Matteuccia struthiopteris

PerennialResource.com will be undergoing scheduled maintenance on Friday, May 28, from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Parts or all of the site may be unavailable during that time.

Common Name: Ostrich Fern

One of the largest and most popular ferns in cultivation today. The dark green, pinnate fronds are shaped like ostrich plumes, being much wider at the top and tapering down to a bare stipe.

The first set of leaves is sterile and has a gracefully arching form. These leaves can reach heights of 6' in ideal environments. This set of leaves dies back by early to midsummer and is replaced by a set of fertile, dark green leaves which are about half the height of the sterile ones. These leaves turn a shiny bronze-gold in fall, becoming brown in winter.

Ostrich ferns need plenty of space to grow since they are rapid spreaders. They spread by dense underground runners which extend out in all directions, quickly forming colonies.

Height:

3.0-6.0 Feet

Spread:

3.0-4.0 Feet

Hardiness Zones:

3,4,5,6,7

Foliage Color:

Green shades

Sunlight:

Full Sun (> 6 hrs. Direct Sun) Part Shade (4-6 hrs. Direct Sun) Full Shade (< 4 hrs. Direct Sun)

Water Requirements:

Average Water Needs Consistent Water Needs

Soil Quality:

Average Soil Quality Fertile Soil Quality

Soil Chemistry:

Acidic Soil (pH < 7.0) Neutral Soil (pH = 7.0)

Critter Resistant:

Deer Resistant Rabbit Resistant

Growth Rate:

Rapid

Garden Style:

Eclectic Rain Garden Woodland Shade

Other Features:

Bog Plant Border Plant Cut Foliage Ground Cover Attractive Foliage

Origin:

Native to North America

Native to marshy areas and creekbeds, Ostrich ferns prefer to be grown in moist, humus-rich soil with a neutral pH. If planted in cool, moist locations, they will tolerate full sun. In general, however, they prefer open shade.

Awards

Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit -- 1993

Characteristics