Alaskan Fern

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed frequently during growing season with a general purpose fertilizer. Cut back old fronds after new growth begins in spring. Pruning time: spring.

This is an excellent hardy Fern that takes colder climates by dying back with frost. Plant under trees, in dark corners and shaded alcoves. Also works well in light-challenged atriums and courtyards. As a North American native, it's the perfect easy Fern for woodland and wild gardens.

This genus of ferns known collectively as "holly" ferns are so named for their sometimes prickly foliage. The genus was classified by German botanist Albrecht Roth, 1757-1834, who named it from the Greek for many rows, to describe the pattern of sori on the backs of the leaves. Many of the ferns in this contemporary classifications were formally know under genus Aspidium. This species is native to most regions of the world except the Arctic. It formerly went by the names Polypodium setiferum by Pehr Forskal, 1736-1768 of Sweden, and Polystichum aculeatum as well as other synonyms throughout the references. But it was Austrian Heinrich Woynar, 1865-1917 who made the final classification.