Features
The rich green leaves erupt from the base of the plant and are wide, solid fronds with undulating margins. On the underside of the leaves spores are attached in lines across the leaf.
What to use it for
Ideal for many shady garden locations. Works well as ground cover and underplanting in drifts under roses, shrubs and trees.
Useful plant for alkaline soils.
How to look after it
Mulch it well every spring. Requires little other attention.
How to prune it
Remove dead or damaged fronds to the base.
How to propagate it
Sow spores in mid to late summer or divide in spring.
Common problems
Can be affected by rust in mild, damp winters.
Other useful information
Has achieved the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.
The plant’s name is of Greek origin. Asplenium derives from ’splen’, the Greek for spleen, alluding to the view of herbalist Dioscorides that it was an effective treatment for spleen diseases. Scolopendrium comes from the Greek for centipede or millipede, which the spores on the reverse of the fronds can be said to resemble.