Scaly male fern

Scaly male fern: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Shuttlecock-shaped rosette from one or a few crowns, 80–100 cm tall and as wide.

Fronds

Divided into deeply cut leaflets, fresh green and fairly firm, up to 1 m long. Where the leaflets join the midrib there is often a small dark spot.

Stalk

Densely covered with golden-brown to rusty-brown scales, which continue along the midrib.

Spores

Round clusters of spores under the leaflets in summer. Ferns do not flower.

Roots

A short, sturdy rhizome that forms the crown at the top. It does not spread.

Plants: March–May and September–October · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• A stately structural plant for shady corners, where few other plants grow so well.
• Stays green well into winter, longer than most other ferns.
• The unfurling of the golden-scaled croziers in April–May is a fine sight every year.
• Native and at home in a wildlife garden: its fronds shelter small creatures on the woodland floor.
• Very little work: one tidy-up a year and some water in dry spells.

Scaly male fern: where does it grow best?

• Partial or full shade, for example under trees or on the north side of a wall or hedge.
• Humus-rich soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to neutral. Improve poor soil with leaf mould or compost.
• Moist to wet ground: it does not tolerate long droughts.
• Sheltered from strong sun and drying winds, which turn the fronds brown.
• Allow 80–100 cm of space per plant.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

1 m tall, 1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Hosta: Large, broad leaves as a contrast to the finely cut fronds.
• Solomon’s seal: Gracefully arching stems with white bells in spring.
• Epimedium: An evergreen ground cover at its feet.
• Wood anemone: Small white flowers in March–April, before the fern has fully unfurled.
• Hellebore: Winter flowers beside the long-lasting green fronds.

Scaly male fern: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September–October.

1. Plant in March–May or September–October, when the soil is moist and not frozen.
2. Dig a generous hole and mix in a few spadefuls of leaf mould or compost.
3. Set the crown of the plant level with the soil surface, no deeper.
4. Space plants 80–100 cm apart, or plant a group of three for a generous effect.
5. Water in well and spread a layer of leaf mould or shredded leaves around the plant.

Care

Water

Water regularly in dry spells in the first year. Later on, water in dry summers too, as drought turns the fronds brown.

Feeding

Not needed. A layer of leaf mould or compost in spring is enough.

Mulching

Leave fallen autumn leaves around the fern: that way you create a woodland floor.

Old fronds

Leave the old fronds until March: they protect the crown in winter.

Space

Keep spreading neighbours at a distance so the shuttlecock can unfold freely.

Tip: Leave the autumn leaves from the trees around the fern: they rot down into leaf mould and keep the soil moist and open, as in a wood. That way you never need to feed it.

Scaly male fern: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, before the new croziers unfurl.

How:

• Cut the old, withered or flattened fronds back to just above the crown.
• Take care with the young croziers in the centre: cut around them, not through them.
• During the season you can cut damaged or withered fronds off at the base.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

Older plants with several crowns can be lifted in March–April and split with a sharp spade. Each piece needs its own crown and roots.

Spores

In August–September, let a frond with ripe spore clusters dry in a paper bag and sow the spores on moist, sterile compost under glass or plastic. It takes patience: it is a few years before you have a good-sized plant.

Scaly male fern: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• The fronds stay green for a long time and only collapse during the winter. Leave them until March.
• A layer of autumn leaves around the base keeps the soil sheltered and moist.

Diseases and pests

• Brown fronds: A sign of drought, strong sun or drying wind. Water, mulch and give it more shade.
• Slugs: They sometimes nibble the young croziers in spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• Crown rot: A crown planted too deep may rot. Plant the crown level with the soil surface.
• Broken fronds: Storms or heavy snow sometimes break fronds. Cut them off at the base; the plant soon recovers.

Through the year

• March: Cut away old fronds. Plant or divide.
• April: New croziers unfurl. Watch for slugs. Plant.
• May: Plant. Mulch with leaf mould.
• June: Water in dry spells.
• July: Water in dry spells, especially in a sunnier spot.
• August: Spores ripen. Collect spores.
• September: Plant. Sow spores.
• October: Plant. Leave autumn leaves around the base.
• December: The fronds stay green. Nothing to do.

Did you know?

• This fern reproduces without fertilisation: its spores grow into plants that are genetically identical to the parent.
• The name Dryopteris comes from the Greek drys, oak, and pteris, fern: a fern of oak woods.
• Affinis means related, because it looks so much like the common male fern.