps its dark 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 Polystichum
- Braun's holly fern Polystichum braunii
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- Korean rock fern Polystichum tsus-simense
- Makino's holly fern Polystichum makinoi
- Soft shield fern Polystichum setiferum
- Western sword fern Polystichum munitum
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Vase-shaped, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Polypodiaceae
- Comes from
- China, South Korea and Japan
- 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.