Plant Min Zone: 7a
Plant Max Zone: 10b
Sunlight: Part Sun, Shade, Deep Shade
Water / Rainfall: Average
Soil Quality: Average, Rich
Bloom Season: None
Flower Color: None
Berry / Fruit Color: None
Spring Foliage Color: Green
Summer Foliage Color: Green
Fall Foliage Color: Green
Evergreen Foliage: Yes
Winter Interest: Yes
Scented Flowers: No
Drought Tolerance: Medium
Wet-Feet Tolerance: Low
Humidity Tolerance: Medium
Wind Tolerance: Low
Poor Soil Tolerance: No Extreme Soils
Height: 1' - 2'
Width: 1' - 2'
Growth Rate: Slow
Service Life: Medium: 3-5 years
Maintenance Need: Medium
Spreading Potential: Low
Yearly Trimming Tips: Trim Evergreen Perennial Only if Winter-Kill Occurs.
Plant Grouping Size: Specimen Planting of 1-3, Small Grouping of 3-5
Best Side of House: South Exposure, East Exposure
Extreme Planting Locations: None
Ornamental Features: Long Lasting Fall Color, Exceptional / Colorful Foliage
Special Landscape Uses: None
Possible Pest Problems: Weed Competition
Plant Limitations: May get Occasional Winter-kill, Needs Thick Winter Mulch, Environmental Stress / Decline
Shippable in 2026: YES
Japanese Holly Fern (Cyrtomium falcatum) is planted for its evergreen dark green foliage resemble holly branches. It is native to shaded mountain areas in forests, crevices in coastal cliffs, stream banks, rocky slopes, and other moist, stable areas in eastern Asia, India, southern Africa and even Hawaii. It is easily and quickly propagated by floating spores. It thrives in light shade to deep shade with average soil but does not tolerate poor drainage. If low temperatures hit -5 degrees F, the evergreen foliage finally dies back to the ground and re-emerges in early spring. If low temperatures hit -10 degrees F, it may kill an un-mulched plant; protect any zone 6 perennial with thick layer of mulch. Generally this plant can decline after a few years of Kansas climate but is worth a try in perfect soils in well-tended and protected shade gardens. Repeated or successive cold winters with complete foliage loss seem to be an issue with this and many evergreen zone 6/7 plants. One occasional difficult winter followed by mild winters is more tolerable. This is, however, one of the most deep shade tolerant plants available so may be worth a try. In a family member's zone 7a Stillwater OK garden, several specimens thrived for a over a decade until all were wiped out by a freak -19 degrees F cold event one winter. Amazingly, surviving spores survived to re-colonize parts of the garden.