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hard shield fern | Plant Finder | Fill My Garden

Home/Plants/Cacti & Succulents

Plants > Cacti & Succulents

hard shield fern

Polystichum aculeatum

★ RHS AGMLow Maintenance

Genus: Polystichum
Family: Dryopteridaceae
Common Names: prickly shield fern

About this plant

P. aculeatum is an evergreen fern forming a neat rosette of bipinnate, erect or arching, leathery dark green, narrowly lanceolate fronds to 90cm long, with slightly prickly pinnules

Growing Information

Height

0.5-1 Metres

Spread

0.5-1 Metres

Hardiness

Foliage

Evergreen

Growing Conditions

Sunlight

Full ShadePartial Shade

Soil

ClayLoamSandy

AcidAlkaline

Not Currently Available

This plant is not currently stocked at any garden centres on our platform.

Neutral

Moisture

Well Drained

Aspect

North FacingSouth Facing

Exposure

Exposed

Care Guide

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, humus-rich well-drained soil in deep or partial shade; protect the crowns from excessive winter wet and provide a mulch around the crown to prevent crown drying out

Pruning

Remove dead fronds before new ones unfurl

Propagation

Propagate by spores, sow spores at 15-16°C (59-61°F) when ripe. Divide rhizomes in spring or detach fronds bearing bulbils in autumn

Pests

Generally trouble free

Diseases

Dense plantings may be affected by grey moulds (botrytis) or the fungal disease Taphrina wettsteiniana

Garden Uses

Uses

Ground CoverPatio ContainerWall Side BordersCottage InformalFlower Borders

Planting Places

ConservatorySubmerged AquaticOutdoor

Season of Interest

SpringSummerAutumnWinter

Size & Characteristics

Height

0.5-1 Metres

Spread

0.5-1 Metres

Habit

Bushy

Time to Full Height

Five To Ten Years