Add elegant evergreen texture to your shade garden with Polystichum setiferum 'Proliferum Wollastonii', also known as Wollaston’s Soft Shield Fern. This refined woodland fern features soft, finely divided fronds and a dense overlapping growth habit that forms a lush, graceful mound of greenery year-round.

Its arching, lace-like foliage adds movement and structure to woodland gardens, shaded borders, containers, and naturalized landscapes. Easy to grow and low maintenance, this evergreen fern is ideal for gardeners seeking texture, softness, and year-round interest in shaded spaces.

Why Gardeners Choose Soft Shield Fern

• Soft, feathery evergreen fronds
• Thrives in part to full shade
• Adds elegant texture and structure year-round
• Deer resistant and low maintenance
• Excellent for moist woodland gardens
• Perfect for shaded containers and borders
• Hardy evergreen perennial fern

Plant Details

• Botanical Name: Polystichum setiferum 'Proliferum Wollastonii'
• Common Name: Wollaston’s Soft Shield Fern
• Plant Type: Evergreen Perennial Fern
• Foliage Color: Deep Glossy Green
• Mature Height: 12–24 inches
• Mature Spread: 12–18 inches
• Growth Habit: Upright, arching, clump-forming
• Light Requirements: Partial Shade to Full Shade
• Water Needs: Moderate
• Soil Needs: Moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil
• Hardiness Zones: 6–9
• Characteristics: Deer resistant, evergreen, shade loving, low maintenance

Suitable Garden Uses

Woodland gardens, shade borders, underplanting beneath trees and shrubs, fern gardens, rock gardens, moist naturalized landscapes, shaded container gardens, erosion control on shaded slopes.

Companion Plants

Pairs well with Hosta, Heuchera (Coral Bells), Carex (Sedge), Epimedium, Trillium, Astilbe, and Japanese Forest Grass to create layered woodland beauty.

Care Tips

• Plant in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil
• Keep soil consistently moist, especially during dry weather
• Protect from harsh afternoon sun
• Apply mulch yearly to conserve moisture and improve soil quality
• Remove damaged fronds in late winter or early spring
• Slow-growing and non-invasive for easy maintenance