Your Maiden Hair fern is very interesting, I like it a lot!

Here is my Japanese Painted fern "Metallicum" which is new to me this year. It looks similar to yours.

I am so glad to see this thread...thanks 'woody'.

I just bought a couple of "Burgundy Lace" (Japanese Painted Fern).

Does anyone have experience with this variety?

Hi Woody, Pretty grouping with the Persicaria. ThatâÂÂs a great âÂÂJack FrostâÂÂ. âÂÂBranford Beautyâ has been on my list but I havenâÂÂt run into it yet. I like your photo #3 with the Euonymus. Very pretty color and shape on that fern.

I have a number of âÂÂGhostâ ferns. My favorite combo is 'Ghost' under a Japanese Maple 'Bloodgood'. The colors together are very satisfying to me. Sorry I don't have a photo of that though. Some of them were effected by a very long dry summer last year. Before last year, they were getting larger and larger and more beautiful every year, but they were on the puny side this spring. They are recovering this year with all the rain weâÂÂve had in June. I also have a couple that have gotten swallowed up with neighbors that are outgrowing their space. IâÂÂm forever putting things too close together and then having to move them.

Here is one that has been eaten up by a hosta I grew from seed and didn't realize how large it was going to get....

I'm still struggling to accept that Japanese painted ferns don't grow large enough to make what in my opinion is not a significant impact planted among my 'designer' hostas in the shade bed. I love them--that's a no brainer as someone who has quite a large amount of shade in which to garden. However, I guess I wish they made a more pronounced statement similar to brunnera, heuchera, Jacob's ladder, toad lily, astilbe, hellebore/Lenten rose, etc.

Dgregory, I'll have to put that 'Metallicum' on my list, nice!

rouge21, 'Burgundy Lace' is one of my favorite Japanese Painted Ferns. Here is my one and only that I keep debating whether to disturb it and divide it or not.

Lamium 'Purple Dragon' is another very silver almost white shade plant. I prefer this variety over three others I have. The leaves and flowers are both larger. I have not found it to spread far at all. I don't have a photo but here's a link to it...

Here is a link that might be useful: Lamium 'Purple Dragon'

I have a japanese painted fern that I planted several years ago and thought I lost, as I don't recall seeing it again, and suddenly this year it has made an appearance. It is on one hand big enough to catch my eye and make somewhat of an impact, considering last year I never saw it there, but on the other hand like gardenweed I wish it would make more of an impact.

I too was going to mention lamium. I do seem to have trouble with this plant - all varieties of it! I have some White Nancy hanging on now (just bought a few more from Santa Rosa's big sale, although they came through shipping in the 90-degree heat worse for the wear and I don't know if they will make it). I keep trying this particular variety because it looks so great underplanted with hosta Krossa Regal. Unfortunately the vinca that is also in this bed is winning the battle with Nancy for the space.

Dee

Hi pm2! It certainly looks like that Ghost is calling for rescue from the hosta :-) I do like the silver lamiums - I had quite a bit of Beacon Silver in various spots and a bit of White Nancy (which goes very well with Jack Frost..) A lot of the Beacon Silver has reverted to a more greener form (presumably its wild form...?) that I rip out when I see it. Most of it now is in the front garden under the cedar clump where not much else will grow.

gardenweed - try the 'Ghost' fern - I'd bet it'd satisfy the desire for a more upright JPF with more presence :-) Apparently 'Ghost' is a cross between a JPF and a Lady Fern. 'Ghost' has a very elegant, upright habit and it just gets better and better as it gets bigger. A 'must have' fern in my opinion!

Metallicum and Burgundy Lace both look nice (I'm pretty sure I bought a Burgandy Lace once... not sure where it is now :-) Maybe a plant breeder needs to cross one of those with Lady Fern to get a different form of Ghost. Actually maybe they already have - Branford Beauty is also a cross between Lady Fern and JPF...! That's one of the reasons I have hopes for Branford Beauty to grow into something particularly nice.

Thank you for posting these photos of 'Branford Beauty'! It looks beautiful but appears to lack the vigor and reliability of 'Ghost'. 'Ghost' is my absolute favorite garden fern so far.

Last fall, I put in three different cultivars of JPF. They survived the winter without a problem and look surprisingly lush and full for young ferns. But they absolutely disappear in my mixed shade garden. You almost have to consciously look for them to notice them, mainly because they grow so low to the ground. 'Ghost', on the other hand, illuminates the shade and draws your eye in a subtle way.

I just added a few Adiantum pedatum so hopefully they will settle in and do as well as 'Ghost'.