Victorian lady fern
Athyrium filix-femina 'Victoriae' · Athyriaceae
Each leaflet is split in two and crossed over its neighbour, so that the frond is a lattice of tiny Xs, with a tassel at every tip.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around victorian lady fern
The planner designed this bed around victorian 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 victorian lady fern stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Victorian lady fern × 3, green leaves
- 2 Lingonberry × 8, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 11, blue
- 4 White snakeroot 'Chocolate' × 3, white
- 5 Korean feather reed grass × 1, pink
- 6 Fringed bleeding heart × 3, pink
- 7 Checkered lily × 10, purple
- 8 Snowdrop × 7, white
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- At the back. At 2½ ft it is seen over fringed bleeding heart (16 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to Korean feather reed grass (4 ft) and white snakeroot 'Chocolate' (3½ 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, spring to frost. They cover the 9 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Pink, blue, purple and white make a cool, restful scheme. Pink runs through the planting: 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers have it.
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 victorian lady fern goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Found in Scotland in 1861, at the height of the Victorian fern craze, and still the most intricate fern there is. Plant it beside a path to be looked at closely.
- A fern for close viewing
- Woodland paths
- Collectors
What to plant with victorian lady fern
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Halcyon': bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Foamflower: adds the flowers, late April to late May; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Wild ginger: bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about victorian lady fern
Does victorian lady fern need sun or shade?
Victorian 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 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.
What zones does victorian lady 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 victorian 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 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (75 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many victorian 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 victorian lady 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.
Do deer eat victorian lady fern?
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.
What does victorian lady fern look like in winter?
Victorian lady fern 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'
- Painted fern 'Godzilla' Athyrium 'Godzilla'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Fern
- Size
- 2½ ft (75 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Athyriaceae
- Comes from
- Europe, Asia and Africa
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, 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.