Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Erosion control, Foundation, Ground cover, Massing, Rock garden, Woodland garden. Easily grown in most light soils[187]. Prefers a soil of leaf mould and a cool but not too moist clay[1]. Prefers a cool damp shady position[1]. Thrives in dry shade[28, 188]. Established plants are drought tolerant[208]. They grow well on drystone walls[200]. Plants often grow as epiphytes[28, 31]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233]. A rather variable plant, it is considered to be an aggregate species of several very similar species[187]. Only the roots should be planted, the rhizome being fixed to the surface of the soil[1, 187]. Special Features: Attractive foliage, Not North American native, There are no flowers or blooms. Polypodium virginianum (Polypodium vulgare subsp. virginianum (L.) Hultén is a synonym of Polypodium virginianum L.) commonly know as rock cap fern, or common polypody tolerates hardiness zones down to 3. It prefers acidic soil. It is a small evergreen species of fern native to the Eastern United States and Canada. It generally grows on rocks and occasionally on tree roots in nature. A small rhizomatous fern with narrow leaves 8–40 centimetres (3.1–15.7 in) long and 3–6 centimetres (1.2–2.4 in) wide. Polypodium virginianum typically grows on boulders, cliffs, and rocky slopes and does not need well-developed soil. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 9 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread [1-2]. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length [1-2].