Athyrium niponicum var. pictum Japanese Painted Fern
Family: Athyriaceae | Origin: East Asia
In Israel, we are used to treating ferns as tropical plants that love moisture and heat, and indeed most ferns come from areas with tropical climates around the world. In contrast, many species of other ferns are common in the cool temperate climates of North America, Europe, and Asia. They love moisture, but also survive very cold winters.
In Israel, we are used to treating ferns as tropical plants that love moisture and heat, and indeed most ferns come from areas with tropical climates around the world. In contrast, many species of other ferns are common in the cool temperate climates of North America, Europe, and Asia. They love moisture, but also survive very cold winters.
One such fern, which does well in Israel but prefers the mountain area, is the Japanese Painted Fern.
This is a plant with full Dormancy: the leaves dry out at the beginning of winter and new reddish leaves emerge from the ground at the beginning of March, curl and open slowly into 20-30 cm long feathers that may be the most beautiful that exist in the plant world.
Each feathery leaf has a purple-pink midrib from which emerge feathery lateral leaflets with a dark midrib, the base of which is gray and the rest is silver-white. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Each feathery leaf has a purple-pink midrib from which emerge feathery lateral leaflets with a dark midrib, the base of which is gray and the rest is silver-white. A picture is worth a thousand words.
The pink-silvery-white appearance is most spectacular in the spring and fades a little in the summer, but in the cooler night areas it remains beautiful right through to autumn, at the end of which the leaves begin to dry.
Athyrium niponicum var. pictum prefers to grow in full or almost full shade in rich soil without root competition or in containers with regular potting soil.
As all ferns, it likes regular watering, but does not require particularly high air humidity.
It is best when planted in a wide pot, as it spreads by underground stolons and expands rapidly over the years. You can also combine in the same container some winter bulbs that will come up while the fern is dormant and disappear when it is at its peak in spring and summer.
Don’t miss it!
