The East Indian Holly Fern is a beautiful, tropical-looking, hardy, evergreen fern with unusually glossy, variegated, fine-textured, open fronds. Each dark green frond has a prominent, wide streak of yellow running down the center, which contrasts nicely with gold Hosta lilies and other golden-leaved plants in the shade garden. Its fronds are excellent for use in cut flower arrangements. It thrives in moist but well-drained soils in shade to part shade and grows equally well in garden beds or containers for situating on or around patios or used as an indoor houseplant.

Growing to about 2 feet tall and 2 to 2.5 feet wide, the East Indian Holly Fern is ideal for use as an accent in small garden spaces, in groupings, or as an evergreen groundcover in larger landscape borders and home foundation plantings. Great for growing in pots, planters, and other containers, which can be situated on and around patios, decks, porches, and other outdoor sitting and living spaces. A fine addition to woodland and shade gardens, Asian theme gardens, rock gardens, tropical-look gardens, and around garden ponds.

The East Indian Holly Fern is very easy to grow in moist but well-drained acidic and humusy soil and shade or part shade. Morning sun with afternoon shade is okay, but avoid direct afternoon sun. If the soil is heavy clay or other compacted soil, make sure to mix a good amount of compost or humus into the soil removed from the planting hole. Maintenance is minimal. It requires very little, if any, pruning, only to remove a damaged frond and during cleanup at the end of winter. We suggest feeding with a mild organic fertilizer after new growth has emerged in spring and soil sulfur if necessary for deep greening of foliage. When growing in containers, ensure the pot has a drainage hole at the bottom.

Click on a link below for helpful advice from our experts on how to plant, fertilize, prune, and water perennial ferns.

How To Fertilize & Water Perennial Fern Plants