Polystichum acrostichoides
The Christmas Fern is semi evergreen and can be relied open for green fronds for Christmas holiday decorations. Fern fronds are 1-2 feet in length and lay down prostrate to the ground. Flip a frond over to see the golden brown spores.
This fern is easy to grow in the right conditions. In the wild it is often seen on the uphill slope along trails. It requires cool, moist, well-drained soil in shade. It must have good drainage, it does not tolerate clay soils or standing water. Christmas ferns ideal soil are moist, slightly acidic, humus-rich, sandy loam soils.
Christmas fern does not spread by runners, it is naturally clump forming and may be slow to fill in as a ground cover. Being a fern, it propagates by spores instead of seeds. Increasing the number of this fern is easiest done by dividing a clump. In early spring watch for the fern fronds to appear in their tight swirl, this is the best time to dig and divide. Dig out the entire clump and pull apart to create multiple small clumps. If it wont pull apart easily the clump and be cleanly cut in half with a sharp shovel. Replant the clumps immediately with the soil level matching the original level of soil and water well.
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