Add lush, year-round texture to your shade garden with Dryopteris championii, commonly known as Champion's Wood Fern. This elegant evergreen fern features glossy, deep green fronds that arch gracefully to create a full, layered appearance in woodland gardens, shaded borders, and naturalized landscapes.

Native to eastern Asia, Champion's Wood Fern is prized for its handsome evergreen foliage, adaptability, and easy-care nature. Its upright, clump-forming habit provides beautiful structure beneath trees, along shaded pathways, or as a backdrop for flowering shade perennials. Deer resistant and exceptionally low maintenance, this hardy fern is an excellent choice for creating a rich woodland atmosphere throughout the year.

Whether planted individually or in mass plantings, Champion's Wood Fern brings timeless elegance and dependable beauty to shaded landscapes.

🌿 Key Features

🌿 Glossy evergreen fronds

🌳 Excellent woodland garden fern

🍃 Elegant arching foliage

🦌 Deer resistant

🌱 Low-maintenance perennial

🌧️ Thrives in moist, shaded gardens

🏡 Perfect for borders and foundation plantings

❄️ Hardy in USDA Zones 5–9

🌱 Plant Details

Botanical Name: Dryopteris championii

Common Name: Champion's Wood Fern

Plant Type: Evergreen Perennial Fern

Foliage Color: Glossy Deep Green

Flower Color: None (grown for ornamental foliage)

Mature Height: 18–24 Inches

Spread: 18–24 Inches

Growth Habit: Upright, Clump-Forming

Growth Rate: Moderate

Light Requirements: Partial Shade to Full Shade

Water Needs: Moderate

Soil: Rich, Moist, Well-Drained Soil

Hardiness Zones: USDA 5–9

Characteristics: Evergreen, Deer Resistant, Low Maintenance, Woodland Plant, Shade Loving, Architectural Foliage

🌼 Garden Uses

Perfect for:

• Woodland gardens
• Shade gardens
• Foundation plantings
• Understory landscapes
• Mixed perennial borders
• Native-style gardens
• Container gardens
• Fern collections
• Shaded pathways
• Moist woodland borders
• Naturalized landscapes
• Mass plantings

Its glossy evergreen foliage provides year-round texture and structure in shaded gardens.

🌸 Companion Plants

Pair Champion's Wood Fern with:

• Hosta
• Astilbe
• Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum)
• Foamflower (Tiarella)
• Brunnera 'Jack Frost'
• Heuchera
• Epimedium
• Japanese Forest Grass
• Carex (Sedge)
• Hellebores

🌱 Care Instructions

Plant in partial to full shade for best growth.

Grow in rich, moist, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter.

Keep soil consistently moist during establishment.

Apply mulch annually to retain moisture and improve soil quality.

Remove old or damaged fronds in late winter before new growth emerges.

Avoid prolonged drought or poorly drained soils.