Athyrium Godzilla

Athyrium 'Godzilla', a 2009 Plant Delights/JLBG introduction, showed up in our garden in the mid-1990s and it wasn't long before we realized we had something special. There was something about its 3' tall x 6.5' wide proportions that were a bit out of the ordinary for a typical Japanese painted fern, despite its typical painted fern leaf appearance. Although the leaf backs of Athyrium 'Godzilla' were covered in patches of felty brown spores, there was no viability, indicating some horticultural hanky panky with a nearby lady fern (Athyrium asplenioides) had conceived this "mule." The name, of course, is a salute to one of the great Japanese b-movie giant monster icons. As with all athyriums, deer-resistance is excellent.