Autumn fern ‘Brilliance’
* Common name: Autumn fern ‘Brilliance’
Credit: Pleasant Run Nursery
* Botanical name: Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’
* What it is: Despite the name, this deer-resistant shade perennial is showiest in early spring when its lacy foliage emerges orange before maturing to green in summer. In fall, the spores (the fern equivalent of seeds) are red.
‘Brilliance’ was good enough to earn a 2016 Gold Medal Award from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society as a plant deserving greater use in mid-Atlantic landscapes.
* Size: 2 feet tall, spreading 2 feet wide and beyond.
* Where to use: Prefers shade or at least shade in the afternoon. Grows in moderately spreading clumps, ideally in damp soil but will survive drought by going dormant in summer if plants aren’t damp in extended hot, dry spells. ‘Brilliance’ is excellent as a woodland groundcover, especially where deer are lurking.
* Care: Keep well watered the first full season until roots establish. Then a weekly soaking is helpful in hot, dry weather.
Plants are easy to divide in early spring or early fall into a larger groundcover planting. Cut foliage to the ground at winter’s end to make way for fresh new growth. Clip off any ratty foliage as needed in season.
Foliage is evergreen in mild winters. Fertilizer usually not needed.
* Great partner: Can stand alone as a groundcover or pairs nicely with wide-leaved shade perennials, especially ligularia, golden or lime-colored hosta, or almost any variety of coralbells. Makes a good underplanting for native smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) and varieties of it.