Dryopteris filix-mas
male fern
- Position: partial shade
- Soil: moist, humus-rich soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Hardiness: fully hardy
A native, male fern found naturally in moist woodlands around the UK. This large, deciduous fern has feathery, green fronds which form a distinctive, shuttlecock shape and turn coppery in autumn. It makes a fine companion for shade-loving woodland plants, especially other ferns, and when its leaves die back, the space can be filled with early flowering spring bulbs such as snowdrops. - Garden care: Incorporate lots of well-rotted leaf mould, composted pine needles or garden compost into the planting hole. Cut back decayed fronds in winter to allow new growth to emerge.
Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae
wood spurge
Great for a woodland setting
Sarcococca confusa
sweet box
Sweetly scented, pure white flowers December to March
Asplenium scolopendrium
hart's tongue fern / horse tongue
A handsome evergreen fern for a shady spot
Polystichum setiferum
soft shield fern
A large, evergreen fern
Hosta 'Big Daddy' (sieboldiana hybrid)
plantain lily
Enormous, grey-green, puckered leaves
Tree fern feed
Tree fern feed
Helps to encourage vigorous foliage and root growth
Polygonatum × hybridum
common Solomon's seal (Syn. Polygonatum multiflorum)
Creamy white flowers blue-black berries
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The handsome upright male fern capable of inhabiting the darkest, dankest shade - yet still spectular in April when it unfurls those tall fiddle-necked croziers
Val Bourne - Garden Writer