What Southern Shield Fern brings to any garden is classic beauty with her shiny, patent-leather-like green foliage and upright growth habit reaching
heights up to 4 feet and widths of 1 foot. Her vibrant aloe-like color is typical of ferns and as such offers an
evergreen show in warmer areas. In cooler areas, Southern Shield is
deciduous, dying back in the winter.
In these environments, her vivid green fans of foliage emerging from a bed of Vinca or Ivy in spring is a real show stopper. What Southern Shield will thank you for is loose, rich soil with moisture at its roots and protection from direct sun.
She is a southern girl, though and as such, will tolerate a great deal of
drought. She forms
clumping, and has a
slow to
moderate growth rate. Her creeping and branching habits make her a real lady in the garden, never invading an area you don't wish her to go. When you need height, vibrancy and movement, you'll want to consider Southern Shield.
Interesting Fact "Ludoviciana" is the Latinized version of the word "Louisiana". This Dryopteris is native to swamps and wet woods from Florida to Texas and as far north as Kentucky and North Carolina.
Gardener Tips You cannot go wrong placing Southern Shield in a bed of
Vinca major where the two colors offer such striking contrast that she appears like a green sunrise in springtime.
Performs best in well-drained (but moist) soil with added organic compost or peat moss. Best not to allow soil to dry out.
Will tolerate sun if given enough moisture.
Ferns have delicate foliage that often suffers during shipment and transplanting. Cut off any foliage that is broken, bent, brown or yellow - the plants will quickly recuperate with fresh growth. Bare root ferns are particularly prone to foliage loss, it is not uncommon to have to cut them off at ground level when transplanting. As long as the roots are firm they will recover, often showing new growth within weeks during warm months. If transplanting bare root ferns during warm weather they might not send up foliage until summer ends or the following spring (best to transplant bare root ferns when they are dormant: late fall to early spring).
General information that applies to all plants:
-
Ground
preparation, fertilization, pH
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Planting
instructions
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Explanation
and description of bare roots
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How
to plant bare root plants
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If you
cannot plant bare roots right away
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Full sun 
Part sun 
Shade
