sword fern
© Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks
© Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks
© Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks
This is one of our most useful native ferns and a staple in the Northwest garden. Sword fern is tolerant of a wide range of soil types and sun exposures, from wet to dry, sun to shade. It is one of the few plants that will tolerate dry shade under the dense growth of Douglas firs and western red cedars. Sword fern is evergreen and forms a shapely, arching mound. It is effective as a specimen and equally beautiful massed as a tall groundcover. Sword ferns look terrific with Smilacina racemosa (False Solomon's Seal), Lathyrus vernus (spring vetchling), Asarum europaeum (European wild ginger) and rhododendrons.
Plant Type: fern
Foliage Type: evergreen
Plant Height (10-year): 3 ft. 0 in. (0.91 meters)
Plant Width/Spread (10-year): 3 ft. 0 in. (0.91 meters)
Hardiness: USDA Zones 6 to 8
Flower Color: none
Sun/Light Exposure: light to deep shade
Water Requirements: drought tolerant when established
Great Plant Combinations:
Great Color Contrasts: silver, gold, blue
Great Color Partners: variegated, chartreuse
Sword fern grows best in light to deep shade, but will grow in full sun if watered regularly in summer. Plant in well-drained, humus-rich soil, and water occasionally during dry periods; however, these ferns will tolerate poorer soil and dry conditions once established. Plants that are flourishing can be cut back to the ground in late winter. Plants that are growing in poor or dry soil should only be cut back about every three years.
Text and photos ©2020 Great Plant Picks/Elisabeth Carey Miller Garden except where otherwise noted
Funded by the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation, The Seattle Times, and Individual Donors
Administered by the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden