- Botanical name: Onychium japonicum
- Common name: Carrot fern
- Family: Pteridaceae
- Plant Type: Perennial, Deciduous
Green
- Key features:
- Dramatic foliage
Carrot fern, Onychium japonicum, is an attractive, clump-forming fern with wiry black stems bearing arching dark green, feathery fronds that resemble carrot foliage. It’s perfect for using as tall ground cover in semi shade, and looks great alongside other ferns. It provides the perfect foil for flowering plants, both in the border and the vase.
Not fully hardy, Onychium japonicum is best grown in moist but well-drained soil that doesn’t become too wet in winter. In colder and wetter regions, mulch around the base of the plant in autumn or pot it up and bring indoors until spring.
How to grow Onychium japonicum
-
Plant size
45cm height
45cm spread
-
Aspect
East facing, west facing
-
Position in border
Middle
- Sun exposure: Dappled shade, partial shade
- Shade type: Dry
- Hardiness: Half hardy
- Soil type: Well drained / light / sandy
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | ||||||||||||
| Plant |
J
Do not Plant in January |
F
Do not Plant in February |
M
Do not Plant in March |
A
Do not Plant in April |
M
Do Plant in May |
J
Do Plant in June |
J
Do not Plant in July |
A
Do not Plant in August |
S
Do not Plant in September |
O
Do not Plant in October |
N
Do not Plant in November |
D
Do not Plant in December |
| Divide | ||||||||||||
| Divide |
J
Do not Divide in January |
F
Do not Divide in February |
M
Do Divide in March |
A
Do Divide in April |
M
Do Divide in May |
J
Do not Divide in June |
J
Do not Divide in July |
A
Do not Divide in August |
S
Do not Divide in September |
O
Do not Divide in October |
N
Do not Divide in November |
D
Do not Divide in December |
| Prune | ||||||||||||
| Prune |
J
Do not Prune in January |
F
Do not Prune in February |
M
Do not Prune in March |
A
Do not Prune in April |
M
Do not Prune in May |
J
Do not Prune in June |
J
Do not Prune in July |
A
Do not Prune in August |
S
Do Prune in September |
O
Do Prune in October |
N
Do not Prune in November |
D
Do not Prune in December |
Onychium japonicum and wildlife
Onychium japonicum has no particular known value to wildlife in the UK.
Is Onychium japonicum poisonous?
Onychium japonicum has no toxic effects reported.
No reported toxicity to Birds
No reported toxicity to Cats
No reported toxicity to Dogs
No reported toxicity to Horses
No reported toxicity to Livestock
No reported toxicity to People
Plants that go well with Onychium japonicum
