Yes. The soft shield fern is fully hardy throughout the UK (RHS H6, tolerating roughly -20C) and keeps its fronds through winter, so it earns its place in a hardy exotics border with no protection needed.

It thrives in partial to full shade, making it ideal for that tricky north-facing or woodland-style spot. Avoid hot, dry full sun, which scorches the delicate fronds.

Largely, yes. It is evergreen to semi-evergreen in milder areas, holding its lacy green fronds over winter. In colder gardens the old fronds can look tired by late winter and are simply cut away before the new croziers unfurl in spring.

Expect a graceful shuttlecock around 60-90cm tall and 90cm wide, reaching its ultimate size in about 5-10 years. It forms a steadily expanding clump rather than spreading or self-seeding aggressively.

Yes. It does well in a large container of loam-based compost with added leaf mould, kept in shade and never allowed to dry out. Containers benefit from winter shelter against repeated freeze-thaw of the rootball.

Polystichum setiferum has no reported toxicity to people, cats or dogs, so it is a reassuring choice for family gardens.

We always aim to make sure our customers love our products, but if you do need to return an order within 14 days of purchase (not including plants*), or any items are damaged, we’re happy to help. Just email us directly at hello@growtropicals.com, and we’ll take you through the process. 

Please note: we cannot be held liable for any packaging costs should the original packaging be discarded.

*Unfortunately we cannot accept returns of undamaged plants as these are perishable items and are not saleable upon return. If a plant is damaged, we will compensate for this as per our live arrival guarantee.

When placing your order, you can choose from three dispatch speeds to suit your needs: Economy (prepared and shipped within 4-5 days), Standard (3-5 days), or Express (dispatched the very next day). Please keep in mind that "dispatch" refers to the time it takes our team to prepare and pack your items before handing them over to the courier, not the total delivery time.

Shipping costs are based on your total order value and will be calculated at checkout, with free shipping automatically applied to all orders over £60. For a full breakdown of shipping prices please see our help center here.

Additionally, to protect the health and quality of our live plants, orders containing plants are exclusively shipped Monday through Thursday. This careful scheduling prevents your plants from being stuck in a dark shipping depot over the weekend, ensuring they arrive at your door vibrant and healthy.