{"product_id":"polystichum-munitum","title":"Polystichum munitum","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePolystichum munitum\u003c\/strong\u003e, 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 (\u003ca href=\"\/products\/polystichum-polyblepharum\"\u003ePolystichum polyblepharum\u003c\/a\u003e), the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/polystichum-setiferum\"\u003esoft shield fern\u003c\/a\u003e (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 \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/plants-for-shade\"\u003eshady border\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardiness and seasons.\u003c\/strong\u003e 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, \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/hardy-exotics-what-to-expect\"\u003egiving structure when little else is in leaf\u003c\/a\u003e, and a flush of new croziers rises from the crown in spring.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow and where to grow.\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUsing it in the garden.\u003c\/strong\u003e Plant it where its scale can be appreciated: beneath trees, along a shaded boundary, or as the backbone of an \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/exotic-border-plants\"\u003eexotic woodland scheme\u003c\/a\u003e with hostas, rodgersias and smaller ferns in front. A group of three makes a lush, evergreen thicket, and a single plant fills a \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/plants-for-pots\"\u003elarge container\u003c\/a\u003e in a shady courtyard.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"GROW TROPICALS","offers":[{"title":"17cm \/ 2L","offer_id":58254018249087,"sku":"POLYMUNI17","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0361\/9645\/0348\/files\/munitum.jpg?v=1787851932","url":"https:\/\/growtropicals.com\/products\/polystichum-munitum","provider":"GrowTropicals","version":"1.0","type":"link"}