Dryopteris affinis ‘Cristata The King’

‘Cristata The King’ is one of the best crested ferns you can grow, a selection of the golden male fern with upright fronds that end in neat crests at each pinna tip and at the top of each frond. The overall effect is proper architectural, like a green fountain. Holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Plants reach around 70 to 90cm tall, forming a vigorous upright shuttlecock. Fresh green fronds unfurl in spring with golden-scaled stipes, mature to a darker green through summer, and hold well into winter in milder spots.

Plant in moist, humus-rich soil in partial to full shade. Reliable and long-lived. Trim tired fronds in late winter before new growth.

A firm favourite for a shady woodland border, a damp ferny corner, or alongside hostas and hellebores.