Dryopteris goldieana - Giant wood fern

Dryopteris goldieana, often called Dryopteris goldiana or Goldie's Wood Fern, is one of the largest species of ferns found in regions with a cold temperate climate. It develops large and broad fronds, with a pale green colour and hints of blue, which are usually deciduous. They are not numerous, but truly majestic. Its robust rhizome is slightly creeping, allowing it to spread over time. Its large size and tropical appearance make it a preferred fern for a garden with an exotic look, in partial shade or even dense shade, in non-calcareous, fertile, and moist soil.

Dryopteris goldieana, also known as Aspidium goldianum, is a terrestrial and perennial fern of the Dryopteridaceae family. The dense and humid undergrowth, ravines, shaded rocky areas, and surroundings of swamps in several cold regions of northeastern United States are the birthplace of this plant. It grows from a weakly running rhizome, forming a large cluster of fronds that can reach a height of 1.20m (4ft) to 1.50m (5ft). They emerge in spring as coiled croziers, covered with dark brown to black shiny scales. Then the croziers unfurl into large fronds, measuring 40cm (16in) to 1.50m (5ft) in length and 15 to 40cm (6 to 16in) in width, with a yellow-green colour that turns pale green, adorned with hints of blue in summer. They are carried by a long scaly petiole and are deciduous in our climate. This very hardy plant can withstand temperatures as low as -30°C (1°F).

Dryopteris goldieana can be used in mass plantings or as a standalone specimen, and should be planted in a well-drained, acidic to neutral, moist to wet soil in partial shade, sheltered from the wind. Its grandeur makes it a magnificent addition to a garden with an exotic look, or near a water feature, in a shaded area, not far from a Gunnera or a banana plant that can provide shade, or a tree fern like Dicksonia antarctica.