Dryopteris affinis - Scaly Male Fern

Dryopteris affinis, also known as the Male Fern, is a beautiful species of our cool undergrowth that should be seen more often in gardens. Robust, prolific, often evergreen, this fern develops large, semi-erect fronds of light green colour, which gather in a slightly spreading clump of magnificent habit, reaching over a metre in width and height. Able to grow in dense shade, it is irreplaceable for bringing lushness under deciduous trees and bushes, areas of the garden that are often difficult to landscape.

Dryopteris affinis is a perennial terrestrial fern with a short and robust rhizome belonging to the family of Dryopteridaceae. It originates from the moist undergrowth of deciduous trees in Western and Southwest Europe, as well as Central Asia. This species tolerates cold very well and thrives in regions with high rainfall, in non-calcareous humus. In a few years, it forms a harmonious, divergent and dense clump, at least 1 metre (3 feet) in all directions. In spring, 'croziers' emerge from the stump, beautiful curled shoots covered with golden scales. They unfurl into very ornamental juvenile fronds, also golden in colour. The adult fronds are bipinnate, semi-evergreen to evergreen depending on the harshness of winter, of a light green colour. They can reach 1.20 metres (4 feet) in length and retain a scaly and golden rachis and petiole from their youth. The spores, which are the reproductive organs in ferns, form from June to September on the undersides of the fronds, gathered in small brown sacs called sori.

This superb fern loves shady and cool slopes, rooted in slightly acidic, non-calcareous soil, and is truly beautiful in humid regions. Prune the old fronds in early spring, as it is when the new ones appear that you will fully appreciate this fern. Plant it as a specimen against a north-facing wall, near an entrance, or against a north-facing porch to be admired. It is majestic in a bed, surrounded by low-growing shade perennials, such as creeping bugle, dead nettles, and wood sorrels. It also deserves a prominent place on the terrace, always in the shade, in a beautiful jar that matches its elegance.