Deer Fern

Names

Common Names

Deer fern, Hard fern

Growth

Height

12-24 inches

Spread

12 to 24 inches

Growth Rate

Slow

Appearance

Bloom Color

Black

Foliage Color

Dark green with reddish-brown undertones in young growth

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Environment

Hardiness Zones

Zones 4-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideal sunlight requirements are shade to partial shade.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained soil, ranging from sandy to clay, with acidic pH between 5.5 and 6.5

Soil Drainage

Well-drained but moist soil.

Soil pH

Acidic to neutral soils, with tolerance for acidic conditions.

Lifecycle

Lifecycle

Perennial

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Bloom Time

Summer

Reproduction

Propagation Methods

Seeds and Cuttings

Wildlife

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds (foraging birds)

References

• deer fern: Blechnum spicant - Native Plant Guide
• blechnum Hard Fern, Deer fern PFAF Plant Database
• Deer fern (Blechnum spicant) - Focal Farm
• Blechnum spicant Hard Fern, Deer fern PFAF Plant Database
• Blechnum spicant
• Blechnum spicant
• Blechnum spicant|hard fern/RHS Gardening
• Blechnum spicant, Deer Fern – Cedar Rose Nursery
• Blechnum spicant - Sevenoaks Native Nursery
• Blechnum | Heijnen Plants
• Blechnum spicant (Deer Fern) - Keeping It Green Nursery
• Blechnum spicant [AGM] - The hard fern – Moore and Moore Plants
• Deer Fern
• Struthiopteris spicant (syn. Blechnum spicant), Deer Fern – Dancing Oaks Nursery and Gardens
• For Shade | Blechnum Spicant - The Beth Chatto Gardens
• Module 2.4 Ferns | sumsgreenthumbs
• Blechnum spicant | Native Sons Wholesale Nursery
• Blechnum spicant – Future Forests
• BLECHNUM spicant (#BLESPI4) | emerisa gardens
• Blechnum spicant AGM (Hardy fern) Provides shelter for foraging birds – Caths Garden Plants