Scaly Male Fern

Also known as the golden-scaled male fern, Dryopteris affinis is one of our native Irish ferns, found most commonly in damp deciduous woodland and shady hedgerows, but also on dry heaths in damper, western areas. It’s often an indicator of ancient woodland. Scaly male fern is a tough, vigorous, deciduous or semi-evergreen fern which forms a large, handsome rosette of upright fronds with golden to rusty-brown scales on the frond-stems. The heavily divided fronds emerge light yellow-green, turning darker green as the year progresses, and may persist through winter in milder areas. Scaly male fern does not spread at the root, and is a really tough, easy fern for wilder parts of the garden and difficult, shady areas.

Site: Tolerates exposure
Soil: Well-drained neutral to acidic soil, preferably moist
Position: Partial shade, full shade; tolerates full sun in damper areas
Season of interest: Spring to autumn, longer in mild areas
Hardiness: Fully hardy
Height: 4’ (1.2m) Spread: (crown) up to 1’ (30cm)