Painted Ferns — The Silver Lining of the Shade

by Mark Dwyer

While every cloud has a silver lining, I feel that every garden with any degree of shade should feature the silver contributions of painted ferns (Athyrium sp.). Long offered and available in the industry, the multitude of selections is hearting although I don’t think their potential in the shade garden has been fully explored.

When you consider the contribution of foliage texture and color in the shade, adding hints of silver offers an “illumination” and brightness that provides an extended show of interest. While other perennials such as false-forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla) and lungwort (Pulmonaria) have silver-foliage varieties, painted ferns offer the combination of “textural brightness” as solitary specimens or in a collective massing. They can become role players or main characters. I’m not convinced ferns, in general, have seen their heyday in our landscapes yet but the painted ferns have the potential to change all of that.

In 2003, the Perennial Plant Association (PPA) selected the Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum) as the Perennial Plant of the Year. Twenty years later, these textural ferns, featuring a silvery overlay and exhibiting hints of dark maroon on the midribs continue to attract attention. Most painted ferns are in the 15”-18” range in height and prefer some degree of shade and consistent moisture.

Many varietal introductions have emerged with both valid and exaggerated promotions for slightly different intensities of silver or maroon. Admittedly, many of the varietal selections look similar but I’ve noted some standouts further below in the article. Selections with crested fronds (the leaf tips – pinnae – fan out) are exciting and the hybrids between the Japanese painted fern and lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) are some personal favorites. These hybrids offer the silvering of the painted fern parent but also the increased height (24-36”), hardiness and vigor of the lady fern parent.

I’ve grown and observed over 30 different varieties of painted ferns and their hybrids and have developed favorites after years of observation. Do keep in mind that the peak coloration of many painted ferns may not occur for a couple of years and there is a transition of color for all of these selections from spring emergence until early summer. The varieties with the most significant silvering include ‘Silver Falls’ and ‘Wildwood Twist’. Selections that exhibit notable more maroon on the fronds include ‘Pewter Lace’, ‘Burgundy Lace’ and ‘Red Beauty’. The selection ‘Applecourt’ came out as the first “crested” selection and ‘Crested Surf’ is an exciting new selection of crested painted fern with more height (22”). Exciting selections of the painted/lady fern hybrids include the ‘Ghost’ (love it!), ‘Godzilla’ and the old favorites of ‘Branford Beauty’ and ‘Branford Rambler’. The variety ‘Ocean’s Fury’ is a crested form with the similar parentage.

There are many other selections and hybrids of painted fern available and I haven’t met one that I didn’t like. While the differences in appearance might be subtle, the value of these ferns as textural and colorful juggernauts in the shadier garden should be recognized, appreciated and utilized more often.