Quick Facts
Exposure: Sun or Shade
Height at Maturity: 3-5 Feet
Usage: Border Plants
Shipped As: Bare-root
Planting Zones: 3-8
Product Details
Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) takes its name from the Greek words for ostrich and fern, because the tall green fronds look like ostrich plumes. We ship bare-root ostrich fern in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500, for shade borders, streambanks and woodland plantings.
Ostrich Fern Size, Zones and Shade
Green fronds stand 3 to 5 feet tall in a clump 2 to 4 feet wide. Ostrich fern is hardy in zones 3-8 and prefers partial to full shade. It will take sun where summers are cool and the soil stays wet. It grows naturally in heavy, moist soil and handles an occasional wet spell. Deer leave it alone.
Fiddleheads and Fertile Fronds
Young coiled fronds, called fiddleheads, are cooked as a vegetable and are a delicacy in rural northeastern North America. They are not eaten raw, and the brown scales are rinsed or scraped off first. In autumn a shorter, 16 to 26 inch fertile frond forms in the center. It turns brown, stands through winter and releases spores in early spring.
Colonies and Wildlife
Plant a few and let them run. Slender underground runners push up new crowns beside the old ones, and the clump becomes a stand that can ride out a flood. Moth caterpillars, among them Sthenopis pretiosus, feed on the fronds, and a fungus, Woldmaria filiformis, grows at the base. For spacing and watering, see our ostrich fern care FAQs.
Good to Know About Ostrich Fern
Plan room for the colony to spread. Plant the crown just at soil level and keep the soil moist the first season. Our guide on planting bare-root ferns walks through it.
Ostrich Fern Packs and Shipping
Ostrich fern ships bare-root now, in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500. Volume pricing available. Browse more fern plants for sale.