Eared lady fern
Athyrium otophorum · Aspleniaceae
New fronds open pale lime green with wine-red stems and midribs, a striking pairing, and darken to grey-green.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 20 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around eared lady fern
The planner designed this bed around eared lady fern when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why eared lady fern stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Eared lady fern × 3, chartreuse leaves
- 2 Blue star creeper × 8, blue
- 3 Lungwort 'Raspberry Splash' × 5, pink
- 4 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 5, pink
- 5 Japanese meadowsweet × 3, pink
- 6 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 7 Snowdrop × 7, white
- 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 20 in it is the step between lungwort 'Raspberry Splash' (12 in) in front and Japanese meadowsweet (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- A step in the back row. Next to Japanese meadowsweet (3½ ft) and turtlehead 'Hot Lips' (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 9 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Japanese meadowsweet and turtlehead 'Hot Lips' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. For contrast, the bold leaves of Japanese meadowsweet sit beside the fine leaves of blue star creeper.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 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 eared lady fern goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs at the front 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.
A Japanese fern with the colouring of a painted fern in lime and red. It keeps its fronds late into winter in mild areas.
- Lime and red foliage in shade
- Contrast with blue hostas
- Woodland beds
What to plant with eared lady fern
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: happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about eared lady fern
Does eared lady fern need sun or shade?
Eared lady fern 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 wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does eared lady fern 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 eared lady fern 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 20 in (50 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many eared lady fern 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 there a native plant like eared lady fern?
Eared lady fern is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Bulblet fern: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower, fine leaves, not medium.
- Northern maidenhair fern: the same job in a bed and the same size; belongs in the middle, not at the front, fine leaves, not medium.
- Christmas fern: the same job in a bed and the same size; belongs in the middle, not at the front, keeps its leaves in winter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does eared lady fern look like in winter?
Eared lady fern holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Athyrium
- Ghost fern Athyrium 'Ghost'
- Japanese painted fern Athyrium niponicum var. pictum
- Lady fern Athyrium filix-femina
- Lady fern 'Lady in Red' Athyrium filix-femina 'Lady in Red'
- Painted fern 'Godzilla' Athyrium 'Godzilla'
- Victorian lady fern Athyrium filix-femina 'Victoriae'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 20 in (50 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; chartreuse, burgundy
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Aspleniaceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.