Japanese painted fern

Athyrium niponicum var. pictum

Japanese deciduous fern with finely divided fronds in striking silver-grey, burgundy, and green tones — one of the most ornamentally coloured ferns in cultivation. Perennial Plant of the Year (USA) 2004.

Hardiness ratings

Japanese painted fern hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 4–8 −34.4 °C to −6.7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H6 −20 °C to −15 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 5–8 −23 °C to −1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–5 −15 °C to 10 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Plant in dappled to deep shade in moist humus-rich soil — silver-and-burgundy fronds light up dark corners
  • Slow to establish but extremely long lived once settled
  • Deciduous — dies back to ground each winter, cut spent fronds in spring as new growth begins
  • Cultivar ‘Pictum’ is the classic silver-burgundy form, ‘Burgundy Lace’ is more strongly red-tinted

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Japanese painted fern against your zones

Reference

Japanese painted fern on Wikipedia