Dryopteris championii - Champion's Wood fern

Dryopteris championii is an Asian fern that combines beauty and resilience: its vegetation remains very attractive in winter, it withstands cold perfectly and adapts to periodically dry soils. The plant offers young leaves in spring, which are a bright green colour covered with a white fuzz, and they unfold into tough fronds of a shiny dark green colour, forming a beautiful clump that will maintain its elegance in winter. Its neat and spreading silhouette does not go unnoticed in slightly shaded areas of the garden.

Dryopteris championii belongs to the large family of Dryopteridaceae. It is a botanical species native to dry undergrowth in Japan, Korea, China, and the mountains of Hong Kong. The plant forms a clump that is on average 70cm (28in) tall and 60cm (24in) wide, depending on the growing conditions. Its growth is quite slow and its short rhizome stump is not invasive. The fronds, triangular in shape, are both upright and slightly curved, bipinnate, of a shiny dark green colour, and divided into 12 to 14 pairs of pinnae. The vegetation remains upright throughout the winter. The stump and the rachis, which is the main vein of each frond, are typically covered with reddish-brown scales that pleasantly contrast with the colour of the foliage.

Dryopteris championii, not demanding in terms of soil type, is very easy to grow in all shady and not too dry places, but in fertile and well-drained soil with a tendency to be humus-rich. This fern also makes a good border and semi-shade plant. Elegant and robust, it easily integrates into shrub beds, with hydrangeas, sacred bamboos, or roses, for example. It will thrive under the cover of trees alongside Solomon's seals, silver candles, Astilbes, and more.