Autumn fern 'Brilliance'
Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance' · Polypodiaceae
A selection of autumn fern whose new fronds are a brighter orange-red and hold their colour for much longer, with fresh ones appearing through the summer.
- Size
- 22 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around autumn fern 'Brilliance'
The planner designed this bed around autumn fern 'Brilliance' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why autumn fern 'Brilliance' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Autumn fern 'Brilliance' × 3, bronze leaves
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 7, tan
- 3 English primrose × 8, yellow
- 4 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 3, pink
- 5 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 6 Bleeding heart × 1, white
- 7 Checkered lily × 12, purple
- 8 Double snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- In the middle. At 22 in it is the step between moor grass 'Greenlee' (12 in) in front and bleeding heart (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 10 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as a cottage garden: 25 of the 25 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The flowering is at its height from early May, with 3 kinds out together. English primrose and moor grass 'Greenlee' finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 7 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where autumn fern 'Brilliance' goes in a border
At 22 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Orange is rare in shade, and this keeps it for months. Pair it with dark or blue leaves to make the colour sing.
- Orange foliage for shade
- Evergreen groundcover
- Containers
What to plant with autumn fern 'Brilliance'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Halcyon': bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Black mondo grass: low enough (8 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about autumn fern 'Brilliance'
Does autumn fern 'Brilliance' need sun or shade?
Autumn fern 'Brilliance' grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does autumn fern 'Brilliance' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should autumn fern 'Brilliance' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 22 in (55 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many autumn fern 'Brilliance' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is autumn fern 'Brilliance' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like autumn fern 'Brilliance'?
Autumn fern 'Brilliance' comes from China to Temp. Eastern Asia. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Christmas fern: the same job in a bed and the same size; wants average soil.
- Western maidenhair fern: the same job in a bed and the same size; fine leaves, not medium, not evergreen.
- Marginal wood fern: the same job in a bed and the same size; wants average soil.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat autumn fern 'Brilliance'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will autumn fern 'Brilliance' spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by spores, and has begun to naturalise in woodland in parts of the Southeast.
What does autumn fern 'Brilliance' look like in winter?
Autumn fern 'Brilliance' keeps its bronze and dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Dryopteris
- Autumn fern Dryopteris erythrosora
- Champion's wood fern Dryopteris championii
- Dixie wood fern Dryopteris x australis
- Evergreen wood fern Dryopteris intermedia
- Golden-scaled male fern Dryopteris affinis
- Goldie's wood fern Dryopteris goldiana
- Log fern Dryopteris celsa
- Male fern Dryopteris filix-mas
- Marginal wood fern Dryopteris marginalis
- Southern wood fern Dryopteris ludoviciana
- Wallich's wood fern Dryopteris wallichiana
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern
- Size
- 22 in (55 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; bronze, dark green
- Shape
- Arching, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Polypodiaceae
- Comes from
- China to Temp. Eastern Asia
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.