While most blechnum ferns hate our humid summers, the Asian native Blechnum nipponicum has proven quite reliable. Blechnum nipponicum makes a unique symmetrical evergreen clump of 18″ long fronds that emerge rosy red and upright, then flatten out late in the growing season, appearing as though a testosterone-laden spouse drove through the woodland garden with a heavy-duty tractor. Although it’s not the easiest fern to cultivate, a well-prepared soil and an open woodland site have worked very well for us.
