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Dryopteris erythrosora AGM

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Characteristics

Plant type

Fern

Habit

Clump-forming

Resilience

Hardiness

old H4 (hardy)

Colour

Foliage

Bronze and Pink in Spring and Summer
Green in Autumn and Winter

Size

Ultimate height

0.5-1 metres

Ultimate spread

0.5-1 metres

Time to ultimate height

5-10 years

Preferred common name

copper shield fern

Family

Dryopteridaceae

Dryopteris can be deciduous, semi-evergreen or evergreen ferns, with stout, erect or decumbent rhizomes and shuttlecock-like rosettes of lance-shaped to ovate, pinnately divided fronds

D. erythrosora is a semi-evergreen fern to 75cm, forming a compact clump of broadly ovate, bipinnatifid fronds, often coppery-pink when young. Spore-heaps also often pink

Other common names

Japanese shield fern

Synonym(s)

Aspidium erythrosorum

Suppliers

Suppliers listed in RHS Plant Finder

Awards

Award of Garden Merit

How to grow

Sunlight

Part shade
Full shade

Aspect

South-facing, North-facing, West-facing or East-facing

Sheltered

Cultivation

Easy to grow in most cool, moist, lightly shaded sites and will grow in full sun if given plenty of moisture. Tolerant of dry shade but water regularly in their first season and mulch well

Soil

Poorly-drained or Moist but well-drained

Acid, Neutral or Alkaline

Loam, Chalk, Sand or Clay

Propagation

Propagate by sowing spores as soon as ripe or by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage/Informal Garden, Flower borders and beds, Low Maintenance or Underplanting of Roses and Shrubs

How to care

Pruning

Dead or damaged fronds may be removed as necessary

Pests

Generally pest free outdoors

Diseases

Generally disease free outdoors

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