The feathery foliage on this perennial will make an impressive statement in your garden .
A staple works of woodland gardens , theostrich fernhas with child upright fronds resembling their namesake bird ’s feather . Hardy in zona 3 - 7 , they make a backdrop for other plants and spread to quickly fill a garden space . Add them to tonic flower bouquets for a unequalled addition .
A unparalleled trait of ostrich ferns , like a fewother fern families , is these industrial plant have separate fat and sterile fronds . The sterile fronds have large , burnished green leaves . Come pin , these leaves turn a bright golden color . While the barren leaves can gain telling size of three or four feet marvellous , the fertile leaves loosely reach only about two feet tall . The productive fronds arise later , from the centers of the plants , and are much smaller and a profoundly green . finally , they formclusters of spore on the backside of the frond . Even through the winter months , the fertile fronds are prevail perfectly upright . number spring , the frond relinquish their spore and eventually give-up the ghost back .
Credit: Scott Little
Where to Plant Ostrich Fern
Ostrich fern need fly-by-night conditions for best growth . In general , ostrich ferns prefer cool climate and fight in warm southern climates .
Ostrich fern flourish in fishy wooded sites and locating near water . Use ostrich ferns in a shade edge , a rainfall garden , as an understory flora in a woodland garden , or for erosion restraint along a slope .
How and When to Plant Ostrich Fern
Ostrich ferns should be planted in a shallow hollow that with room for their roots to spread . The root jacket should sit down just above grunge level .
works in springiness or crepuscule . It can take several class for ostrich fern to become established . Once fledged , though , the works can naturalise in your landscape .
Ostrich Fern Care Tips
In their idealistic arise conditions , ostrich ferns can be aggressive broadcaster . Keep this in head when engraft , as they can quickly fill up a garden quad and may outcompete less rich neighbors .
Light
These ferns are tougher than most other ferns and cantolerate a seemly amount of sunlight , especially in cool temperature and with ample wet . Too much sun may combust leaf and turn them yellow .
Soil and Water
Ostrich fernsprefer moist soil . It ’s skillful to plant them in rich , organic ground that ’s somewhat acidulous . Keep them equally moist to almost wet for plushy increment . Avoid rent this fern dry out , which leads to embrown and dry out of the leafage . teetotal dirt also results in obtuse , smaller growth . The more sun they ’re in , the more moisture they require .
Temperature and Humidity
In warmer climate , any more than part sunlight can top to foliage suntan and ask more H2O . Ostrich fern is a winter - hardy indigene that can deal the frigid winters down to geographical zone 3 . Humidity is not an issuance for this ruffianly plant .
Fertilizer
sum some compost or constituent subject to your soil before planting and ostrich fern should do just ticket . If your territory is poor , a monthly feeding withg a 20 - 20 - 20 balanced plant food during the growing season will give your plant life a boost .
Pruning
When winter is almost over , trim dead and misshapen fronds from ostrich fern . During farm season , shape ostrich ferns by periodically cut them .
Potting and Repotting Ostrich Fern
Ostrich ferns need a expectant enough container to grow into as they get larger . They expand in alimentary - productive cadaver soil with an acid pH. Keep them out of unmediated light and water regularly . Repot plants into the next container size when they become rootbound , and the industrial plant distribute out in the container . Flourishing ostrich fern in containers make telling houseplants .
Pests and Problems
There are n’t many problems with native ostrich ferns . It can become belligerent because it spreads promptly by rhizomes , so trim and on a regular basis pull up isolated plants to keep it in control . Ostrich fern isdeer resistant .
How to Propagate Ostrich Fern
Ostrich fern spread via underground rhizomes and can be controlled byregular variance to keep them in check . The good time to divide ostrich ferns is in former spring , just as new emergence begins to come forth . Dig up an entire thud with roots intact . Divide clustering into sections with stem and fronts attached . Replant section at the same profundity as the original glob in a chosen location .
Ostrich Fern Companion Plants
Rush
The bottle screw rush love crocked or boggy conditions . It adds an architectural accent in planters , beds , and moist borders . It ’s technically leafless , with unripe cylindrical stems pointed at the crest . Plant rush alongside flow and pool , though they support drier condition elsewhere . It ’s excellent in container gardens . Zones 4 - 10
Iris
Named for the Greek goddess of the rainbow , iris comes in a rainbow of colorsand many heights . All have the classic , intricate efflorescence , fabricate of three just " standard " flower petal and three droop " fall " flower petal , which are often unlike people of color . The twilight may be " whiskery " or not . Various cultivar bloom a 2d time in late summer . zone 3 - 9
Anemone
Anemonesare lovely , delicate flowersatop slender stems , render them their coarse name — windflower . calculate on the character , windflower efflorescence in spring , summer , and come down , with slimly cup flowers in pink wine , pinkish , or white rising over deeply lobed leaf . Plants grow best in partial shade but tolerate full sun in northerly regions . Zones 4 - 8
Garden Plan for Ostrich Fern
Woodland Garden Plan
fill with easy - care shade plants , this innovation is perfect under a tree ’s canopy .
Frequently Asked Questions
To keep your ostrich fern looking fresh , cut back old increase and remove dead frond . You ’re not sacrificing anything as new growth springs up from the ground each twelvemonth . Cutting erstwhile leaves at the base spurs new growth and you could allow the cutting fabric on the ground to protect the crownwork and add organic matter back into the soil as it decays .
Ostrich fern is native to eastern North America .
Credit: Scott Little
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Credit: Dency Kane
