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P09. Polystichum polyblepharum
Japanese tassel fern
Hardiness: USDA Zones 6–9
Full–partial shade
Moist soil
2–3 feet tall
If plants could be movie stars, Polystichum polyblepharum would be the eternally attractive character actor who always delivers a brilliant performance. In a shade garden, the Japanese tassel fern presents its glossy dark green, bipinnate fronds in a modest 2-foot-wide clump, and its new growth each year comes fringed with fetching golden hairs. Young fiddleheads bend backward, resembling regal tassels. No diva, this elegant, semievergreen fern maintains its foliage into winter and merely requires moist soil and partial shade.