African Garden + plants

Photo of the Week: Painted Fern
Athyrium nipponicum var. pictum

An inch and a half of rain last week has revived a few plants in the drought-weary garden, including this painted fern. There's nothing like fresh new growth to lift a gardener's spirits. This photo brings to mind some of the imagery from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, in the curl of the tip of the fern. Ah... Halloween... I'm so looking forward to it.