Japanese Painted fern

16 years ago

Is it true that one should buy only the JPF that show the silvery/blue coloring in the pot or they won't ever develop it, or is that just an old gardening myth?

I remember reading that somewhere, and the last JPFs I bought, they were nicely silvery/bluish in the pots, so I grabbed them. That was two years ago, and they have simply gorgeous coloring in the ground.

The other ones I have planted around the yard I bought w/o paying attention to the coloring when I bought them (bought them previous to reading the above advice somewhere), and I took note today that those JPFs have an "eh" green coloration with the marroon stems, they are not silvery/bluish.

So from my experience, buying JPF that are silvery/bluish in the pot stands as good advice, but am just wondering if it could have been a coincidence or whether this really does ring true.

Growing conditions are similar for all - part-shade, average to moist soil.

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Comments (6)

covella
16 years ago
Don't know mx, but I will say that I've seen a little variation when my Jap P Ferns reseed. The offspring have some variation in color and size so maybe you are correct that you should choose your plant yourself.
ego45
16 years ago
Maybe not exactly what are you looking for for answer, but IME some cultivars of JPF need time to mature before they show their 'true' color.
For example, I bought a 'Pewter Lace' 4-5 years ago. It was pewter in the pot indeed, but next year become all green with just one or two fronds displaying some silvery effect. In every of the subsequent years it become more and more pewtery and this year it's a real 'Pewter Lace' as one could see in advertising pictures.
Very similar story with my 'Ursula's Red', though I'm still not sure if plant I grow is/will be UR since coloration is not that prominent.
How the growers foced them into 'true' color at the time of sale is beyond my comprehension.
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JohnnieB
16 years ago
My original painted fern had a primarily silvery/gray-green coloration with very little purple but the ones I grew from spores from the same plant gave me quite a bit of variation, including some with very vivid red/purple coloration. I didn't realize how dramatic the difference was until I saw several of them growing in my garden this spring, and compared them to the "mother" plant.
robynpa
16 years ago
How do you grow them from spores? I have a clump that I would love to increase.
razorback33
16 years ago
robynpa...
you really don't have to do anything to get sporeling's from a JPF. With a little patience, you can just stand back and watch them multiply all over your garden! and even beyond, into your lawn and seemingly every potted plant on the premises. And they will vary in color across the entire gray/silver spectrum. The only 2 cultivars I have ever purchased were 'Ursula's Red'(because I know Ursula) and 'Apple Court', the crested form. All of the other colors touted with cultivar names, I can probably find among the sea of plants around the garden. Light, season, and age of the plant affect their color.
The JPF, Athyrium nipponicum, is a green fern with burgundy stipes. The A.n., var. pictum (usually sold as cultivar 'Pictum' or 'Metallicum', is the one with the silver/gray in the fronds. I have had those revert to the green form because of cultural variations or deficiencies.
Rb
JohnnieB
16 years ago
If you have a clump, the easiest way to propagate is to simply divide the clump with a shovel in fall or early spring and replant the divisions, same as with any other perennial.

But this is a VERY easy fern to grow from spores, as long as you don't need plants right away! When the sori (dots on leaf undersides) start to turn brown, pick a frond and lay it on a sheet of white paper where it won't be disturbed (and out of any drafts!). Within a day or two you will see a fine brown powder on the paper. Sprinkle this as thinly as you can on the surface of moistened potting soil, then pop the pot into a plastic bag and put it where it will get bright light (but no direct sun, which will cook it in no time). Within a few weeks the soil surface will turn green, and eventually you will see little fronds coming up. Once the little plants have two or three fronds each, you can pot them up separately until they are big enough to plant outdoors, and you can select the ones with the best coloration to keep, and discard or give away the rest.