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in Garden· Spring· Tips and Tutorials

Cutting Back Outdoor Evergreen Ferns for the Season

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Are your ferns looking old and tired? I’ll show you how easy it is to cut back your ferns for a fresh new look and an even healthier plant.

Ferns are a very common outdoor plant here in the Pacific Northwest

Ferns are a very common outdoor plant here in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). They can be found in the shade where they thrive.

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I’m a self-taught hobby gardener, not a Master Gardener. Everything I share with you on my blog is my personal opinion and things that worked for me along the way.

Ferns have fronds, rather than leaves, which last for only a year or so.

Ferns have fronds, rather than leaves, which last for only a year or so. The older fronds start to die back and turn brown while the new ones grow in. Cutting off the old growth will refresh the plant and leave you with only beautiful new fronds.

Outdoor evergreen ferns should be cut down every year, using sharp pruners

Cutting Back Your Outdoor Fern

Outdoor evergreen ferns should be cut down every year. Using sharp pruners, cut the fern fronds down to the ground. Late winter or early spring is the best timing, before the new fronds start to emerge. I usually cut them down sometime in March.

Make every effort not to damage any new fronds when pruning the plant.

Make every effort not to damage any new fronds when pruning the plant. Once the new fronds start growing in, it will be even harder to cut the old growth out of the plant

evergreen fern fronds growing in
Once all of the fronds are cut down, small "curled fist" or "knuckles" start forming at the base of the plant.

Once all of the fronds are cut down, small “curled fist” or “knuckles” start forming at the base of the plant. Each of those fists will unfurl delicate fronds, forming a fresh new plant.

There is only one drawback to cutting the ferns down to the ground every year. The plant will look pretty ugly for a couple of weeks to a month, depending on when you cut it. But trust me. It will be worth it in the long run!

Cut back any fronds with pest infestation or disease to the base of the plant throughout the year. If the entire plant is unhealthy, cut it back to the ground so the disease does not spread.

By cutting your outdoor evergreen ferns to the ground each year, the fronds should look green and healthy all the way through the winter months.

I hope these tips on cutting back your outdoor evergreen ferns have helped. Please leave a comment if you have any questions.

Until next time,

Happy Gardening!


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Comments

  1. Suzanne says

    02/22/2022 at 5:24 am

    I love your posts. Very informative. I have a problem, though, understanding why when I have a subscription, as soon as I open a post and start reading, the entire screen is covered by a request to sign up for your posts! Then immediately an Ad will appear which blocks about a third of the screen, and I have to wait for a countdown before I can get rid of it. Very, very annoying. Anything you can do?

    Reply
    • Kim says

      02/22/2022 at 11:43 am

      I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you letting me know about this. I have to work with both the ad agency and my email subscription company to find a solution. This would totally annoy me as well. I will try to see what I can do to make this a more enjoyable experience.

      Reply
  2. Rachel Harper says

    04/17/2021 at 10:04 am

    Kim,
    Perfect timing! I needed this advise.

    Reply
  3. Lorrie Bredal says

    04/17/2021 at 8:15 am

    I do prune mine every year or at least every other year. I did want to mention that we have a lot of deer here and they love the fiddle heads, new growth, so I spray with deer spray while they are growing. Once they reach maturity they aren’t interested.

    Reply
  4. stacy says

    04/17/2021 at 3:20 am

    Great tips! My ferns are just starting to grow. Yours look so good already! xo

    Reply

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  1. Bricks 'n Blooms Weekly 24 - Stacy Ling says:
    04/28/2022 at 9:10 am

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Hi! I'm Kim. Welcome to my home & garden blog, Shiplap and Shells. We live in a small 1920 beach cottage in the Pacific Northwest and have spent the last 10 years renovating, reinventing, and adding character to our forever home. Read More…

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