Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Ostrich Fern: Giant Green Plumes for the Damp, Shady Corner
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Ostrich fern is one of the biggest and best-loved garden ferns, with bright green fronds shaped like tall feather plumes. In good, damp conditions the spring fronds can reach 5 to 6 feet, rising in a tight vase that arches out at the tips. Later, a shorter set of stiff, dark brown fertile fronds appears in the center and stands through winter.
It is native to wet woods and streambanks, and it behaves like it: give it moisture and it spreads by underground runners into a colony of green vases.
Ostrich fern at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Matteuccia struthiopteris |
| Foliage | Bright green plumes, bronze-gold in fall |
| Size | About 3 to 6 feet tall, 3 to 4 feet wide per clump |
| Habit | Upright, vase-shaped clumps that spread by runners |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 3 to 7 |
| Light | Full sun to full shade, with consistently moist soil |
| Deer and rabbits | Resistant |
| Recognition | RHS Award of Garden Merit |
Where it fits in a lavender garden plan
Let us be honest: if you plant ostrich fern in a lavender bed, one of them will be miserable, and it will probably be both. Lavender needs dry, lean soil; the fern needs damp to wet soil that never dries out.
On the same property, though, they can work as a pair. Most lavender gardens have a low corner where water collects, a shady north side of a building or a ditch line along the trees. That is ostrich fern ground. Filling the wet spots with ferns keeps you from forcing lavender where it will rot, and the tall plumes make a cool green backdrop when seen from the sunny beds. Sort your sun and shade zones in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting and care
- Moisture: the deciding factor. In sun it must never dry out; in shade it is more forgiving.
- Heat: it prefers cool summers. In hot, dry weather fronds brown by midsummer, so give afternoon shade.
- Spreading: runners travel quickly. Give it room or dig out extras in spring.
- Winter: fully hardy in Michigan and dies to the ground. Leave old fronds over the crown and remove them in early spring before the new fiddleheads unfurl.
- Pests: slugs may nibble new fronds; poorly drained soil can bring crown rot.
Fiddleheads
Ostrich fern is the classic source of spring fiddleheads, a traditional seasonal vegetable. If you harvest, take only a few from each established crown, clean off the brown scales and cook them thoroughly. Never eat them raw.
Choosing a tray size
Ostrich fern is offered as a 72-cell plug tray for naturalizing a large area and as a 20-cell plug tray with fewer, larger plugs for smaller plantings. See the product pages for current availability, or the Wholesale Hub for tray orders.
Frequently asked questions
Will ostrich fern take over?
In moist soil it spreads fast. That is ideal for filling a wet bed but worth planning around near tidy borders.
Can it grow in a rain garden?
Yes. Rain gardens and streambanks are some of its best uses.
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