Athyrium filix-femina

The lady fern, Athyrium filix-femina, has delicate, bright green, filigree leaves. It looks fantastic planted in bold swathes with other shade-loving plants in a sheltered, shady woodland edge, shrub or mixed border. Deciduous, it starts to look tatty in autumn, so grow it among evergreen ferns or late-flowering perennials. Cut back foliage in late autumn.

Grow Athyrium filix-femina in a woodland setting in part-shade, ideally in a sheltered spot as the fronds can break easily. Trim to the ground in late autumn or early spring. Propagate by sowing spores in late-summer, or by division in spring.