Dryopteris 'Brilliance' Autumn Fern

One of the showiest ferns in recent years, Autumn Fern 'Brilliance' is a dazzling display of color for every season. The fronds turn from bright copper to soft green to russet-orange again, all on an evergreen habit that looks great in the partly-shaded bed or border.

These long, elegant fronds unfurl in spring a deep orange to copper shade, keeping their hue until the hot weather of summer gradually turns them green. Then in autumn, they burnish bright copper again. 1½ to 2 feet long, they are truly eye-catching in any setting, from a single plant among the hostas and heucheras to a big sweep of color in hard-to-fill dry shade.

Autumn Fern 'Brilliance' is a fine choice for the garden, because once established it's virtually self-maintaining, and it looks terrific every season of the year. It reaches 2 feet high and wide, with a big impact. Not only is its color exceptional, but the undersides of each frond have whitish down, and the surface is quite shiny. One of the few perennials that will grow happily beneath large shade trees or in dry soils, 'Brilliance' asks only for pampering the first year—plenty of water, compost, and other amendments to get its root system established. Then it does all the work for you, remaining showy season after season.

Space plants about 18 inches apart for dense coverage. Indifferent to heat, humidity, and cold, this beautifully-textured, strongly-colored shade lover can withstand morning sun, but also thrives in near complete shade. Adaptable, hardy, and lovely—who could ask for anything more? Make it part of your garden this season. (1-year-old plants)