Polypodium vulgare (Common Polypody) – Evergreen Fern (Set of 3 or 6)

A native evergreen fern with leathery, deeply lobed fronds that hold their green right through winter.

Common polypody grows wild on mossy walls, tree stumps and rocky banks across Britain, which tells you where it is happiest: gaps in shaded walls, rockeries, the ground beneath trees, or naturalised through a woodland border. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

The fresh fronds emerge in late summer and persist through the winter months, giving structure when most plants have died back. It is the most forgiving fern for dry shade, and once established it asks for almost nothing beyond the odd tidy up.

The plants are supplied as established 11cm root balls, ready for planting out.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Common polypody, wall fern
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 30cm to 40cm tall by 60cm to 90cm wide
• Growth Habit: Low, spreading and rhizomatous
• Perfect For: Woodland gardens, shaded borders, rockeries, walls, ground cover and containers
• Foliage: Leathery, lance shaped, deeply lobed green fronds, held all year
• Flowering Time: None. Ferns carry no flowers and spread by spores.
• Planting Position: Partial shade to full shade, sheltered from wind. Grows well in a container.
• Soil Type: Well drained, humus rich soil. It tolerates dry shade once established.
• Hardiness: Fully hardy. It comes through a British winter outdoors without protection.
• Maintenance: Low. Cut away old or tired fronds in early spring before the new ones unfurl, and mulch in spring to hold moisture in.
• Seasonal Interest: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
• Type: Hardy evergreen fern, holder of the RHS Award of Garden Merit