Shaggy Shield Fern

From the highlands and forests of east Asia, Dryopteris atrata is a tall, tough, hardy fern which forms a shuttlecock of elegant, upright fronds, semi-evergreen in Irish conditions. The heavily divided, dark green fronds are covered in tiny, brownish-black hairs or scales, giving them their shaggy name. Shaggy shield fern is tough and easy-to-grow, doing well in our humid conditions, and can be used in formal or informal plantings. Old, weather-beaten fronds should be cut back in spring to allow fresh growth to take their place.