Description of Athyrium otophorum var. okanum

Athyrium otophorum var. okanum is an Asian lady fern grown for colourful fronds and tidy clumps. It suits damp shade and gives you foliage interest even when flowers in the bog garden slow down.

Appearance

New fronds often open with pink, bronze, or reddish tones, then settle to green with a subtle sheen. It forms a clump rather than running, usually 40 to 70cm tall depending on conditions.

Care Guide

It wants damp, humus-rich soil. It does not like baking sun.

• Sun: Part shade to shade.
• Soil: Moist, humus-rich soil with leaf mould.
• Water: Keep consistently damp, especially in summer.
• Mulch: Top up with leaf mould each spring.
• Tidy: Remove old fronds in late winter before new growth.

If fronds scorch, move it to a cooler spot and keep the root zone wetter.

Suitability for Bog Garden

This suits bog gardens on the shady edge, not the saturated centre. It’s ideal near paths, under shrubs, or on the north side of a raised bog planter.

Pair it with primulas and hostas for a clean, leafy look.

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