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Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Michael J. Papay / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by Michael W Belitz / iNaturalist (CC0). How photos are sourced →
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Christmas Fern is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Christmas Fern
Plant it in full shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 20 in tall and 24 in wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (a house reading).
Is Christmas Fern toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as non-toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Christmas Fern
Plant Christmas Fern in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Christmas Fern get?
20 intall5 ft 7 inan adult24 inwideSee Christmas Fern in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Christmas Fern
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Christmas Fern about 24 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Christmas Fern to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Christmas Fern's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on October 19, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources. Bloom was checked as well: Christmas Fern bears no flowers, so there is no bloom window for a source to carry.
- kb.jniplants.comJohnson's Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and trait tags
- NC State Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and trait tags
- Iowa State University Extensionand Outreachheight, hardiness zones, sun and water
- Chicago Botanic Gardenhardiness zones and sun
- cornellbotanicgardens.orgCornell Botanic Gardensheight and sun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societysun and water
- prairiefutureseed.comPrairie Future Seed Companyheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
Native to 35 states and 5 provinces
United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and 23 more
Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Recorded growing wild in 1,401 counties.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
Good to know about Christmas Fern
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
Drainage is the one lever that matters. Well-drained ground gives it both drought tolerance and disease resistance; its only real failure, crown rot, comes from wet, heavy clay. per NC State and Clemson
Drought tolerance is stage-based
Reports split on drought tolerance. The truth is stage-dependent: water evenly through its first season to establish it, then it becomes one of the most drought-tolerant ferns in shade. per Clemson and NC State
Deer-resistant, not deer-proof
Usually left alone by deer, but not deer-proof. Where herds are overpopulated and winter forage is scarce, they will browse it. Reliable under moderate deer pressure. per University of Maryland and Wisconsin
Why it's called Christmas fern
Its leathery fronds stay green right through winter, green at Christmas. Early settlers cut them for holiday decoration, and each leaflet looks like a tiny Christmas stocking. per NC State
Clumps, never runs
Unlike aggressive spreaders such as ostrich fern, its short rhizome stays put, forming a tidy vase-shaped clump that slowly thickens without creeping into unwanted spots. per NC State
Listed as non-toxic to pets
Listed as non-toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension. per NC State
Holds shaded slopes
A top pick for erosion control in shade. Planted in masses, the evergreen fronds flatten over winter into soil-retaining mats that hold banks without the plant ever running. per NC State and Wisconsin
What pairs well with Christmas Fern
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Wild Ginger
Shares full shade and moderate water; lower at 6 in, for the front of the border; both are North American natives.
Goatsbeard
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate water; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it; both are North American natives.
Flowering Dogwood
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate water; both are North American natives.
Cinnamon Fern
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate to high water; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it; both are North American natives.
Royal Fern
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate to high water; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it; both are North American natives.
Summersweet
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate to high water; taller at 6 ft, for the layer behind it; both are North American natives.
Wishbone Flower
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate water; lower at 10 in, for the front of the border.
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