Like most garden ferns, Dryopteris plants prefer light shade in a woodland garden and compost rich, evenly moist soil. Dryopteris species are colorful ferns and provide hints and flashes of many colors.
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Dryopteris affinis ssp. affinis
Item #: 3724
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: England
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris affinis 'The King'
Item #: 2257
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris x australis
Item #: 3546
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 50" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $25.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Dryopteris cambrensis
Item #: 2108
Zones: 5a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris championii
Item #: 2966
Zones: 5a to 8b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris commixta
Item #: 3651
Zones: 6a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris decipiens
Item #: 4851
Zones: 6a to 8b, guessing
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance'
Item #: 5293
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris goldieana
Item #: 1625
Zones: 3a to 7b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris kinkiensis 'Green Hans'
Item #: 7602
Zones: 7a to 9b, guessing
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Korea
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Dryopteris koidzumiana
Item #: 5221
Zones: 6a to 10b, guessing
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris ludoviciana
Item #: 611
Zones: 6a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris marginalis
Item #: 2132
Zones: 3a to 8b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris nipponensis
Item #: 5152
Zones: 6a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan, Korea
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris pseudofilix-mas
Item #: 3879
Zones: 5a to 8b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Mexico
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris sieboldii
Item #: 1836
Zones: 6a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Dryopteris uniformis 'Cristata'
Item #: 3516
Zones: 5a to 8b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Korea
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per
More Information About Dryopteris
Dryopteris is a fern genus of 225 species from around the world that give us the majority of our great garden ferns. We strongly recommend planting dryopteris (male fern) near athyriums (lady ferns)...even pteridophytes need a conjugal visit every now and then! Dryopteris go by a myriad of common names including Autumn fern, Male fern, Log Fern, Wood Fern, Shield fern and others.
Like most garden ferns, Dryopteris plants prefer light shade in a woodland garden and compost rich, evenly moist soil. Dryopteris species come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from a petite 18" up to a grand 50".
Most gardeners assume that ferns come in only one color but Dryopteris species are colorful ferns and provide hints and flashes of many colors. The new growth on some Dryopteris species may be copper or cinnamon (Autumn fern), and one species, Dryopteris pycnopteroides, has black midribs.
These garden ferns are deer-resistant, and many are drought-tolerant too. When you are ready to buy autumn fern or any other dryopteris for your perennial shade garden, we hope you will check out our online list of autumn ferns and other dryopteris ferns for sale.
Check out our blog postings about Autumn Fern.