The Japanese painted fern is a herbaceous perennial in the Spleenwort family (Aspleniaceae). Its origin is East Asia, where it grows in rich woodlands. This plant prefers partial to full shade and moist, rich soil, with high organic content. When grown in light shade, the Japanese painted fern has its best color. Excess sunlight washes out the color. The best cultivars have striking silver, green, purple, or red fronds. It grows about 2 feet high by 2 feet wide and adds growth slowly over time. Plants spread by compact, creeping and branching rhizomes, eventually forming a clump. This easy-to-grow fern produces new fronds late in the spring and is not aggressive. It is a great addition as a front border plant in a shaded area, in a woodland area, near water, or in a shade or rock garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. VIDEO Created by NC State Extension's Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington , Director of JC Raulston Arboretum .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
This plant has up to 20" tricolored fronds of maroon, medium green, and silvery gray that are arching and in a vase-like form. The triangular blade is broadly lance-shaped, bipinnate to pinnate-pinnatifid with toothed or rounded segments. The plant also has green with reddish rachis and pinna bases. This plant produces new fronds throughout the growing season with the first fronds in spring being the most silvery. New fronds may also develop during the summer.
Flower detail
No flowers.
Fruit detail
No fruits. This plant reproduces via spores.
Stem color
Red/Burgundy
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Eastern Asia
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Pond; Rock Wall; Woodland
Landscape theme
Rock Garden; Shade Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#deciduous #ncemgva2018 #easy to grow #dappled sunlight #fern #deer browsing plant #fronds #arching #deer resistant #rabbit resistant #low maintenance #shade garden #summer flowers #creeping #HS302 #partial shade tolerant #heavy shade tolerant #showy leaves #border front #buncombe county sun and shade garden #cpp #HS303 #HS111
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Deer; Heavy Shade; Rabbits
Particularly resistant to
heavy shade; This plant is seldom damaged by deer.