2004 Perennial Plant of the Year

Pictum fronds grow to 18 inches, are metallic silver with hints of red and blue.

And the envelope, please. The Perennial Plant Association's (PPA) ?EUR??,,????'??Perennial Plant of the Year?EUR??,,????'?? goes to ?EUR??,,????'??? the Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum,' a showy, low-maintenance Japanese painted fern that prefers shade and is hardy in all zones but northernmost zone 3 and the desert.

The PPA notes that among the popular garden combinations for Japanese painted fern are hosta 'Patriot,' 'ginko Craig' and Tiarella (foam flower). For something different, says the PPA, try Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans,' or mixing the fern with Carex (sedges), Carex morrowii 'Variegata' or Carex siderosticha 'Silver Sceptre.'

The fern needs compost-rich soil and does best in moist humid conditions. A well-grown plant can be separated in early spring into 3-4 divisions and replanted.