Plant guide: Blechnum spicant
Botanical name:
Blechnum spicant
Blechnum spicant is a small, low-growing evergreen fern, with elegant dark green fronds that are almost leathery in texture. It grows horizontally, so spreads outwards in a rosette, rather than pointing upwards like many other ferns.
It’s a really handy plant for trickier spots, and grows well under trees, in very shady places and even in walls. Useful for bringing a pop of green and those gorgeous fern fronds to areas where not much else will grow.
Plant type:
Evergreen fern
Growing conditions:
Like many ferns, Blechnum spicant does well in a shaded location, either part shade or full shade. It can thrive in spots where many other plants may not cope, such as under mature trees and shrubs, or even growing in stone walls. It’s a low-growing and slow-growing plant, reaching up to about 40cm at its biggest, so in a bed or border is best placed at the front.
How to plant:
Readily available in small containers at nurseries or garden centres, Blechnum spicant is most easily planted out from a pot grown plant. Dig a hole in the ground to the depth of the pot and twice as wide. Carefully remove from the pot, place in the hole, and back fill around. Water well after planting. For more detailed info see our guide on how to plant out container grown plants.
Care:
Water well throughout the first season while it gets established and its roots settle in. After that, it should only need watering in any particularly dry periods in Spring or Summer.
There is no need for any regular pruning, but any brown or dead leaves can be cut back throughout the year, to keep the plant looking its best. Cut the leaves back right down the base, taking care not to damage any adjacent leaves.
Mulching around the base of the plant in Spring helps to preserve moisture for the Summer months.
Blechnum spicant can be prone to a fungus known as rust, which shows as a powdery orange coating on the leaves. If found, cut back the affected area and the plant should recover fully on its own.
Grow with:
With its leathery foliage, Blechnum spicant pairs well with other ferns with a lighter more feathery foliage, such as polystichum setiferum. Most ferns tend to grow well in similar shady, damp conditions, so will thrive together, with a pleasing contrast of different fronds.
We also like to match Blechnum spicant with shade-tolerant flowering plants, especially those with delicate flowers that seem to float above the leaves, such as geraniums or erigeron karvinskianus. For more plants that flower in shade, see our guide to our favourite flowering plants for shade.
Uses:
Though not commonly used, the fronds of Blechnum spicant can be added to a bouquet of cut flowers as reliable foliage.
How to propagate:
Like all ferns, Blechnum spicant reproduces with spores, rather than seed. Spore collecting and sowing is a slightly complex (but fun!) process that can be a slow way to propagate ferns.
A generally quicker and more reliable method of propagation is division, which can be carried out in Spring time. Carefully dig the plant out of its spot in the soil, taking care not to damage the roots. Slice the plant into two or three sections, with each section containing a healthy amount of foliage and roots. Re-plant one section in the original position and place others in a new spot. Take care to water well while they re-establish.
See our guide on how to divide plants for more detailed information.
