Groundcover · Athyriaceae Draft — unreviewed
Japanese painted fern
Athyrium niponicum‘Pictum’ (Mett.) Hance
Deciduous fern with silver fronds brushed with burgundy along the midribs, brightening dark corners.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 0.3–0.5 m (1 ft) tall and 0.5–0.6 m (1–2 ft) wide; medium growth, about 3 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the plug install size.
Design notes
- Colour is best in light shade; dull in deep shade, scorched in sun.
- Keep soil evenly moist.
Regions
Native range: Japan, China and Korea (species).
Not recorded as native to any of the three pilot regions.
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Canadian wild ginger
Asarum canadense · Groundcover · 0.1–0.2 m (0–1 ft)
Pennsylvania sedge
Carex pensylvanica · Groundcover · 0.2–0.3 m (0–1 ft)
Trailing indigo bush
Dalea greggii · Groundcover · 0.3–0.6 m (1–2 ft)
Hardy ice plant
Delosperma cooperi · Groundcover · 0.1–0.1 m (0 ft)
Blue Rug creeping juniper
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' · Groundcover · 0.1–0.2 m (0 ft)
Trailing lantana
Lantana montevidensis · Groundcover · 0.3–0.6 m (1–2 ft)
Plan with Japanese painted fern
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.