Growing Western Sword Fern: Tips at a Glance
A hardy perennial ground cover that thrives in dense, dry shade, western sword fern also is a happy houseplant if it has indirect light, moist soil, and humidity (mist it regularly if the air in your home feels dry).
- Type Fern
- Lifespan Perennial
- USDA Zones 3-8
- Light Filtered sun
- Soil Wet to dry
- Water Drought tolerant
- Design Tip Shady ground cover
- Companions Azalea, lily of the valley
- When to Plant Divide in spring
Western Sword Ferns: A Field Guide
A hardy, drought-tolerant ground cover native to shady woodlands from Alaska to California in the United States, western sword ferns also are dramatic houseplants to brighten up a corner in a dark room.
You’ll often spot Polystichum munitum growing along a trail beneath Douglas firs, cedars, or redwood trees—a clue to how hardy these ferns are, as most other plants cannot tolerate the dry, shady conditions beneath a thick tree canopy. In a garden, western sword ferns make happy companions to coral bells and shade-loving shrubs such as rhododendrons or azaleas.
Plant or divide existing clumps of western sword ferns in spring to give their roots a full growing season to establish before colder temperatures arrive. Give them plenty of space: a mature fern can measure 3 feet in diameter and grow up to 3 feet tall.
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