Athyrium niponicum 'Regal Red' is a slow-growing deciduous fern with blue, burgundy, green, purple and variegated foliage. Grows well with bright shade - shade and even moisture - regular water. Does well in acidic, average, rich and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something humidity tolerant and verticillium wilt resistant.
GROWING CONDITIONS for Athyrium niponicum 'Regal Red'
USDA Zones: 3a - 9b
Sun exposure: bright shade - shade
Watering frequency: even moisture - regular
Resistant to: deer and rabbit, humidity and verticillium wilt
Soil needs: acidic, average, rich and well-drained
Nursery contributed plant descriptions
The 2004 perennial plant of the year and the most colorful of all the hardy ferns, the Japanese Painted Fern displays fronds with purples, greens, and reds throughout the entire spring, summer, and fall. As the summer progresses the tips start to display tones of light silver and becomes a brighter plant. In the early spring, the new fronds are almost pure red or purple when first emerging and then quickly take on additional color within several days.
The colors provided by this fern are found in almost no other plant group, making 'Regal Red' a very unique addition to any landscape. You will get better color if your plants are exposed to early morning or late afternoon sun but shade during the heat of the day. Japanese Painted Ferns appreciate moist sites that are watered regularly but have well drained soil. These ferns are known to start spreading after the second or third year and will eventually fill in a moderate area - under ideal conditions a single plant can form a colony several feet in diameter in three or four years. You can divide these offset plants in the early spring before the new fronds begin to emerge.
Japanese Painted Fern is a colorful and elegant groundcover that spreads by rhizomes rather than forming a crown. ‘Regal Red’ displays violet red fronds with silver edges. Ferns thrive in neutral to acidic, loose, richly organic soil. Excellent for mass plantings, rock gardens, containers, in woodlands and naturalized landscapes.
A spreading mound of ruffled fronds w/ dark violet interiors & bright silver edges. Plant in light shade for best affect otherwise partial sun to full shade. Size: 12-24 inches. Zones 4 to 9; Deciduous.
A striking selection of Japanese Painted Fern. Dark violet red interior coloring on each frond contrasts with silvery leaf edges. The pinnules twist to give the fronds a "ruffled" look. Easy and more tolerant of drier soils than many ferns. Combines wonderfully with Carex 'Bunny Blue' and 'Blue Zinger''. Grows 18-24".
Fantastic selection of the Japanese Painted Fern with silvery fronds with slightly curved pinnae and interiors vividly marked in purple and burgundy. Taking a page from Neil Young's lyrics that it is better to burn out than fade away, this is ablaze all summer and deciduous in winter.