Dryopteris wallichiana

Dryopteris wallichiana (Alpine Wood Fern)

Alpine wood fern is often cultivated for its architectural and ornamental foliage, and makes a striking addition to a shade garden. Growing to around 1m in height and width, it works well as an unfussy understory planting.

This fern is not native to the British Isles - it has a pantropical and subtropical native range. Growing in the Himalayas, Hawaiian mountains and a range of other high-altitude, humid, moist and shaded woodland environments. However, it is tolerant of a range of soil types and can also grow well in UK gardens.

Here, this fern is typically deciduous, though it can be semi-evergreen in milder areas. It grows best in full or partial shade, in a moist yet free-draining soil.