Athyrium 'Ghost'
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Athyrium 'Ghost': Pale Silver Fronds That Haunt the Shade
This fern looks like it walked through a wall and kept going. Silvery fronds, upright posture and the quiet confidence of something that doesn't need a full moon to haunt your shade garden. BOO. YOU'RE WELCOME.
Plant Characteristics:
- Botanical Name: Athyrium hybrid (thought to be A. niponicum var. pictum x A. filix-femina)
- Common Name: Ghost Fern
- Height: 60 cm (24 in)
- Spread: 45 cm (18 in)
- Flowers: None. Ferns reproduce by spores.
- Foliage: Silvery grey-green, finely divided fronds on an upright, vase-shaped clump. Deciduous.
- Features: Upright habit
Where to Plant: Its upright shape gives structure to shady beds. Plant it in groups for a silvery sweep, or use it as a light backdrop behind darker foliage. It glows on the north side of a house.
Companion Plants: Use the silvery fronds of 'Ghost' to light up a moist, shady bed with bold blue and pink. Brunnera 'Jack Frost' opens baby-blue flowers at 30 to 38 cm in April and May over silver leaves. Heuchera 'Paris' adds deep rose-pink bells at 25 cm from May to August. Hosta 'Regal Splendor' brings tall, vase-shaped blue-green leaves edged in cream at 75 to 80 cm. Liriope 'Big Blue' edges the front with grass-like leaves and violet spikes at 30 to 45 cm.
Plant Care: Plant it in fertile, humus-rich soil that stays evenly moist. Part shade or bright shade is ideal. Too much direct sun will scorch the fronds. Water well through the first season and during dry spells, and keep a layer of leaf mulch or compost over the roots. It dies back to the ground in winter. Cut the old fronds down in early spring before the new fiddleheads appear. Divide in spring if the clump gets crowded.
History: 'Ghost' was found in the Virginia garden of the late Nancy Swell, a friend of Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina, which helped bring it into gardens. It's widely believed to be a natural hybrid between Japanese painted fern and a nearby lady fern, though its parentage has never been formally confirmed.
Final Thoughts: Plant it where the light is low and let it glow. The deer won't go near it. SPOOKY, BUT IN A HOUSEWARMING-GIFT WAY.