Giant California Chain Fern

Woodwardia fimbriata

fern toprated western native potted evergreen deer resistant

Height: 8' average mature height

Hardiness Zones: 7-8 Find my zone

Aspect: full shade to half shade

Size Availability

Out of season.

Our main crop of most plants is available starting in late fall. Additional batches of plugs and quarts are usually added in May.

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The Giant Chain Fern, Woodwardia fimbriata , is native along the coast of California and is often found growing among the Giant Coast Redwoods. Giant Chain Ferns can be found growing in pockets in mountains across the western states and much of the Pacific coast. This is the largest fern species that is native to North America and reaches impressive heights of 6-7 feet tall under most conditions, with plants reaching 9 feet or taller with protection from wind. This species grows much faster than other ferns we grow and thrives in a wide range of conditions, and once established these ferns are fairly drought tolerant.

Deer very rarely bother Giant Chain Ferns, occasionally deer will eat the old fronds in the winter when food is scarce but these fronds freeze back in cold weather anyway.

Planting Instructions

Depending on the season your fern may arrive with actively growing fronds or with the fronds pruned back to the crown level. Plant with the crown just poking out of the soil line and the top of the root mass covered by an inch or less of soil. We prune the roots before shipping plants to ensure they establish quickly, but make sure to spread the roots across the soil rather than balling them into a twisted lump when planting.

Watering and Soil

Ferns prefer to have consistent water through the summer but avoid keeping the ground too wet - lightly moist is ideal. If you are planting ferns in poor soil or boggy locations you can pile up shredded landscaping bark or aged compost and plant directly in that. Painted Ferns naturally grow in decades or centuries worth of decaying fallen needles and branches and don't actually need to grow directly in the soil. Just keep in mind that fresh materials consume a lot of nitrogen as they decompose so adding fertilizer each year ensures the plants will have access to enough to grow to their full potential. Organic matter dries out faster than soil and often doesn't absorb water again very well after drying out completely so drip systems or regular watering greatly improve water retention.

Woodwardia fimbriata - Giant California Chain Fern

Clumps of native Woodwardia fimbriata growing outside of the Red Buttes Wilderness not far from our nursery.

This clump of Giant Chain Fern is growing at around 4,000 feet in elevation and is subject to 0 degree temperatures or lower for much of the winter. Most winters the fronds die back to the ground but the new fronds still reach 8 feet tall the next spring.

Packing Plants For Shipping

Most of our plants are shipped bare root while they are dormant from late November through April and ship via the U.S. Postal Service. Bamboo plants can be shipped in their containers year-round by UPS.

Bare root plants are soaked and wrapped together in bundles.
ictured are 10x 24 inch tall Coast Redwoods.

The bundled plants are wrapped in paper and labeled by variety.

The bundle is wetted and bagged.

Bundles of plants are secured in long boxes.

Pruning and Plant Sizes

We prune both the tops and the roots of our plants at least once per year while they are growing in our nursery to ensure they develop a strong, dense form. Regular annual pruning goes a long way to ensure a healthy branching structure and this is often a missed step in many nurseries. Pruning a plant back hard after it has been neglected pruning-wise often results in an irregular branch habit or multiple leaders so we prune early and regularly instead. We also prune the roots of our plants while they are dormant which causes them to produce a much more branched structure and helps to elimate tangled masses that hinder future development. Plants that have been root pruned establish themselves much more quickly than root bound plants. Generally, hardwood plants will be pruned in the winter and conifers will be pruned in the summer.

Before shipping plants we prune the tops and roots one last time. Conifers will usually have very little pruning except to balance out long branches. Shrubs are usually pruned to around 1-2 feet tall to encourage low branch development and small to medium sized trees are usually pruned to around 36-40 inches. Pruning trees at this height encourages dominant branches to begin forming around 3 feet from the ground which typically looks the best in most situations. However, if you want a tree to have branching start higher (some city codes require trees to not branch below 4 feet) we have longer boxes available. To request taller trees please contact us at least three days before your ship date. Depending on your location and the shipping routes there may be a fee for oversize package handling (usually about $15 for a 60 inch box).

Tall trees (Oaks, Ginkgo, large Maples, etc.) are pruned to 40 inches to encourage crown development from about 36 inches and up

Small and medium trees (short Maples, Redbuds, Stewartia, etc.) are pruned 10-20 inches above the prune line from last year

Shrubs (Weigela, Hydrangea, Viburnum, etc.) are pruned to 18 inches tall and root pruned one last time

Small plug size

Bamboo Plants Are Shipped In Their Containers

Bamboo roots are not flexible and so plants have to be shipped in their containers. These plants are heavier and are shipped separately from bare root plants. Because they are potted they can handle longer transit times so can ship via UPS Ground instead of USPS Air Mail. Potted plants can also be shipped year-round.

We regularly top our 1 gallon bamboo plants at 24-30 inches tall throughout the growing season. This results in dense, bushy foliage while allowing for economical shipping. From this size most running species will grow to 5-6 feet tall in the first spring and clumping species will usually grow to 4-5 feet tall.

1 gallon bamboo plants strapped in and ready to be sealed.

Unpacking Bare Root Plants

You will be sent tracking details as soon as your plants are shipped. Unpack your plants as quickly as possible after they are delivered. We use two types of boxes, side-sealing and top-sealing. For boxes that are taped along the whole length you can cut the tape on either side and remove the plant bundles by cutting the tape holding the bundle to the bottom. For boxes that are sealed on the top and bottom, it is easiet to open the bottom of the box (the shipping label is at the top) and pull the bundle of plants out straight out. Check that the box is empty as there can be a second bundle of plants stuck towards the top.

A bundle of trees.

When you are ready to plant, remove the trees from the plastic and soak the roots in a bucket of water for 30 seconds. Do not expose the roots to direct sunlight and do not allow them to dry out. When planting large quantities of plants we keep the plants in a black garbage bag to keep all sun and air flow away from the roots and pull each plant as soon as the planting hole is ready. Water the soil well right after planting.

What if I am not able to plant right away?

You can usually leave the plants in their shipping container unopened for 1-2 days if there were no shipping delays and you have received your plants from late November through February. Plants shipped when it is warmer can't stay in their packages for as long.

Size Availability