'Lady in Red' Lady Fern (Athyrium)
Perennial
- Beautiful burgundy stems contrast green fronds!
- Deer & rabbit-resistant, overall easy to grow.
- Thrives in challenging soil sites, including wet soils.
- Zones 3-8, part sun to shade, 30-36” tall x 24” wide at maturity.
ZONE
EXPOSURE
HEIGHT
Description
While Lady fern may look high-maintenance, it's incredibly easy to grow in moist and well-draining soils. It's deer, rabbit, and disease-resistant, which means the fronds maintain their appeal all season long. It naturalizes well when grown in optimal conditions (even in clay and wet soils), making it an excellent choice for nearly every gardener.
Details
Common name: Lady fern
Zone: 3-8
Sun exposure: Part sun (4-6 hrs sun/day) to shade (<4 hrs sun/day).
Height x width: 30-36” tall x 24”
Flower color: Green
Foliage color: Green
Season of Interest: Spring-fall
Features: Rain gardens, rabbit & deer resistant, native, heat tolerant, ground covers, cold tolerant, wet soils, container friendly
Uses: Accents, border, container, ground cover, small spaces, specimen, underplanting, waterside
How to Grow
Light: Part-sun (4-6 hours sun) to shade (< 4 hours sun). Some sun is needed to draw out the coloring.
Water: Tolerates more soil dryness than some other ferns, but the soil must not be allowed to dry out.
Spacing: Min 2 ft apart
Fertilizing: Annual application of compost. Avoid any inorganic fertilizers, as they may burn the roots.
Winterizing: Leaves can be trimmed to the ground in spring.
Maintenance & pruning: Very low maintenance. Leave old fronds on the plant until new fronds are 6 inches tall in spring. Plants can be propagated by division in spring every few years as desired.
Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live in a cold climate and/or want plants to fill in more quickly, plan to space at the shorter end of the range. If you live in a warm climate, are on a limited budget, or are willing to wait longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as "maximum spacing": if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
Not sure just how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator gives you the exact amount of plants required for your space. Simply update the values and the calculator will re-calculate accordingly. Spacing information can be found in the 'How to Grow' tab on each plant's page.