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Japanese Painted Fern

$5995 $9995
Size: 1 Gallon
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Your Plants are Guaranteed to Grow

Your plants are guaranteed to arrive happy & healthy with our 1 Year Warranty. Your order will arrive healthy and stay healthy while they adapt to your climate. If your tree arrives damaged or dies within 30 days, we'll replace it for free. If it dies after 30 days, but before 1 year, we will replace it for just 50% of the current price.

Free Shipping on All Orders

Relax... we've got you covered with free shipping on every order! We ship out so many huge plants, we've negotiated a low rate with our carriers... and we pass those savings on to you! Your plants will ship out the next business day... expertly packed so that your plants will arrive happy and healthy!

Is Now a Good Time to Plant?

Yes! Fall is one of the best times to plant!

Landscaping experts often recommend planting in fall instead of waiting until spring. Here’s why:

  • Cooler weather puts less stress on newly planted trees and shrubs.
  • Fall soil is still warm, which helps roots grow and get established.
  • Cooler temperatures mean less water is lost through the leaves, making it easier for plants to stay hydrated.
  • Even after top growth slows for winter, roots continue developing below ground.
  • Fall weather often brings more rain and less heat, making new plants easier to care for.
  • By spring, your plants already have a head start. Their established roots can support strong new leaves, branches, and flowers.
  • Trees planted in spring must establish their roots while also dealing with rising temperatures and summer heat.

Plant this fall, and your trees can spend the cooler months getting settled instead of waiting until spring to get started!

Planting your Japanese Painted Fern

Planting Instructions for Japanese Painted Fern

  1. Choosing the Right Location: Plant your Japanese Painted Fern in shade. Light to partial shade, such as gentle morning sun with afternoon shade, often brings out the brightest silver and burgundy tones, while hot afternoon sun can scorch the fronds. It grows in USDA zones 4 through 8 and is perfect for the north side of a house, the base of a tree, or a shady path.
  2. Soil Preparation: This fern grows best in rich, moist, well-drained soil high in organic matter, similar to a woodland floor. Mix compost into the planting area, especially in heavy clay or sandy soil. Avoid spots where water pools after rain, since constantly soggy soil can rot the roots.
  3. Planting: Dig a hole about twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep, so the crown sits level with the soil surface. Space plants about 18 to 24 inches apart, center to center, so the clumps fill in and touch over a few seasons. Each fern grows about 1 to 2 feet tall and wide.
  4. Mulching and First Watering: Water deeply after planting, then spread a layer of shredded leaves or bark mulch around the plant, keeping it off the crown. Mulch keeps the soil cool and moist between waterings.

Care Instructions

  1. Watering: Water about twice a week during the first season so the soil stays evenly moist. Once established, it can handle short dry spells, but it looks best with consistent moisture. In the warmer end of its range, give it more shade and steady water to prevent browned fronds.
  2. Fertilizing: Ferns are light feeders. Top-dress with compost each spring, or apply a light, diluted balanced fertilizer as new fronds emerge. Heavy feeding can burn the delicate fronds. Mulching with shredded leaves adds organic matter naturally over time.
  3. Pest and Disease Monitoring: This fern is rarely troubled by pests, and deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone. Slugs may chew fronds in damp weather, so check after rain. Brown, crispy fronds usually point to too much sun or dry soil rather than disease.

Maintenance and Long-Term Care

  1. Pruning: Little pruning is needed. Snip off any damaged or browned fronds at the base during the season. After frost, the fronds die back to the ground; cut away the old foliage in late winter or early spring before new fronds unfurl.
  2. Winter Care: This hardy perennial rests over winter and returns every spring, growing fuller and wider each season. A layer of shredded leaves over the crown in late fall adds protection in the coldest zones.
  3. Growing in Containers: It grows well in a container in a shady spot, such as a covered porch or north-facing patio. Use a pot with drainage holes and a rich potting mix, and water whenever the top inch of soil feels dry. In cold zones, move the pot to a sheltered area for winter.

Additional Tips for Growing Japanese Painted Fern

  1. Companion Planting: The silvery green fronds brushed with violet and pewter, set on deep purple-red stems, pair beautifully with hostas, heucheras, and other shade-loving plants. Group several along a path for a shimmering carpet.
  2. Wildlife Resistance: It is deer and rabbit resistant, making it a reliable choice for shade gardens where hostas get eaten. No plant is completely wildlife-proof, but ferns are among the least likely to be browsed.
  3. Shipping Note: The Japanese Painted Fern cannot be shipped to Arizona or Oregon because of state agricultural restrictions. When your plant arrives, unbox it right away, water it thoroughly, and let it rest in a bright, sheltered spot out of harsh afternoon sun for a day or two before planting so it can recover from the trip.
What Customers say about the Japanese Painted Fern:

The Japanese Painted Fern thrives in Zones 4-8

Growing Zones for the Japanese Painted Fern

If you live in the green area above, we recommend the Japanese Painted Fern.

Your Growing Zone
Recommended Zones 4-8
Mature Height 1-2 ft.
Mature Width 1-2 ft.
Cannot Ship To AZ, OR
Sunlight Shade
Botanical Name Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'

Plants that Make a Difference

For 20+ years, our team has shipped healthy, established plants to gardeners like you- all across the country. Every plant is selected and cared for by our plant experts before it ships to your door.

  • 20+ Years Experience

  • Superior Quality

  • Free Shipping on All Orders

  • Guaranteed to Grow

Japanese Painted Fern

Beware- not all Japanese Painted Ferns are the same.

Be sure to get superior ferns, grown by experts.

Better Roots Make Stronger Plants: Some nurseries send you "bare root" ferns to save on shipping. Even worse, others have started digging them right out of the ground before shipping. This causes major transplant shock and long-term damage. We send you Japanese Painted Ferns in soil-filled containers- ensuring a well-developed root system that will explode with growth!

Healthy Plants: We've seen other nurseries grow tall ferns in tiny pots to save on shipping. This leads to a "root bound" plant, where the roots have outgrown their pot- they cannot absorb water and nutrients. They quickly dry out during shipment, leading to an unhealthy plant.

Japanese Painted Fern

The Japanese Painted Fern is one of the most colorful ferns you can grow- and it actually prefers the shade other plants struggle in.

  • Silvery fronds brushed with violet and pewter, on deep purple-red stems
  • Loves the shade: brightens dark corners, the north side of the house and the base of trees
  • Deer and rabbit resistant, so hungry wildlife tends to leave it alone
  • Comes back every year, forming a tidy 1-2 ft. mound in zones 4-8

Not all plants are created equal

The Difference Is in the Roots

Every plant we ship has grown in a nursery container with its roots protected, so it arrives healthy, established and ready to thrive in your yard.

A full, branched Nationwide Plants tree in a nursery pot next to a thin bare-root tree with exposed roots Ours: container grown Theirs: bare root
Nationwide Plants Other Nurseries
How it's grown Grown in a nursery container, roots protected the whole time Pulled or dug from the field, tearing fragile roots
How it arrives Arrives in its pot with soil intact Arrives bare root, exposed and drying out
Before shipping Growing naturally until it ships Held dormant in a cooler, then shocked by a hot shipping box
Root health Strong, well-developed roots with room to grow Crammed into a small pot until it's root bound
Height Measured from the top of the soil Often includes the pot and roots
After planting Settles in quickly with less transplant shock Arrives stressed and can take years to recover, if it does

The height you see is the height you plant.

We measure every plant from the top of the soil, not the bottom of the pot. Many nurseries include the pot and roots, so a "5–6 ft." tree from them might stand only 4 ft. tall once it's planted.

Comparisons reflect common practices across the online plant industry, not any single company.

Honest Measurements: Some nurseries measure plants including the pot and roots, so the plant you receive is much smaller than you expected. We measure all of our plants from the soil line, so the height you see is what you can expect after planting.

From our nursery to your door

How We Ship Your Plants

Every order is hand-selected, watered and carefully packed so it arrives healthy and ready to plant. Here's what happens after you place your order.

  1. Hand-Picked for You

    Our team selects the best plant available for your order. For privacy trees, that's the tallest and fullest. For fruit trees, it's the best branched.

    Why it matters: Many online nurseries ship whatever is next in the row.

  2. A Deep Drink Before the Trip

    Every plant gets a thorough watering right before it's packed, so it starts the journey fully hydrated.

  3. Roots Sealed In

    We wrap the pot and roots in plastic to lock in moisture, so your plant has water to drink all the way to your door.

    Why it matters: Bare-root plants are often shipped with their roots exposed and drying out.

  4. Braced for the Ride

    Cardboard inserts are secured inside every box to hold your plant in place, so it won't slide, tip or get damaged in transit.

  5. Shipped Only by FedEx

    We ship your trees exclusively with FedEx. We've found they deliver the fastest and handle live plants the most gently.

And if anything goes wrong, every plant is backed by our 1 Year Warranty.

Healthy Roots Make a Huge Difference

  • Never buy bare-root plants. These trees are starved of nutrients, and have a low survival rate.
  • Beware of nurseries cut corners by growing in small pots. These "rootbound" plants are weak, struggle to absorb nutrients, and die quickly after planting.
  • Some nurseries try to sell oversized plants, but chop off vital roots so they can cram the rootball into a narrow box to save on shipping!

You Want Japanese Painted Ferns Grown by Experts

Some nurseries ship small, weak ferns grown in tiny pots to save money. These "root bound" plants struggle after planting and take much longer to fill in.

Nationwide Plants only sends you strong Japanese Painted Ferns, selected and cared for by our plant experts, with healthy, developed root systems. That means they settle in quickly and start lighting up your shady spots sooner.

Read more about the Japanese Painted Fern

Japanese Painted Fern: Turn Your Shadiest Corner Into a Glowing Work of Art

That dim, difficult spot where nothing seems to grow? This is the plant that finally brings it to life. The Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum') unfurls soft, silvery fronds brushed with violet, pewter, and green, all set off by deep purple-red stems. It's one of the most colorful ferns you can grow, and it actually prefers the shade other plants hate. It stays a tidy size, comes back every year, and asks for almost nothing. Plant one, and a dull corner becomes a glowing, painterly retreat.

  • Grown & delivered by experts to ensure your success. Your fern arrives strong, well-rooted, and ready to settle in at home.
  • Loves the shade. It thrives in the dim corners where flowers and grasses struggle.
  • Shimmering, colorful fronds. Silver, violet, and pewter tones light up any dark spot.
  • Low-maintenance and drought-tolerant. Once established, it needs very little care or water.
  • Deer- and rabbit-resistant. Hungry wildlife tends to leave it alone.

You'll finally have something beautiful to grow in the spots that always felt hopeless. Shady corners, the north side of the house, the base of a tree, these are the places this fern loves best, so a bare, gloomy patch becomes a soft, glowing highlight. It needs almost no care, comes back on its own every spring, and deer and rabbits leave it be. That means less frustration, less work, and a peaceful, painterly corner you'll actually want to look at. It's the easy way to turn your yard's hardest spot into its prettiest.

Beauty Where Nothing Else Will Grow

Most colorful plants demand full sun, leaving your shady spots stuck with plain green or bare dirt. The Japanese Painted Fern flips that. Its silver-washed, violet-tinged fronds actually glow brightest in shade, bringing light and color to the darkest parts of your yard. So the corners you'd given up on become the ones that catch every eye. It's a splash of art exactly where you least expected it.

The Easiest Elegance You'll Ever Plant

Gardening should feel calming, not like a constant battle. Once settled in, this fern handles dry spells, needs no fussy trimming, and returns fuller each spring on its own. Deer and rabbits pass it by, and it slowly spreads into a lush, arching clump. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or planting your very first shade bed, it delivers year-after-year beauty with almost no effort.

Soft Texture and Movement All Season

The fronds arch and cascade in a gentle, feathery mound about 18 inches tall, swaying with the slightest breeze. That soft, layered texture adds a calm, woodland feeling to any bed. Pair it with hostas and shade flowers, or let it stand alone as a shimmering accent. Either way, it makes the whole space feel richer and more finished.

Fits Beautifully Into Any Shady Spot

Tuck it under a tree, line a shady path, brighten a woodland border, or grow it in a container on a covered porch. Its compact, well-behaved size means it never takes over, and it blends effortlessly with other shade lovers. Wherever you place it, it adds elegant color and texture without any fuss. One easy plant, endless ways to transform the shade.

Why Order From Nationwide Plants

  • Shipped healthy and well-rooted, never bare-root. Your fern arrives in soil with a strong, established root system, so it settles in fast instead of struggling to recover.
  • Backed by our guarantee. Every plant is covered by our 1-Year Limited Warranty and 30-Day Plant Promise, so if anything isn't right, we'll replace it or refund it.
  • Free shipping and expert care. Our nursery team hand-selects, waters, and carefully packs your plant, then ships it free, so it reaches your door happy and ready to grow.

Don't Settle for a Dull, Empty Corner

Every season you wait is one more with a bare, shadowy patch that could be glowing with silver and violet instead. Your fern ships fast, arrives healthy, and comes backed by our guarantee. Soon the neighbors will be asking what that shimmering plant is in your shade garden, and it could be yours. Order your Japanese Painted Fern today, before you wish you had.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Japanese Painted Fern

How big does a Japanese Painted Fern get?

A Japanese Painted Fern grows about 1 to 2 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide. Its arching fronds form a soft, graceful mound that slowly spreads into a fuller clump over time. That compact size makes it easy to tuck into shady borders, along paths, under trees, or into containers on a covered porch.

What zones does Japanese Painted Fern grow in?

Japanese Painted Fern grows in USDA zones 4 through 8. It is a hardy perennial that handles cold winters well. In the warmer end of its range, give it more shade and steady moisture, since hot sun and dry soil can brown the delicate fronds.

Does Japanese Painted Fern grow in full shade?

Yes, Japanese Painted Fern grows well in shade, and it is one of the best plants for brightening dark corners. Light to partial shade, such as gentle morning sun with afternoon shade, often brings out the brightest silver and burgundy tones. Avoid hot afternoon sun, which can scorch the fronds.

Does Japanese Painted Fern come back every year?

Yes, Japanese Painted Fern is a perennial that comes back every year. The fronds die back to the ground after frost in fall, and the plant rests over winter. New silvery fronds unfurl again in spring, and the clump slowly grows fuller and wider with each passing season.

What colors are Japanese Painted Fern fronds?

Japanese Painted Fern fronds are silvery green brushed with violet and pewter tones, set on deep purple-red stems. It is one of the most colorful ferns you can grow. The shimmering color stands out in shade and pairs beautifully with hostas, heucheras, and other shade-loving plants.

How often should I water a Japanese Painted Fern?

Water a newly planted Japanese Painted Fern about twice a week during its first season so the soil stays evenly moist. Once established, it can handle short dry spells, but it looks best with consistent moisture. A layer of shredded leaves or bark mulch helps keep the soil cool and moist between waterings.

What soil is best for Japanese Painted Fern?

Japanese Painted Fern grows best in rich, moist, well-drained soil high in organic matter, similar to a woodland floor. Mix compost into the planting area before planting, especially in heavy clay or sandy soil. Avoid spots where water pools after rain, since constantly soggy soil can rot the roots.

Is Japanese Painted Fern deer and rabbit resistant?

Yes, Japanese Painted Fern is deer and rabbit resistant, and hungry wildlife tends to leave it alone. That makes it a reliable choice for shade gardens where hostas and other tender plants get eaten. No plant is completely wildlife-proof, but ferns are among the least likely to be browsed.

How far apart should I plant Japanese Painted Ferns?

Plant Japanese Painted Ferns about 18 to 24 inches apart, center to center. That spacing lets the clumps fill in and touch over a few seasons, creating a continuous carpet of silvery fronds. For a quicker, fuller look along a shady path or border, you can plant them slightly closer.

Can Japanese Painted Fern grow in a container?

Yes, Japanese Painted Fern grows well in a container in a shady spot, such as a covered porch or north-facing patio. Use a pot with drainage holes and a rich potting mix, and water whenever the top inch of soil feels dry. In cold zones, move the pot to a sheltered area for winter.
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