PlantFiles: Japanese Painted Fern
Athyrium niponicum var. pictum 'Burgundy Lace'

I garden in Alabama USDA zone 7a and my Burgundy lace ferns have thrived in the deep, moist shade next to my patio in humusy-soil. I have to water them twice daily in the heat of the summer, though. I've heard the foliage coloration is better the second year. I cannot wait!! I love this fern and grow it with Autumn fern and hosta 'elegans".

I live in the Pacific Northwest, the fern capital of the US one nursery owner said to me, and this is my favorite fern - hands down!!

If you want the color seen in vendor pics, grow it in the SHADE!
The 1st year that I had this fern, I kept it in a partly sunny location. I was very dissapointed by the color. It did not look anything like the vendor pics. It was mostly shades of grey-green. By Spring of the following year I had lost my battle with weeds in the area where the fern was planted. In addition, other plants in the area had grown substantially and needed serious pruning. Between the weeds and the overgrowth of its neighbors, I could not even see the fern. At first, I thought it was dead. When I pulled the weeds and pruned the surrounding plants, I was shocked to find that the fern was not only alive but was GORGEOUS, displaying all of the shades of burgandy, lavendar, and silver seen in the vendor photos! However, no longer hidden beneath other foliage, it quickly turned grey-green again. From this I learned that this fern looks best when grown in the SHADE!!!