Evergreen ferns? Licorice, Holly, sword ?

Further to my question about ferns a couple of wks ago —
Trim / tidy up deer ferns?

Are there any smaller ferns that keep upright green fronds year round?

i know about sword ferns and I have several that do well —- I am looking for smaller than sword fern and the upright fronds is desired

garden is at the coast, somewhat shady but can be hot and dry in summer … with watering restrictions

@Margot - any suggestions? I looked at Licorice ferns and Holly ferns at the plant store recently (photos)

 

replying to myself — further reading online led me to this interesting club website (out of Federal Way WA … perhaps on the former Weyerhaeuser corporate campus — rhodos too)

@Margot - might interest you too for your natural garden
Hardy Fern Foundation

 

Check out various species of Asplenium and Polypodium, they're all small to medium size, and all evergreen. I'm not sure what species are native in BC though (I'd hesitate to recommend any of my native species, in case they could become invasive in BC).

 

Hello @Georgia Strait -
I think the very best fern for your requirements would be Polystichum imbricans, Narrow-leaved Sword Fern; native along the west coast from BC to California. Not only is it very beautiful, it is very tough. It can handle a lot of sun and not much water although I do water mine when it gets really hot and dry. Although E-Flora BC says the leaves can grow to be 70cm long, they are closer to 30cm in my garden. I have found it to be very slow growing. It comes through the winter unscathed; much tidier than Polystichum munitum. The big challenge would be where to buy it . . . I thought Fraser's Thimble Farms had it but it's not on their current list. Another BC native fern, Polystichum lonchitus, Northern Holly Fern, looks similar.

Other, small evergreen BC native ferns I am familiar with are:

Aspidotis densa Lace Fern
Asplenium trichomanes Maidenhair Spleenwort
Cryptogramma acrostichoides Parsley Fern
Polypodium glycyrrhiza Licorice Fern
Pentagramma triangularis Goldenback Fern
Struthiopteris spicant Deer Fern

All are dwarf evergreens but can look pretty beat-up after winter until they get their new fronds.

This is Polystichum imbricans in my garden today with new fronds just starting to unfurl. It has been growing there since before this area was developed.