Add bold color and elegant texture to your shade garden with Athyrium niponicum ‘Regal Red’, a Japanese Painted Fern featuring dramatic burgundy-red fronds brushed with shimmering silver accents.

This compact deciduous fern is prized for its vibrant foliage, low-maintenance care, and excellent performance in woodland gardens, shaded borders, and containers. Its soft arching habit creates beautiful contrast with hostas, heuchera, astilbe, and other shade-loving perennials.

Why Gardeners Love ‘Regal Red’

• Rich burgundy-red foliage with silver highlights
• Elegant arching vase-shaped habit
• Deer and rabbit resistant
• Thrives in moist shade gardens
• Perfect for containers and woodland borders
• Hardy and easy to maintain

Plant Details

• Botanical Name: Athyrium niponicum ‘Regal Red’
• Common Name: Regal Red Japanese Painted Fern
• Plant Type: Deciduous perennial fern
• Mature Height: 12–18 inches
• Mature Spread: 18–24 inches
• Foliage Color: Burgundy red and silver-gray
• Light Requirements: Partial shade to full shade
• Water Needs: Moderate; prefers evenly moist soil
• Soil Preference: Rich, organic, well-draining soil
• Hardiness Zones: 4–9
• Growth Habit: Upright arching clump

Ideal Garden Uses

Woodland gardens
Shade borders
Moist garden beds
Groundcover plantings
Container gardens
Erosion control in shaded spaces
Cottage and fern gardens

Recommended Planting Partners

Pairs beautifully with:

• Hosta
• Heuchera
• Astilbe
• Bleeding Heart
• Brunnera
• Epimedium
• Toad Lily

Care Tips

• Keep soil consistently moist but well-drained
• Add compost or organic matter for best growth
• Protect from harsh afternoon sun
• Trim old fronds in early spring before new growth emerges
• Mulch annually to help retain moisture and regulate soil temperature

Shipping Information

• Ships as a healthy live plant in a 3.5” pot
• Growth stage varies depending on season
• Carefully packaged for moisture retention and safe delivery
• Orders over $35 qualify for free USPS Ground shipping

Plant Condition Disclosure

Live plants may be shipped dormant, leafless, recently pruned, bare root, or partially defoliated depending on season, weather, and shipping requirements.

Natural variation in size, branching, foliage density, color, root structure, and overall appearance should be expected.

Important Note

You will receive a live starter plant (seedling/young plant). Listing photos show the plant at a mature stage for reference only. The actual plant size, shape, and appearance may vary and will be significantly smaller than the images shown.

Customer Notice for Live Plants

Live plants may experience normal shipping stress such as leaf loss, yellowing, wilting, or minor branch damage.

Please consider local weather before purchasing. Extreme heat, freezing temperatures, severe weather, shipping delays, or unattended packages may increase plant stress.

Due to the perishable nature of live plants, returns are generally not accepted. If there is an issue with your order, please contact us within 48 hours of delivery and provide the required photos for review.

• Photos of the shipping box
• Photo of the shipping label
• Clear photos of the plant from multiple angles
• Scratch test photos if the plant appears dead or dormant

Dormant, stressed, defoliated, wilted, or transit-shocked plants are not automatically considered dead.

Claims submitted without the required photos or more than 48 hours after delivery may not be eligible for review, replacement, or refund.