Painted fern 'Godzilla'
Athyrium 'Godzilla' · Aspleniaceae
A giant painted fern, waist high and twice as wide, with silver fronds, green edges and dark purple stems.
- Size
- 3 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around painted fern 'Godzilla'
The planner designed this bed around painted fern 'Godzilla' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why painted fern 'Godzilla' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Painted fern 'Godzilla' × 1, silver leaves
- 2 Blue star creeper × 16, blue
- 3 Astilbe 'Sprite' × 8, pink
- 4 White snakeroot 'Chocolate' × 4, white
- 5 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 4, purple
- 6 Large-flowered bellwort × 14, yellow
- 7 Bigleaf aster × 3, lavender
- 8 Snowdrop × 12, white
- 9 Yellow trout lily × 5, yellow
- 10 Spring snowflake × 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 3 ft it is seen over astilbe 'Sprite' (12 in) in front of it.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 8 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 12 of the 13 groups (92%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, from late July. Tall astilbe 'Superba' and white snakeroot 'Chocolate' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where painted fern 'Godzilla' goes in a border
At 3 ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium tall (2½ to 3 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.
Thought to be a cross of the Japanese painted fern with a lady fern. It has the colour of the first at the size of a shrub.
- A bold silver fern for shade
- A specimen among hostas
- Large-scale groundcover
What to plant with painted fern 'Godzilla'
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.
- Astilbe: adds the flowers, late June to mid July; happy in the same moist soil.
- Solomon's seal: adds the flowers, early May to late May; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about painted fern 'Godzilla'
Does painted fern 'Godzilla' need sun or shade?
Painted fern 'Godzilla' 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 painted fern 'Godzilla' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should painted fern 'Godzilla' be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3 ft (90 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many painted fern 'Godzilla' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is there a native plant like painted fern 'Godzilla'?
Painted fern 'Godzilla' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Interrupted fern: the same job in a bed; belongs at the back, not in the middle, 18 in narrower.
- Dwarf hemlock 'Jeddeloh': the same job in a bed and the same size; fine leaves, not medium, 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 painted fern 'Godzilla' look like in winter?
Painted fern 'Godzilla' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Athyrium
- Eared lady fern Athyrium otophorum
- 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'
- Victorian lady fern Athyrium filix-femina 'Victoriae'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern
- Size
- 3 ft (90 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium tall (2½ to 3 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; silver, green, purple
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 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.