Athyrium ‘Silver Falls’

Color Actually BRIGHTENS as the Season Progresses.

No other Painted Fern improves with each passing week.

This glorious Fern grows in beauty with each passing week, making a stunning impression in the shady garden from spring through frost! A Painted Fern like no other I’ve ever seen, Silver Falls fills the garden with gracefully arching, wonderfully colorful fronds.

Just 18 inches high and wide at maturity, this Hardy Fern sports a pinkish-red midrib and contrasting reddish-purple veins on every silver frond. Many times this kind of bright color is only found in spring and early summer — as the weather heats up, some Ferns will “green out.” Not only does Silver Falls NEVER green out, it actually “colors up” with brighter silver and more intense red tones as the seasons progress.

Named for a waterfall in Oregon, this Fern shimmies in the breeze, its cascading fronds reminiscent of rippling water. Tolerant of full shade but better in a bit of sunshine, it is very long-lived and adaptable to many different areas of the country. Once established in your garden, it is very heat-, humidity-, and cold-tolerant, but it is NOT a drought-friendly plant, so be sure it gets enough water during long dry spells. It also appreciates a good mix of organics in its soil to show off its best colors and form.

Space plants about a foot apart in well-drained soil. Quite vigorous, it will reach full size within 2 or 3 years, making a fine companion to blue Hostas.

Our one-year-old plants are clonally propagated, so you know you’re getting the true Silver Falls.

Zones 4-8.