Why you’ll love it:
Pellaea rotundifolia, a highly distinctive evergreen Button Fern.
- Long, trailing tassels carry rows of cute, glossy, button-shaped leaflets along dark, wiry stems.
- Gracefully cascading fronds extend up to 30cm long, creating an elegant, low-spreading mound.
- Remarkably versatile habit allows it to settle happily into rocky crevices, shallow pots, or loamy soil.
The Button Fern In Your Garden
Choose a refined, cute, cascading alternative to the usual upright woodland fern varieties for compact spaces. This award-winning evergreen choice brings a clean, modern geometric structure right down to ground level. The dark green, highly polished round leaves catch the light beautifully, softening hard stone edges or spilling neatly over containers.
This elegant southern hemisphere native grows to a tidy 30cm tall by 30cm wide over 2 to 5 years. While historically prized as a choice indoor houseplant, it is tough enough to thrive outdoors year-round in mild southern and coastal UK gardens. Position it near a sheltered seating area where its detailed texture can be fully appreciated up close.
Its dense, spilling habit serves as an excellent soft-textured contrast for contemporary courtyard styles. Use its crisp, circular shapes to provide a stark structural contrast against hard landscaping or rockery. Provided it receives reliable moisture at the roots, it adapts effortlessly to positions ranging from full sun to dappled forest shade.
Did you know?
The species name rotundifolia literally translates from Latin as “round-leaved.” This perfectly describes the immaculate, coin-like symmetry of the individual leaflets.
In its native New Zealand, this tough survivor is commonly found growing wild on dry, stony forested hillsides. It thrives in sparse, rocky pockets where more delicate ferns would instantly wither.
Growing Tips for Your Button Fern
- Soil and Sun: Grow in any light, well-drained loamy soil or rocky crevice. It handles dappled shade or full sun if kept moist.
- Planting: Position in pots or borders at any time of year. Always drench the root ball before planting.
- Watering: Maintain regular moisture while establishing. Avoid waterlogged, heavy soils during cold winter months.
- Pruning: Simply snip away any tired or discoloured fronds in spring to keep the tumbling mound looking pristine.
The Button Fern was first documented during the late 18th century on one of Captain James Cook’s Pacific voyages. Its availability today is no doubt due to the Victorian pteridomania (fern craze), when it was much sought after. Offering a unique, reliably evergreen, delicate, soft texture compared to most ferns, it makes a distinctive addition to any garden.
