Harts Tongue Fern

If you’re looking for a plant that brings elegant structure to shady spots, look no further than the harts tongue fern. This distinctive fern, with its unique, strap-like leaves, offers a beautiful and surprisingly resilient option for your garden.

Its simple beauty is a wonderful contrast to more feathery ferns. It thrives where many other plants struggle, making it a true problem-solver. Let’s look at how you can grow and enjoy this fantastic plant.

This fern stands out immediately. Unlike most ferns with divided, lacy fronds, the Harts Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) has long, undivided, glossy green leaves. They resemble a deer’s tongue, which is where it gets its common name. It forms a neat, shuttlecock-like clump that adds a touch of architectural sophistication.

Why Choose This Fern for Your Garden?

There are several compelling reasons to add this plant to your landscape:

Unique Foliage: Its solid, ribbon-like leaves provide amazing textural contrast.
Low Maintenance: Once established, it requires very little care.
Evergreen Habit: In milder climates, it retains its leaves year-round, providing winter interest.
Wildlife Friendly: It offers shelter for small beneficial insects.
Non-Invasive: It grows slowly and stays in a tidy clump.

Ideal Growing Conditions

Mimicking its natural woodland habitat is the key to success. This isn’t a fern for hot, dry, sunny spots.

Light Requirements

Dappled shade to full shade is perfect. Morning sun is often tolerated if the soil remains moist, but harsh afternoon sun will scorch the leaves. It’s an excellent choice for north-facing walls, under trees, or in shaded courtyards.

Soil Preferences

Soil is crucial. The harts tongue fern demands:

Excellent Drainage: It hates sitting in waterlogged soil.
High Organic Matter: Think rich, leafy humus.
Alkaline to Neutral pH: It often grows naturally in limestone areas, so it prefers a sweeter soil. If you have acidic soil, adding a little garden lime can help.

Planting Your Fern

Spring or early autumn are the best times to plant, allowing the roots to settle in before extreme weather.

Choose a suitably shaded location.
Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper.
Mix plenty of well-rotted leaf mold or compost into the excavated soil.
Place the fern in the hole, ensuring the crown (where the leaves meet the roots) is level with the soil surface.
Backfill with your enriched soil, firm gently, and water thoroughly.
Apply a mulch of leaf mold or compost around the base to retain moisture.

Ongoing Care and Maintenance

Caring for this fern is refreshingly straightforward. It really doesn’t ask for much.

Watering

Keep the soil consistently moist, especially in its first year and during dry spells. Avoid overhead watering if possible, as this can mark the lovely foliage. Water at the base instead. Once established, it becomes quite drought-tolerant for a fern.

Feeding

It’s not a heavy feeder. A light application of a balanced, organic fertilizer in spring is plenty. Alternatively, simply refresh the mulch layer with more compost each year, which will feed the soil slowly.

Pruning and Cleanup

Very little pruning is needed. Simply remove any leaves that have become damaged or brown at any time of year. In late winter, you can tidy up the plant by removing older, tired-looking fronds to make way for the fresh spring growth. This keeps the clump looking its best.

Propagation Methods

You can increase your collection in two main ways. Division is the easiest and most reliable method.

In early spring, carefully lift the mature clump from the ground.
Using a sharp knife or spade, divide the rootball into smaller sections. Each section needs a piece of the crown and some roots.
Replant the divisions immediately at the same depth they were growing before.
Water them in well and keep them moist while they establish.

You can also propagate from spores, but this is a slower, more technical process that requires patience.

Common Problems and Solutions

This fern is notably pest and disease-resistant. Most issues arise from incorrect growing conditions.

Brown, Scorched Leaves: This is a sure sign of too much sun or exposure to drying winds. Relocate the plant to a shadier, more sheltered spot.
Yellowing Leaves: Often caused by waterlogged soil. Improve drainage by adding grit to the planting area or raise the planting level.
Slugs and Snails: Young, tender fronds can be attractive to them. Use your preferred organic deterrent, like beer traps or wool pellets.

Perfect Companion Plants

The harts tongue fern pairs beautifully with other shade-loving plants that enjoy similar conditions. Consider combining it with:

Hostas (for contrasting leaf shapes)
Heucheras (for a splash of colorful foliage)
Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra)
Cyclamen
Other shade-tolerant ferns for a layered, woodland feel

Growing in Containers

It’s an excellent container plant! This allows you to control the soil mix perfectly and place it in just the right shady spot on a patio.

Choose a pot with good drainage holes.
Use a high-quality, peat-free potting mix with added perlite for drainage.
Mix in a handful of horticultural grit and some leaf mold if you have it.
Plant as described above, water well, and place in shade.
Container plants need more regular watering and a light feed each spring.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the harts tongue fern evergreen?

Yes, in most climates it is evergreen, holding its leaves throughout the winter. In very cold areas, it may die back but usually returns in spring.

How fast does hart’s tongue fern grow?

It is a relatively slow-growing plant. It will gradually form a larger clump over the years, but it won’t spread rapidly or become invasive.

Can hart’s tongue fern handle sun?

It prefers shade. Some morning sun is okay with enough moisture, but afternoon sun will likely cause leaf scorch. Dappled light under trees is ideal.

Why are my ferns leaves turning brown?

The most common causes are too much direct sunlight, dry soil, or low humidity. Check its location and your watering routine. Also, remember that individual older fronds will naturally brown and die back over time.

Is it deer resistant?

Yes, it is generally considered resistant to deer browsing. They tend to leave the tough, leathery leaves alone, which is another great benefit for many gardeners.

With its sculptural form and easy-going nature, the harts tongue fern is a truly special plant. It brings a calm, elegant presence to the garden that is hard to match. By providing that simple recipe of shade, good drainage, and rich soil, you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful, resilient clump of foliage that looks good for years with minimal fuss. It’s a classic for a reason, and it deserves a place in more of our gardens.