Golden-scaled male fern
Dryopteris affinis ·
A large, handsome shuttlecock of leathery fronds whose stems are shaggy with golden-brown scales. The new fronds unfurl a striking yellow-green.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around golden-scaled male fern
The planner designed this bed around golden-scaled male 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 golden-scaled male fern stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Golden-scaled male fern × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Green-and-gold × 16, yellow
- 3 Astilbe 'Sprite' × 8, pink
- 4 Formosa toad lily × 3, purple
- 5 Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' × 3, white
- 6 Hellebore 'Pink Frost' × 3, pink
- 7 Yellow trout lily × 7, yellow
- 8 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
- Anchors a back corner. At 3½ ft it is among the tallest plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Formosa toad lily (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 11 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. The bed is tied together by its repeats: two kinds come round again along it, green-and-gold and astilbe 'Sprite'. Low plants run along 100% of the front edge: green-and-gold and astilbe 'Sprite'.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 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 golden-scaled male fern goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
One of the most architectural ferns, and nearly evergreen. The unfurling golden croziers in spring are a feature in themselves, so keep the area around it low.
- A bold specimen fern
- Structure in a shady bed
- Spring interest as the fronds unfurl
What to plant with golden-scaled male fern
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Sum and Substance': bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Lenten rose: adds the flowers, late March to early May; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Astilbe: adds the flowers, late June to mid July; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about golden-scaled male fern
Does golden-scaled male fern need sun or shade?
Golden-scaled male 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 golden-scaled male fern grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should golden-scaled male fern be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many golden-scaled male fern plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is golden-scaled male fern 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 golden-scaled male fern?
Golden-scaled male fern is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Interrupted fern: the same job in a bed and the same size.
- Wallich's wood fern: the same job in a bed and the same size.
- Western sword fern: the same job in a bed; 6 in wider, 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 golden-scaled male fern look like in winter?
Golden-scaled male 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 Dryopteris
- Autumn fern Dryopteris erythrosora
- Autumn fern 'Brilliance' Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance'
- Champion's wood fern Dryopteris championii
- Dixie wood fern Dryopteris x australis
- Evergreen wood fern Dryopteris intermedia
- 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
- 3½ ft (100 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Vase-shaped, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
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.