'Ghost' Fern Athyrium | Proven Winners

'Ghost' Fern Athyrium

'Ghost' Fern Athyrium brings a luminous quality to shady garden spaces with its striking frosted apple-green fronds. Dark purple stems create beautiful contrast and hold the broad fronds rigidly upright, giving this fern a distinctive architectural appearance that stands out among other shade-loving plants.

Growing 24–36 inches tall, 'Ghost' Fern is taller than many other ferns and forms an upright clump that spreads 18–24 inches wide. Its bright foliage is especially useful for adding color and texture to darker areas of the landscape, where it works beautifully in woodland gardens, shady borders, containers, and as a groundcover.

Easy to grow in part shade to shade, 'Ghost' Fern is also more drought tolerant than many other ferns once established. It adapts to a range of soil conditions and is resistant to rabbits, making it a dependable foliage perennial for adding season-long interest to shaded gardens.

Plant Type: Perennial Fern
Height: 24–36 inches
Spread: 18–24 inches
Spacing: 18–24 inches
Habit: Upright
Container Role: Thriller
Light: Part Shade to Shade
Bloom Time: Grown for Foliage
Foliage Color: Frosted Apple Green
Stem Color: Dark Purple
Hardiness Zones: 3a–8b
Water Needs: Average
Soil: Adaptable to Poor, Average & Fertile Soils
Soil pH: Acidic to Neutral
Maintenance: Easy
Drought Tolerant: More drought tolerant than many ferns
Resists: Rabbits
Best Uses: Shady borders, containers, groundcover & woodland gardens