Grow ostrich fern in part shade, in soil that stays moist, where a colony can run. Shops also say shuttlecock fern, ostrich-feather fern, or fiddlehead fern. It is Matteuccia struthiopteris. It is not cinnamon fern, and not the sensitive fern that shops sometimes label Japanese ostrich fern.
Give it part shade, even moisture, and room to run
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Part shade to full shade; more sun only if the soil stays moist and cool | Do not leave it in hot afternoon sun on dry ground |
| Soil | Moist to wet loam, sandy or clay, with leaf mold | Do not plant it in a mixed hosta bed it will fill |
| Water | Keep the ground evenly moist through the season | Do not let the bed dry out, and do not leave the crowns in a stagnant puddle |
| Kind | Ostrich fern for a large moist woodland or rain-garden sweep | Do not buy cinnamon fern or sensitive fern and expect these edible fiddleheads |
ostrich fern is a deciduous woodland fern about three to five feet tall. The sterile fronds stand in a vase, widest above the middle and tapering to very short pinnae at the base. [1] Site it where a colony can run — a stream bank, a rain garden, or a north woodland sweep — not a small mixed border. Underground runners send up new crowns, so the patch fills in instead of staying one clump. [2] Keep the ground evenly moist. Wet soil is fine if it still drains; a dry week browns the thin fronds, and a stagnant puddle around the crowns is not a floodplain. [3]
- Choose a woodland edge, a rain garden, or a north wall where the soil stays moist. Leave mixed hosta and astilbe beds for ferns that stay in a clump.
- Give part shade to full shade. Morning sun is fine if the soil stays moist. Hot afternoon sun on dry ground scorches the fronds.
- Water so the ground never dries. After the colony is established, water again in a long dry spell, and do not leave the crowns sitting in standing water with no outflow.
- Skip a rich vegetable-bed fertilizer around the roots. Leaf mold or compost in the soil is enough.
Once the sweep is chosen, set the nursery plant on Planting Ostrich Fern. Spring fiddleheads belong on Harvesting Ostrich Fern.
How much sun does ostrich fern need?
Part shade to full shade. It takes more sun if the soil stays moist and cool. Hot afternoon sun on dry ground scorches the fronds.
How often do I water ostrich fern?
Keep the ground evenly moist through the season. Water again in a long dry spell. Do not let a new planting dry out, and do not leave the crowns in a stagnant puddle.
Does ostrich fern come back every year?
Yes. It is a hardy deciduous fern. The green fronds die back in fall. Shorter brown fertile plumes can stand through winter, and new fiddleheads come in spring if the crowns stayed in place.
Will it take over a mixed shade bed?
Yes, if you plant it among hosta and astilbe. Give it a large moist sweep of its own so the runners can spread without filling a mixed border.
Cut brown fronds in late winter
The green sterile fronds die back in fall. Shorter fertile plumes in the center turn brown and can stand into winter. Cut the spent leaves at the base in late winter, before the new fiddleheads unroll. Do not cut green fronds in summer to tidy the vase — those leaves still feed the crown.
- Wait until the sterile fronds are brown, not just tired after a hot week.
- Cut them at the base with clean shears.
- Leave a light leaf mulch over the crowns if you cut in fall, so freeze-and-thaw does not lift them.
Not cinnamon fern, not sensitive fern, and not lady fern
Cinnamon fern is Osmunda. Its fiddleheads are woolly, and each pinna has a tuft of rusty hairs at the base on the underside. Ostrich fern fiddleheads are smooth, with a deep U-groove on the inner stem and thin brown papery scales, not wool. See How to Grow Cinnamon Fern if that is the plant you bought.
Sensitive fern is Onoclea sensibilis. The blade is coarser, with leaflets joined along the stem, and shops sometimes label it Japanese ostrich fern. That is not this vase. Lady fern is Athyrium, a lacy clump for moist woods; see How to Grow Lady Fern. New York fern tapers at both ends; ostrich fern tapers abruptly at the tip and has very short pinnae at the base. See How to Grow Maiden Fern for New York fern. Wood fern is Dryopteris; see How to Grow Wood Fern. [4] Some lists now say Onoclea struthiopteris for ostrich fern. That is still this plant, not sensitive fern. Bracken is Pteridium, fuzzy at the fiddlehead and without a U-groove — do not eat it.
Is ostrich fern the same as cinnamon fern?
No. Cinnamon fern is Osmunda, with woolly fiddleheads and rusty tufts at the pinna bases. Ostrich fern has a smooth U-grooved stem and papery scales, not wool.
If the fronds brown in July, check afternoon sun and a dry bed before you move the plant.
FAQ
Is there more than one kind of ostrich fern?
The shop card is this one species, Matteuccia struthiopteris. Tags also say shuttlecock fern, ostrich-feather fern, or fiddlehead fern for the same plant. The King is a cultivar of this species, not a second kind. Japanese ostrich fern on a sensitive-fern tag is Onoclea, not this vase.
Can I grow it in a pot?
A large pot can hold a nursery plant for a season if the mix stays moist and drains. This fern is a running woodland colony, not a porch hanging basket.
Can I grow it indoors as a houseplant?
It is not a houseplant fern. Dry indoor air browns the frond tips. Grow it outdoors where a colony can run.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] NC State Extension -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/onoclea-struthiopteris/ - [2] Native Plant Trust -
https://plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.org/plant/Matteuccia-struthiopteris - [3] Prairie Nursery -
https://www.prairienursery.com/ostrich-fern-matteuccia-struthiopteris.html - [4] Illinois Wildflowers -
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/grasses/plants/ostrich_fern.htm
This note is part of Matteuccia Guides.
More first-season notes by plant are gathered in How to Grow Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors