Dryopteris Pseudo Filix-Mas

Giant 4-foot Fronds Held Up and Out.

Keeps its texture longer into winter than other Ferns.

Every shade garden deserves one standout fern, the hardest-working and most interesting of the display. Make this showpiece Dryopteris pseudo filix-mas, the Mexican Male Fern native to the cloud forests of North and Central America. Boasting huge fronds, continuous growth from spring into fall, and good winter holding ability, it is a fine choice as a specimen or in mass plantings as well as for the border or woodland garden.

Each frond of this fern reaches up to 4 feet long, bipinnate at the base and pinnate above. The fronds arise from the center of this vase-shaped perennial, reaching up and out for a lovely fountainous look. New fronds uncurl in a lighter shade of green than their more mature neighbors, creating a multi-toned look that persists through summer and autumn. Very distinctive.

When winter sets in, most ferns quickly die back, but Mexican Male Fern hangs on, its texture and lovely silhouette often persisting past the first hard frosts and light snows. Give your shade garden a few extra weeks of beauty, plus lovely over-the-top color, with this fine fern! Zones 5-9.