Dryopteris erythrosora Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Autumn Fern

Dryopteris erythrosora

£11.79 £13.99 SAVE 15%
Hardy in the UKShade-tolerantRHS award winner
Pot size
17cm / 2L £11.79

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Dryopteris erythrosora, the autumn fern or copper shield fern, is one of the most colourful hardy ferns you can grow, and a standout in our Hardy Exotics range. Where most ferns offer cool greens, this Japanese species opens each spring with vivid coppery-pink and bronze new fronds that glow against shady planting. As the season turns they mature to a deep, glossy green, before warm coppery tints return in autumn, earning the plant its common name.

Why gardeners love it

The appeal is that ever-changing colour on a plant that asks for almost nothing in return. It forms a neat, arching clump of finely divided, leathery fronds, around 50-60cm tall and wide, never sprawling or swamping its neighbours. That tidy, clump-forming habit makes it perfect for the front of a woodland border, beside a shady path, or threaded between hostas, heucheras and spring bulbs.

  • Striking coppery-pink new growth in spring and autumn
  • Semi-evergreen, glossy fronds for year-round structure
  • Holds the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit
  • Compact, well-mannered and low-maintenance

Growing the autumn fern is refreshingly straightforward. Give it partial or full shade and a moist but well-drained soil enriched with leaf mould or compost; it is happy on most soils, from clay to chalk, and tolerates a range of pH. A sheltered, north or east-facing spot suits it best, out of harsh midday sun and drying winds. Keep the roots reliably moist, especially while plants establish, and it will reward you with steady, healthy growth.

It is genuinely tough. Fully hardy throughout the UK and able to shrug off temperatures down to roughly -15C, this fern survives a British winter with ease, holding much of its foliage in milder gardens and reshooting freely in spring elsewhere. Reaching its full size in two to five years, it also grows beautifully in a container for a shady patio or doorway. With no reported toxicity to people or pets, it is a reassuring choice for family gardens.

If you are searching for Dryopteris erythrosora for sale in the UK, every fern we send is nursery-grown, well-rooted and carefully selected, ready to settle quickly into your garden.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Autumn Fern

Give me sun with a little shade and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Autumn Fern

Dryopteris erythrosora needs partial shade or full shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −15°C and stands a UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Pots & Containers Shade

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H5): down to around −15°C. Hardy through a cold UK winter.

Hardy (RHS H5), evergreen. New fronds emerge coppery-red, maturing to deep green. Read moreShow less

Hardy (RHS H5), evergreen. New fronds emerge coppery-red, maturing to deep green.

Position

Partial shadeFull shadeNorth-facingEast-facingSheltered
Partial to full shade; shelter from cold winds. Read moreShow less

Partial to full shade; shelter from cold winds.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Moist, humus-rich soil; mulch with leaf mould. Read moreShow less

Moist, humus-rich soil; mulch with leaf mould.

Watering

Keep moist, especially while establishing. Read moreShow less

Keep moist, especially while establishing.

Mature size

Height45–60 cm
Spread30–45 cm

Reaches full size in 2-5 years

Growth habit

Clump-forming

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Semi-evergreen

Pruning

Semi-evergreen, so retain the fronds over winter, then shear the old fronds to the base in early spring before the coppery new growth appears.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity to people or pets.

Native range

E. Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Philippines)

Family

Dryopteridaceae

Also known as

Dryopteris erythrosora

Genus

Dryopteris
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dryopteris erythrosora hardy enough to survive a UK winter?

Yes. The autumn fern is fully hardy across the UK, comfortably tolerating temperatures down to around -15C. In milder gardens it holds much of its foliage through winter; in colder spots it may die back but reliably reshoots in spring.

Does it prefer sun or shade?

It is a shade-lover, happiest in partial or full shade where its fronds keep their best colour. Avoid hot, dry, sun-baked positions, which scorch the foliage. Dappled light beneath trees or a north or east-facing border is ideal.

How big does the autumn fern get?

It forms a tidy clump roughly 50-60cm tall and a similar spread, reaching its full size in around two to five years. Its compact, well-behaved habit makes it easy to place in mixed borders.

Is it evergreen?

It is semi-evergreen, keeping its glossy green fronds through mild winters and shedding them in harder ones. New growth emerges a striking coppery-pink each spring, so even after a tidy-up the display quickly returns.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Yes, it grows very well in a container of peat-free, loam-based compost kept reliably moist and out of direct sun. A pot lets you place its spring colour by a shady doorway or on a north-facing patio.

Is it safe around pets and children?

Dryopteris erythrosora has no reported toxicity to people, dogs or cats, making it a reassuring choice for family gardens and households with curious pets.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

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Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Dryopteris erythrosora
£11.79 £13.99