Athyrium davidii

David's Lady Fern Athyriaceae

Athyrium davidii is a particularly choice mountain fern, with finely divided, dark green fronds arising from a creeping rhizome and often accompanied by subtle purplish-red tones on the rachis and veins. Its distribution is wonderfully Himalayan: western Sichuan, southeastern Tibet and northwestern Yunnan, extending into Nepal, northern Myanmar and northern India. In China it is a high-altitude plant, recorded at an impressive 3,000–4,300m, growing on alpine slopes, among shrubs and grasses and in rocky crevices. 

This is therefore a fern for the cool end of the woodland garden. Give it humus-rich, well-drained but moisture-retentive soil, preferably in partial shade, with shelter from fierce drying winds. It appreciates cool roots and good air circulation, and its alpine origins make it an excellent candidate for heavier winter cold than its delicate appearance might suggest. A refined fern, certainly—but one that has clearly spent its youth above the tree line.

Altitude: 3,000–4,300m
Hardiness: H6, approximately −20 to −15°C
Height: 20–35cm
Spread: 30–45cm