Polystichum munitum Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Western sword fern

Polystichum munitum

£13.99
Very hardyShade-tolerantEvergreenRHS award winner
Pot size
17cm / 2L £13.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

Complete the set up
Description

Polystichum munitum, the western sword fern, is the big, bold evergreen of the Pacific Northwest forests. It builds a large, upright clump of long, narrowly lance-shaped, dark green fronds, each once-divided into many narrow, finely spine-toothed segments with a small ear at the base, so every frond looks like a blade. That simple, once-pinnate frond is the quickest way to tell it from the lacier, twice-divided Polystichum ferns. Compared with the Japanese tassel fern (Polystichum polyblepharum), the soft shield fern (P. setiferum) and the small, lacy P. tsus-simense, this is the one to choose for sheer size and presence: a mature plant can carry dozens of metre-long fronds and reads almost like a small tree fern in a shady border.

Hardiness and seasons. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and is rated H7, the toughest band, so it shrugs off the coldest UK winters. The fronds are evergreen and stand through winter, giving structure when little else is in leaf, and a flush of new croziers rises from the crown in spring.

How and where to grow. Give it partial or full shade in cool, fertile, humus-rich soil that stays moist but drains freely. It is unfussy about soil type and pH, growing on chalk, clay, loam or sand, and it copes with exposed sites as well as sheltered ones. Keep the crown clear of sodden debris in winter, as it dislikes sitting wet. Expect 1 to 1.5m in height and spread within two to five years.

Using it in the garden. Plant it where its scale can be appreciated: beneath trees, along a shaded boundary, or as the backbone of an exotic woodland scheme with hostas, rodgersias and smaller ferns in front. A group of three makes a lush, evergreen thicket, and a single plant fills a large container in a shady courtyard.

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.

Find out more

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.

Best quality plants guaranteed
7 day live arrival guarantee
Delivered to your door with care
Earn 69 points with this plant · 5 points per £1 Join free

How to care for Western sword fern

Give me sun with a little shade and the coldest UK winters do not worry me.

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.
Get to know me

About Western sword fern

Polystichum munitum needs partial shade or full shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is very hardy, standing the coldest UK winters outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Shade

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H7): below −20°C. Very hardy; shrugs off the coldest UK winters.

Very hardy, H7. Evergreen. Read moreShow less

Very hardy, H7. Evergreen.

Position

Partial shadeFull shadeNorth-facingEast-facingWest-facingExposedSheltered
Partial to full shade; tolerates exposed and sheltered sites. Read moreShow less

Partial to full shade; tolerates exposed and sheltered sites.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Cool, fertile, humus-rich soil that is moist but well-drained; any soil type or pH. Read moreShow less

Cool, fertile, humus-rich soil that is moist but well-drained; any soil type or pH.

Watering

Water regularly through the first summer and mulch with leaf mould. Keep the crown free of wet debris in winter. Read moreShow less

Water regularly through the first summer and mulch with leaf mould. Keep the crown free of wet debris in winter.

Mature size

Height1 to 1.5m
Spread1 to 1.5m

Reaches full size in 2 to 5 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

Cut away old, flattened or browned fronds in late winter or early spring before the new croziers unfurl. No other pruning is needed.

Toxicity

Not known to be toxic to people or pets.

Native range

Western North America, from Alaska and British Columbia south to California

Family

Dryopteridaceae

Also known as

Polystichum munitum

Genus

Polystichum
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the western sword fern different from the other Polystichum ferns?

It is much larger, with long, narrow, sword-shaped fronds that can reach a metre or more. The tassel fern and soft shield fern are finer and softer, and P. tsus-simense is a small fern for the front of a border.

How hardy is it?

Extremely. It is rated H7 by the RHS, hardy below -20C, and it holds the Award of Garden Merit.

Is it evergreen?

Yes. The dark green fronds stand through winter and are replaced by fresh growth each spring.

How big does it get?

Around 1 to 1.5m tall and wide, reaching that size in two to five years in good, moist, shaded soil.

Will it grow in full sun?

It is best in partial or full shade. In full sun the fronds can scorch unless the soil stays reliably moist.

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 48 hours 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.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

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

Good for your home - and the planet.

Verified reviews

Rated by real customers

You may also like

We recommend
Polystichum munitum
£13.99