Polystichum setiferum Proliferum - Soft Shield Fern

Polystichum setiferum 'Proliferum', also known as Soft Shield Fern, is a vigorous cultivar with a spreading habit and luxuriant foliage. This evergreen fern produces beautiful, slender fronds that are intensely divided, feathery in appearance, soft to the touch, and of a vibrant green colour that seems to emerge from the cool shade where it will easily thrive. This variety also produces baby ferns, which grow along the main veins of each frond. In spring, the young brown shoots unfurl, revealing silver scales. This plant will be stunning in undergrowth areas or planted on the edges of a water feature, in humus-rich and well-drained soil.

Polystichum setiferum, formerly known as Polystichum angulare, is a botanical species native to Great Britain and Western Europe, especially southern regions, as well as temperate Asia and North Africa. Its natural habitat consists of woods and shaded ravines at low altitudes. It is a perennial plant of the Dryopteridaceae family, giving rise to more than 300 cultivars, including the 'Proliferum' variety, which has been awarded by the RHS in England. Polystichum setiferum 'Proliferum' is similar to the type species, but distinguishes itself with slightly more vigorous growth and its ability to produce "keikis" (miniature ferns) along the rachis of each frond. This fern forms a spreading clump with a height of 50 to 70 cm (20 to 28 in) and a width of 80 cm (32 in) to 1 m (3 ft). The fronds have an expanded lamina in the centre, deeply divided into 30 to 40 pairs of dentate pinnae, covered in bristles. The petiole of each frond is scaly and brown. The lanceolate-shaped laminae have a slightly soft texture and a bright light green to medium green colour. Each frond persists until spring, then dries out as the young shoots appear. The young shoots that emerge in spring are brown, then unfurl to reveal a sparkling silver colour.

Polystichum setiferum 'Proliferum' is a fairly hardy species (down to -18 °C (-0.4 °F)) that adapts to many cool and shaded situations, in well-drained soil as it dislikes stagnant moisture. The 'Proliferum' variety can be grown in most regions. Its silky fronds emerge from the shade, inviting us to touch them, along a shaded pathway. In undergrowth areas, it can be paired with simple and undemanding plants such as butcher's broom or hollies. It also pairs well with bamboo, shrubby fuchsias, nandinas, and hostas. Ferns are magnificent at the edge of water features or in large shaded rockeries. It can also be planted in a large container filled with fertile potting soil.