Noted: Great Design Plant: Japanese Painted Fern Weaves a Garden Tapestry via Houzz

 

So much of the woodland garden is green. While shade gardeners appreciate verdant mounds of moss, swaths of sweet box and colonies of camellias, some color relief is a welcome respite from the norm. The Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum) gives us just that, sporting a beautiful display of gray and burgundy foliage with hints of subtle green. It is like that little black dress, bringing elegance and an element of surprise to the table, standing out among the crowd. Dress up your shade garden with this fern. You won’t be sorry.