Shade plantings fill in more slowly than sunny ones, so the gap between planting and coverage is longer at any given spacing. Plan for that rather than compensating with tighter planting, which trades a slow start for a crowded and more disease-prone bed later.
Plant library · Spacing charts
Fern and shade plant spacing chart
Center-to-center spacing for 15 ferns and shade-tolerant plants, with mature spread, hardiness zones, and light needs — spacing for shade borders and woodland plantings.
Spacing across this chart runs from 9 inches (23 cm) to 3 ft (90 cm). Click any column heading to sort.
| Plant | Spacing | Mature size | USDA zones | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Autumn FernDryopteris erythrosora
|
18 inches45 cm | 2 ft tall, 2 ft wide | 5–9 | Partial Shade |
BloodrootSanguinaria canadensis
|
9 inches23 cm | 0.75 ft tall, 0.75 ft wide | 3–8 | Partial Shade |
CaladiumCaladium bicolor
|
12 inches30 cm | 1.5 ft tall, 1.5 ft wide | 9–11 | Partial Shade |
Christmas FernPolystichum acrostichoides
|
18 inches45 cm | 1.5 ft tall, 1.5 ft wide | 3–9 | Partial Shade |
Cinnamon FernOsmundastrum cinnamomeum
|
2.5 ft75 cm | 3 ft tall, 3 ft wide | 3–9 | Partial Shade |
Great White TrilliumTrillium grandiflorum
|
12 inches30 cm | 1.25 ft tall, 1 ft wide | 4–8 | Full Shade |
Japanese Holly FernCyrtomium falcatum
|
2 ft60 cm | 2 ft tall, 2 ft wide | 6–10 | Full Shade |
Japanese Painted FernAthyrium niponicum
|
18 inches45 cm | 1.5 ft tall, 1.5 ft wide | 3–8 | Full Shade |
Lady FernAthyrium filix-femina
|
2 ft60 cm | 3 ft tall, 2.5 ft wide | 3–8 | Partial Shade |
Maidenhair FernAdiantum pedatum
|
18 inches45 cm | 1.5 ft tall, 1.5 ft wide | 3–8 | Full Shade |
MayapplePodophyllum peltatum
|
12 inches30 cm | 1.5 ft tall, 1 ft wide | 3–8 | Full Shade |
Ostrich FernMatteuccia struthiopteris
|
3 ft90 cm | 4 ft tall, 3 ft wide | 3–8 | Partial Shade |
Royal FernOsmunda regalis
|
3 ft90 cm | 4 ft tall, 3 ft wide | 3–9 | Partial Shade |
Sensitive FernOnoclea sensibilis
|
2 ft60 cm | 2 ft tall, 2 ft wide | 3–9 | Partial Shade |
Toad LilyTricyrtis hirta
|
18 inches45 cm | 2.5 ft tall, 1.5 ft wide | 4–8 | Partial Shade |
Spacing is center to center — measure between planting holes, not between the edges of the plants. Mature size and hardiness ranges are catalog values and shift with cultivar and local conditions.
How to use this chart
Ferns divide into clump-forming crowns and rhizome-running types, and they behave completely differently in a border. A clumping fern stays at the spread listed here; ostrich fern and other runners will colonise everything in reach and are spaced by how much ground you are prepared to hand over.
Dry shade is the real constraint under mature trees, not light. Plants competing with established tree roots for water stay well below the mature spread listed here, so a planting under a large canopy can go tighter than the chart while an open shade border should not.