In the centre of the shuttlecock tight plumes of cinnamon brown spore-bearing fronds emerge and almost seem like flowers. Making tight clumps of upright shuttlecocks created by a ring of fresh green fronds, in spring the plant is transformed. Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) is a lovely thing. The cinnamon fern, Osmunda cinnamomea, (syn. Invaluable on pond margins, I’ve noticed that the network of rhizomes helps bind marginal soils. Colonising quickly in wet conditions, sun or shade, the egg-shaped fronds of Onoclea sensibilis are often tinted pink as they emerge before maturing to a slightly bluish green. H4.Ĭalled the sensitive fern, not because its fronds move when you touch them, but because the very first autumn frost kills off the leaves. In summer, much reduced green fronds develop vertically from each crown and soon turn black as the spores develop. The result is a spreading, increasingly dense colony that is not suitable for a small garden but magnificent in a large one. Individual crowns develop tall, fresh green, parallel sided fronds in an imposing shuttlecock shape and send out leafless runners to produce new crowns, sometimes 30-45cm away. The shuttlecock fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris, is an impressive plant. Each frond is prettily divided two or three times into opposite pairs of leaflets and the spring colour of ‘Brilliance’ is especially bright. The common name for Dryopteris erythrosora is the autumn fern – perversely, because although the evergreen fronds are the colour of autumn foliage they develop their pink or red colouring as they emerge in spring then mature to dark glossy green. Tough and easy in moist and well-drained and shady sites, sometimes growing on cool walls, but dislikes lime. The fronds that carry the spores are stiffly vertical and fade to brown as the spores develop. One of those intriguing ferns with two completely different kinds of growth, the evergreen fronds of the British native hard fern, Blechnum spicant, are long and slender and divided into opposite pairs of tough little dark green leaflets. Ideal in moist but well-drained soil at the foot of a north wall. Each wiry black stem of Adiantum aleuticumis topped by a swirl of fronds, each lined with pairs of small leaflets, and arching like a frilly umbrella. The maidenhair fern is a favourite and familiar house plant – this is the tough-as-nails outdoor version, and it features unique and distinctive fronds. Numbers at the end of each entry refer to the plant's height and hardiness rating. These RHS Award of Garden Merit-winning ferns cover a good range of sites and situations. Generally ferns enjoy a shady spot with soil that's not too dry. While some ferns certainly demand special conditions, there’s a good range of different species that are hardy, easy to grow and bring their unique delicacy and charm to many different garden situations.

Malvern Autumn Show - 27-29 September 2024Īlthough most of us know that the bracken that covers our hillsides is a fern, and is obviously an exceptionally robust and resilient plant, many gardeners think ferns are fussy.īut no.

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park - 17-21 July 2024.

RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival - 2–7 July 2024.RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show - 14 June – 7 July 2024.Reddish frond color often returns in autumn after first fall frost. 'Brilliance' is noted for its particularly attractive spring frond color which, in comparison to species plants, is brighter red and lasts longer into the spring. Specific epithet comes from the Greek words erythros meaning red and sora meaning sori in reference to its red sori. Genus name from Greek dryas meaning oak and pteris meaning fern in reference to the presence of some species of wood ferns in woodland areas populated with oaks.

Young sori are covered by bright red indusia. Triangular, bi-pinnate fronds grow to as much as 2' long. New fronds unfurl in striking shades of orange-red to copper-pink before eventually maturing to glossy deep green by summer. It is native to woodland hillsides and mountain slopes in Japan, China and Taiwan. Dryopteris erythrosora, commonly called Japanese shield fern or autumn fern, is an arching, evergreen (semi-evergreen in cold winter climates) fern that grows in a vase-shaped clump to 2' tall and as wide.

Dryopteris golden brilliance