Athyrium niponicum var. pictum 'Applecourt'

Japanese Painted Fern 'Applecourt' Athyriaceae

A particularly handsome Japanese Painted Fern, Athyrium niponicum var. pictum ‘Applecourt’ combines the species’ characteristic metallic silver-grey foliage and wine-red midribs with an additional flourish: the ends of the pinnae are strongly crested and forked, giving each frond a wonderfully crinkled, tasseled appearance. It is, quite literally, the Japanese Painted Fern with its edges ruffled.

The species is native to Japan, Korea and China, growing in moist, humus-rich woodland and mountain habitats. ‘Applecourt’ was introduced in Britain by Roger Grounds and Diana Grenfell of Apple Court Nursery in 2003, and has subsequently become one of the most distinctive selections of the Japanese Painted Fern. 

The arching triangular fronds emerge with particularly attractive colouring, silver and grey-green suffused with reddish and purplish tones, the dark midribs providing a strong contrast. As the season progresses the colours soften and become greener, but the characteristic cresting remains, giving the plant an unusually intricate texture. 

Unlike some of the more adventurous Athyrium cultivars, ‘Applecourt’ remains a manageable, clump-forming fern, gradually making a handsome mound rather than running around the garden. It is happiest in moist but well-drained, fertile, humus-rich soil in partial or dappled shade. Some gentle light helps develop the best metallic colouring, but strong midday sun and drought should be avoided. (RHS⁠)

The name is particularly appropriate given its provenance: Apple Court Nursery’s contribution to the world of Japanese Painted Ferns was not merely another colour form, but one with a genuinely distinctive architectural feature. The heavy cresting was sufficiently unusual that ‘Applecourt’ became an important cultivar in its own right and remains readily distinguishable from ordinary ‘Pictum’. (Nursery Magazine⁠)

Garden use: Superb in the front of a shady border, woodland garden, fernery or container, where the silver foliage and intricate crested tips can be appreciated close up. Particularly effective planted beside darker-leaved ferns or deep green woodland perennials.

Hardiness: H5 (-15 to -10°C)
Flowering: Fern – no flowers; spores produced on fertile fronds in summer
Height: 30–50 cm
Spread: 30–60 cm
Seasonal interest: Spring to autumn; deciduous in winter