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Dryopteris erythrosora

The Japanese shield fern or autumn fern, with copper-red young fronds maturing to glossy green. Semi-evergreen. RHS AGM.

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Product information

Dryopteris erythrosora is the autumn fern, named for the striking copper-red colour of its young fronds as they unfurl in spring. The colour fades to glossy bronze-green through summer and mature green in autumn, with a subtle bronze tint held through winter. Holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Forms a tidy upright shuttlecock to around 60 to 70cm tall, semi-evergreen in mild spots. Fresh fronds appear in waves through the season, so the copper colour comes and goes repeatedly.

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

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

Product Details

Common Name
Autumn Fern, Japanese Shield Fern
Max height
0.7 M
Leaf Colour
Copper-red young fronds maturing to glossy green
Sunlight
Partial to full shade
Pruning
Trim tired fronds in late winter
Seasonal Spring
Copper-red young fronds unfurl
Seasonal Summer
Bronze-green fronds in upright shuttlecock
Seasonal Autumn
Mature green fronds with fresh copper flushes
Seasonal Winter
Semi-evergreen in mild spots
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