Japanese Painted Fern

Gene,
What I call the JPF is Friendships Fern. It doesn't seem to care how much
you divide it, not to mention the sporlings that come up all over the
place, including the 'Ghost'. There is a lot of difference in the
sporlings, and I try to select the ones with the best color to propagate,
and discard the others. It really would be a weed, if it weren't so pretty.
Because I have the large form, I also select for that. Want to believe 32"
tall, and 17" wide at the widest point? Admittedly, this is uncrowded, the
established crowded ones are smaller, but still grows more like the 'Lady
Fern'. Don't have 'Ursula's Red', but am interested in how it differs....
Nancy

>     Nope... not just you and your observations. Japanese Painted fern is
> pretty
>variable. There are quite a few variations on a theme out there. Depends
>upon who
>the original fern came from and whether your wholesale ferns are coming from a
>grower who uses spore or tissue culture... and the fern they selected as
>parent.
>     Also, age, fertility of soil, moisture and light can all effect the
> coloration
>of the ferns. The ones I have growing in lots of light in decent soil are
>darker
>in color than the ones in poor soil, bit more on the dry side and less
>with are
>more silver in color.
>     I have them popping up in my crested iris groundcovers from spore,
> between
>rocks. The mature one that sprang up right next to a planted one is far
>more dark
>in color, larger in height and has more burgundy on the stems and fronds.
>These
>two are in large rocks inside the drip-line of an old cedar.... bit on the dry
>side, and they do very well with little burn during August.
>     Earlier this year we talked about the amount of color in JPF and
> named forms.
>I have Japanese Painted fern out here growing side by side with JPF
>'Ursulas Red'
>in the nursery display area.... there is definitely a dramatic difference in
>coloration.
>     Gene Bush
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