- Botanical name: Dryopteris affinis
- Common name: Golden male fern
- Family: Dryopteridaceae
- Plant Type: Perennial, Deciduous
Green
- Key features:
- Dramatic foliage
Dryopteris affinis is a magnificent garden fern, bearing a shuttlecock of long, upright, pale green fronds with contrasting brown, scaley stems in spring. In mild winters it will stay green, but in cold, exposed positions it’s more likely to be deciduous.
Despite needing shade to thrive, Dryopteris affinis happily tolerates several hours of sun each day, and is more wind-resistant than most ferns. It’s a great choice for damp, shady parts of the garden, where it has terrific presence, contrasting well with low groundcover plants. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
How to grow Dryopteris affinis
-
Plant size
90cm height
90cm spread
-
Aspect
North facing, east facing, west facing
-
Position in border
Front, middle
- Sun exposure: Dappled shade, partial shade, full shade
- Hardiness: Hardy
- Soil type: Clay / heavy / moist
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | ||||||||||||
| Plant |
J
Do not Plant in January |
F
Do not Plant in February |
M
Do not Plant in March |
A
Do not Plant in April |
M
Do Plant in May |
J
Do Plant in June |
J
Do Plant in July |
A
Do Plant in August |
S
Do Plant in September |
O
Do not Plant in October |
N
Do not Plant in November |
D
Do not Plant in December |
| Divide | ||||||||||||
| Divide |
J
Do not Divide in January |
F
Do not Divide in February |
M
Do not Divide in March |
A
Do Divide in April |
M
Do not Divide in May |
J
Do not Divide in June |
J
Do not Divide in July |
A
Do not Divide in August |
S
Do not Divide in September |
O
Do not Divide in October |
N
Do not Divide in November |
D
Do not Divide in December |
Dryopteris affinis and wildlife
Dryopteris affinis has no particular known value to wildlife in the UK.
Is Dryopteris affinis poisonous?
Dryopteris affinis has no toxic effects reported.
No reported toxicity to Birds
No reported toxicity to Cats
No reported toxicity to Dogs
No reported toxicity to Horses
No reported toxicity to Livestock
No reported toxicity to People
Plants that go well with Dryopteris affinis
