Dryopteris clintoniana - Clinton's Wood Fern 9cm

Dryopteris clintoniana (Clinton’s Wood Fern)

Tall, bold, and ready to make an entrance, Dryopteris clintoniana is the fern with presence. With lush, arching fronds that can reach up to 90–120cm, it brings a grand, almost tropical feel to the shady parts of your garden—without demanding a holiday to survive.

A natural hybrid with all the best traits of its parents, Dryopteris goldiana and Dryopteris cristata, it thrives in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil and prefers part to full shade. Give it room to stretch and a bit of shelter from harsh winds, and it’ll repay you with statuesque good looks and zero drama. It’s like the tall, mysterious stranger of the fern world—minus the brooding soundtrack.

Choess, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons