FoliageLady Fern
Athyrium filix-femina
Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina) is a medium-growing perennial, hardy in USDA zones 4-8, that matures to about 1-3 ft × 1-2.5 ft. It does best in part shade and full shade with medium water needs in well-drained and moist soil. It stands up well to deer and rabbits, grows happily in containers.
- USDA zones
- 4-8
- Sun
- Part shade, Full shade
- Water
- Medium
- Mature size
- 1-3 ft × 1-2.5 ft
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Maintenance
- Low
- Soil
- Well-drained, Moist
- Tough against
- Deer, Rabbits
- Native to
- Northern temperate regions
In the landscape
Data sources
Freeze survival
Will it survive your winters?
Hardiness zones show a normal bad winter. We check the worst one — Lady Fern is hardy to about -30°F (estimated from USDA zone 4), so we'll score it against the real coldest nights your area has actually had.
Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.
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