Shaggy Shield Fern

Dryopteris cycadina

Name: Dryopteris cycadina
Brand: GROW TROPICALS
SKU: DRYOATRA11
Price: 6.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

£6.99

Hardy in the UKShade-tolerantRHS award winner

Pot size

11cm / 0.75L £6.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Dryopteris cycadina, the shaggy shield fern, is one of the most architectural of all mid-sized hardy ferns. The spring croziers rise on stems shaggy with near-black scales, the 'shaggy' of the common name, and open into crisp, simply pinnate fronds that darken to deep green and hold their shuttlecock shape with unusual poise. It comes from the mountain woodlands of northern India, China, Taiwan and Japan, and it holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. You will also see it sold as Dryopteris atrata; the RHS lists that name as misapplied, and the plant in UK gardens under either label is this one.

Hardiness and seasons. Rated H4 by the RHS, hardy through most of the UK to around -10C. Semi-evergreen: the fronds often stand into early winter, then fresh croziers rebuild the clump each spring.

In the garden. Easy in any humus-rich soil in part or full shade, including clay and damper corners. At around 60cm it is the right scale for the front of exotic border planting, woodland edges and shaded pots, where the black-scaled stems can be admired up close.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Shaggy Shield Fern

Give me sun with a little shade and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.

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About Shaggy Shield Fern

Dryopteris cycadina needs partial shade or full shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −10°C, standing an average UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Shade

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H4 · Hardy Exotic · down to around −10°C

RHS H4 (-10 to -5C): hardy through most of the UK in a sheltered spot. In cold inland gardens a leaf-mould mulch over the crown sees it through hard snaps. See what to expect from outdoor plants.

Position

Partial shadeFull shadeNorth-facingEast-facingSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered

Partial or full shade, any aspect, with shelter from strong winds to keep the fronds unmarked. Tolerates some sun only with constant root moisture.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedPoorly-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

Any humus-rich soil: chalk, clay, loam or sand, acid to alkaline, moist but well-drained or even somewhat poorly drained. One of the better ferns for heavier ground.

Watering

Water through the first season and mulch annually; established clumps handle dry shade but look best with steady moisture. Read moreShow less

Water through the first season and mulch annually; established clumps handle dry shade but look best with steady moisture.

Mature size

Height0.5 to 1m (RHS; typically around 0.6m in gardens)

Spread0.1 to 0.5m (typically around 0.45m)

Reaches full size in 5 to 10 years

Growth habit

Clump-forming

Flowering

Does not flower: a fern, with pale green spring croziers on strikingly black-scaled stems, darkening to a deep green shuttlecock

Foliage

Semi-evergreen

Pruning

No pruning: remove dead or collapsed fronds in late winter or early spring before the new croziers unfurl. Generally pest and disease free.

Toxicity

No toxicity warnings listed on the RHS profile for Dryopteris cycadina. Not for consumption; no specific child or pet hazard listed by the RHS.

Native range

Northern India, China, Taiwan and Japan

Family

Dryopteridaceae

Also known as

Dryopteris cycadina

Genus

Dryopteris

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dryopteris cycadina the same as Dryopteris atrata?

In UK garden terms, yes. True Dryopteris atrata is a separate species from the Himalaya to Vietnam, but the RHS flags the name as misapplied: the plant grown and sold in Britain under 'atrata' is Dryopteris cycadina, and that is the name the Award of Garden Merit belongs to. Same plant, correct label.

How hardy is the shaggy shield fern in the UK?

RHS H4, around -10C, which covers most UK gardens in a normal winter. Give it shelter from cold winds, and in frost-pocket gardens mulch the crown with leaf mould in late autumn. The fronds may collapse in a hard snap; the crown pushes fresh croziers every spring.

Is it evergreen?

Semi-evergreen. The stiff fronds often stand well into early winter, longer in mild sheltered gardens, then the clump rests briefly and rebuilds in spring. The new croziers on their black-shaggy stems are the best moment of the year.

How big does Dryopteris cycadina get?

Around 60cm tall and 45cm across, reached in a few seasons. It stays a tidy, vase-shaped shuttlecock rather than sprawling, which is why designers use it at the front of shade borders and in pots.

Will it grow in dry shade or clay?

Clay, yes, happily: it takes moist and even somewhat poorly drained ground better than most ferns. Dry shade it tolerates once established, though it is at its best with steady moisture and an annual mulch. Water it through the first season either way.

When do I cut back the fronds?

Late winter or early spring, before the new croziers unfurl. Remove dead or collapsed fronds at the base and leave everything else alone. It is generally pest and disease free, so that spring tidy is the whole job.

Are your plants treated with pesticides?

We aim to avoid using pesticides where possible, but we can't control the whole supply chain.

If the plant is going into a vivarium, terrarium or aquarium with live animals, rinse the leaves and roots well, remove any soil and let the plant dry out before adding it. We'd also suggest keeping it away from animals for a month first.

Can I see a photo of the exact plant I'll receive?

We're not able to send photos of individual plants or let you choose a specific one, as plants are selected by our team when your order is packed. Our photos show the variety and the kind of plant you can expect, and yours may vary a little in height, shape or fullness.

If a size has a code next to it, such as 9cm / B2, you're buying the exact plant pictured.

Does my plant come with a pot?

Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.

How big will my plant be when it arrives?

Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.

What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?

There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.

What should I do when my plant arrives?

First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.

Will my plant survive being shipped?

Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 7 days with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.

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All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

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Dryopteris cycadina

£6.99