Dryopteris is a genus of 225 species worldwide that give us the majority of our great garden ferns. We strongly recommend planting dryopteris (male ferns) near athyriums (lady ferns)...even pteridophytes need a conjugal visit every now and then!
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Like most 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 (guess which one) but Dryopteris species provide hints and flashes of other colors. New growth on Dryopteris can be copper or cinnamon, and one species, Dryopteris pycnopteroides, has black midribs. These 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 fern and other dryopteris ferns for sale below.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
This is a very rare native, a naturally-occurring hybrid between Dryopteris celsa and Dryopteris ludoviciana. The growth habit is dramatically upright with large, coarse, dark green, semi-evergreen fronds...reminiscent of a giant Christmas fern plugged into an electrical outlet! This is a very structural, deer-resistant fern for the moist woodland garden, eventually making a clump 4'+ tall x 2' wide. Although it is very tolerant of dry sites, a nice damp piece of ground will really produce spectacular results. Due to the fact that this fern is practically sterile, propagation is limited to division of the clump. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This very rare but extremely easy-to-grow deer-resistant native is a naturally-occurring hybrid between Dryopteris ludoviciana and Dryopteris goldiana. The growth habit is an upright but rotund form with large, coarse, dark green, 1' wide semi-evergreen fronds. Think of this as a "bubba" fern for the moist woodland garden, eventually making a clump 3' tall x 2' wide. Although it is very tolerant of dry sites, a nice damp piece of ground will produce really spectacular results. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This selected form of autumn fern has brighter red new growth than what is typically seen with spore-grown plants. Frankly, all autumn ferns have great color when the new fronds emerge from the evergreen clump, so this is really something special. Autumn fern is a very easy-to-grow, deer-resistant fern making a 2' wide clump that is tolerant of a wide range of garden conditions, including extreme drought, once established. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This unique fern is a lacy leaf form of the easy-to-grow and popular autumn fern. Each 1' tall drought-tolerant evergreen clump boasts lacily-cut, dark green foliage that emerges cinnamon-red throughout the growing season. In humid climates, the fronds will produce new plantlets along the edges of the leaves...very cool! You'll love the texture as you weave these into the woodland garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This Asian native makes an attractive, easy-to-grow, 18" tall x 30" wide evergreen clump. The airy-textured, 2' long, deep green fronds of Dryopteris formosana widen considerably at the base where the last set of pinnules turns downward...quite unique. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This little-known and little-grown evergreen Chinese native has proven to be a very good and tough addition to the woodland garden. Our 9-year-old clumps of Dryopteris indusiata are now 18" tall x 30" wide with very sturdy, dark green fronds. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(aka: Dryopteris indusiata) I've grown Dryopteris labordei under its old name, Dryopteris indusiata, for years, but I've never seen a form like this from Australia's fern guru, Chris Goudey, hence the cultivar name. You'll often see a trademark after this cultivar name but disregard it since it is not legal to trademark a product, only the origin (brand) of the product. The arching leaves emerge a stunning gold (brighter with age) on this 18" tall x 2' wide evergreen relative of autumn fern. Because Dryopteris labordei is apogamous (the fern version of monogamous self-fulfilment), all the sporelings are identical...very easy to grow in moist or fairly dry soils. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Since we first planted Dryopteris pycnopteroides in 2000, this easy-to-grow, evergreen Asian clumper has become one of our all-time favorite ferns. Unfortunately, it's now in the middle of a taxonomic tug-of-war, since some fern experts think it is actually Dryopteris kuratae and we think they are probably correct. We are waiting on final confirmation before changing the tags. The shiny, erect, dark green fronds reach 2' in length, highlighted at the base by black "fur". Our 10-year-old clumps are 18" tall x 2' wide. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This rare NC native (and just over the border in Virginia) is a naturally-occurring hybrid between Dryopteris celsa and Dryopteris intermedia. In the garden, it forms a robust, deer-resistant, 30" tall x 30" wide evergreen clump of wide, rich medium green, glossy, strongly-upright leaves. In late winter the leaves, like a good drunk, soon lose their verticality. In the wild, Dryopteris x separabilis grows well above but still near swampy habitats. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
The Tokyo wood fern is one of those little-known but very easy-to-grow deciduous woodland ferns, native to woodlands from Honshu to Shikoku and across to Korea. The tight deer-resistant clump of upright, narrow, 2' long fronds provides a nice vertical accent in the woodland garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: D. cystolepidota) This cousin of the popular autumn fern makes a 2' tall x 3' wide evergreen clump with foliage that is shorter but broader than Dryopteris erythrosora. The unique foliage texture makes this a favorite of garden visitors, who have bugged us to propagate it for years...enough, already! The new growth in spring is tinted red for a wonderful contrast. Dryopteris nipponensis is easy to grow in typical woodland garden conditions...moist or dry. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Dryopteris marginalis is a superb easy-to-grow, but overlooked, native that should be in every woodland garden. From Maine west to Oklahoma and south to Georgia, Dryopteris marginalis can be found on rocky woodland slopes. Dryopteris marginalis typically makes an 18" tall x 2' wide, evergreen, deer-resistant, vase-shaped clump. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This stately, semi-evergreen clumping fern, native to the southeastern US, makes a wonderful addition to the woodland garden. The shiny but leathery 3' tall fronds form a striking upright architectural specimen in the garden. Despite being native to swamps, Dryopteris ludoviciana has performed admirably for us in normal garden conditions. According to fern guru, Dr. John Mickel, southern shield fern also occasionally occurs naturally on limestone outcrops, indicating a good tolerance for sweet soils. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
The Asian Dryopteris sieboldii is one of the most unique hardy garden ferns that we've grown, with thick cardboard-like leaves that resemble giant hands. The 2' wide tropical-looking, deer-resistant, bold-textured, drought-tolerant, easy-to-grow, adjective-laden clumps remain evergreen down to 5 degrees F. Everyone will ask...is that really hardy? Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We have been unable to determine the proper immigration status of Dryopteris munchii, but since it has now had babies in the US, this native of 6,500'-8,500' in southern Mexico is in our garden to stay. The arching 2' fronds make a superb 3' wide evergreen specimen clump in the woodland garden. While we grow over 1,000 different ferns, Dryopteris munchii has certainly become one of our favorites. Despite its common name, Dryopteris munchii is still deer-resistant. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
.jpg "Epimedium wushanense (Wushan Fairy Wings)")
.jpg "Dryopteris sieboldii (Siebold's Wood Fern)")
