Plant guide: Cyrtomium fortunei
Botanical name:
Cyrtomium fortunei
Cyrtomium fortunei is a gorgeous, bright green evergreen fern, that we really fell in love with in our Chelsea Flower Show garden 2025, where it gave the brightest zingy pop of colour in amongst the other ferns and foxgloves.
It can grow to just over half a metre tall, with fronds that are shaped a tiny bit like holly leaves, giving it the common name ‘holly fern,’ and elegant black stems. We love the bright lime green leaves at the start of the growing season around May time, and this is the time of year that it really steals the show.
Plant type:
Semi-evergreen fern
Growing conditions:
Like many ferns, Cyrtomium thrives in damp and shady conditions, doing best in full to partial shade. It needs a spot in moist soil, so does well in rain gardens. In drier areas, it needs plenty of water in summer months.
It can tolerate most soil conditions, except for chalk.
Cyrtomium planted around the base of anemones in the Chelsea garden
Dark stems provide an elegant contrast to the foliage
The almost-lime green leaves provide a pop amongst darker greens in the Chelsea garden
How to plant:
Most easily available as container-grown, you can plant Cyrtomium out at any time of year as long as the soil is not frozen, however, it will establish quickest and with least need for care if planted in Autumn, ready for the naturally rainy months.
Dig a hole the depth of the pot, and twice the width. Carefully remove the plant from the container and place in the hole. Backfill, gently firm in and water well. For more detailed info see our guide How to plant out container grown plants.
Care:
Once established, Cyrtomium is a fairly low-maintenance plant, though it will need watering for any especially dry spells. As it’s semi-evergreen, it can retain some of its fronds over the winter months, but if they start to look brown and tatty, prune in early Spring, before the fresh growth appears.
How to propagate:
The easiest way to propagate is by division in Autumn time. Carefully dig the plant out and divide into sections, which can each be replanted in a new position. See our guide to division for more detailed info and tips for success.
Spore propagation is also possible with ferns (which produce spores, on the underside of their leaves, instead of seeds). This is a long and slightly complicated process, but we’ve found it really fun to attempt! See our fern guide for detailed info on spore propagation.
