Ornamental · Onocleaceae
Ostrich Fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris
Give it shade and steady moisture, and this forgiving hardy fern rewards you with knee-high fronds shaped like green shuttlecocks.
Partial shade
Every 3–7 days
USDA 3–7
3–6 ft · 0.9–1.8 m
Overview
If you are just starting out, the ostrich fern is a lovely first choice, because it is one of the easiest hardy ferns to grow and it forgives the odd slip. Its tall, arching fronds fan out like the plumes of a shuttlecock, and the plant shrugs off winter, staying cold-hardy down to -40°F (-40°C) in zones 3 through 7 where fussier ornamentals give up. Find it a damp, shaded corner and it forms a lush colony with barely any help from you.
Two simple things keep it content, and both are easy to get right: shade and water. This is a fern of cool, moist woodland and stream banks, so it does not enjoy hot, dry, open ground. Set it where the soil stays damp and the afternoon sun never quite reaches, and it thanks you with fronds that can stand 3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 cm) tall.
One friendly heads-up so nothing catches you off guard: the fern spreads by underground runners and slowly widens its patch, so give it elbow room or pen it in with a barrier, and all will be well. Its other delight is the fiddlehead, the tightly coiled crown gathered in early spring as a foraged vegetable, and it makes very good eating once it is properly cooked.
Care
The short version: part to full shade with rich, consistently moist soil that never dries out, and you are most of the way there. Mulch to keep the damp in and the roots cool, feed lightly in spring, and give the colony room or a root barrier so its cheerful spread stays where you want it.
Light
This fern is happiest in part to full shade. It will take a touch of morning sun where the soil stays wet, but hot afternoon sun scorches the fronds and hurries the plant into early dormancy, so a shaded spot keeps it looking its best.
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist to wet and never let it dry right out. The fern is built for streambanks and damp woodland, so it fades quickly in hot, dry sites. In a normal spell, watering every 3 to 7 days works well, and lean a little wetter when the heat sets in.
Soil
Plant it in rich, humusy ground that holds moisture, and even heavy clay is fine, since it tolerates clay happily. A pH anywhere from 5.0 to 7.0 suits it, so most garden soil will do as long as it stays damp.
Temperature
Cold really is no worry here, with hardiness running from -40°F to 86°F (-40°C to 30°C). The one thing to watch is the top of that range, because steady heat is what nudges the fronds into their summer slump.
Humidity
It loves the moist air of a shaded, damp spot, roughly 40% to 70%. Outdoors that tends to look after itself once the soil and shade are right, so there is nothing extra to do.
Feeding
A light spring feed with a balanced fertilizer is plenty, or you can simply topdress with compost or leaf-mold mulch. A fern sitting in good woodland soil hardly asks for more than that.
Pruning
Pruning stays wonderfully light. Trim back any tattered or browned green fronds in late fall or early spring before the new fiddleheads appear, and feel free to leave the brown fertile fronds standing over winter for a little interest, then tidy them in spring.
Repotting
This is not a container plant, so put repotting out of mind. Instead, lift and divide a congested colony every 3 to 4 years when the crowns begin to crowd and the fronds start coming up smaller and weaker.
Size & spacing
Mature fronds reach 3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 cm) tall, and a colony spreads 2 to 8 feet (60 to 240 cm) wide over time. Plant with that eventual sprawl in mind, or hold it gently back with a root barrier, and you will avoid any crowded surprises later.
When to plant
Think of this as a spring fern that takes the summer easy. Set new plants out in spring once frost has passed, or in early fall, and gather the coiled fiddleheads in early spring as the crowns push up but before the fronds unfurl. Do not worry when the fronds tire and brown by midsummer; that is simply the plant slipping into its natural rest.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Spring after frost, or early fall
- Harvest: Non-flowering; harvest fiddleheads in early spring as the coiled crowns emerge, before the fronds unfurl
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–7
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
An ostrich fern gives you very little to fret about, and most of what looks like a problem is only the plant reacting to heat or reaching for more room. Have a calm look at the signs below before you reach for any fix, and more often than not the answer turns out to be shade, water, or a spade.
Fresh crowns turning up well past the parent clump
Nothing is wrong here; this is just the fern's spreading habit showing how content it is. Underground stolons quietly send out runners that pop up as new fiddlehead crowns, and a happy patch keeps reaching outward. If it wanders too far, lift the stray crowns in spring or fall, or sink a deep root barrier, and you can guide the colony to stay just where you would like it.
Fix:
- Dig out unwanted crowns and runners in spring or fall
- Install a physical root barrier to contain the colony
- Divide and relocate or discard excess crowns
Fronds fading and looking worn out by high summer
Take a breath, because a good share of this is simply summer dormancy, the gentle way an ostrich fern settles down once real heat arrives. What is left comes from heat and drought stress, and that grows worse with too much sun and soil left to dry. Give it a deep drink, tuck mulch around it to hold the damp and cool the roots, and you will see the crown send up fresh fronds again come spring.
Fix:
- Water deeply to keep soil consistently moist
- Mulch to retain moisture and cool the roots
- Provide more shade in hot climates
- Remove tattered fronds; the plant rebounds from the crown the following spring
Toxicity
Here is a real comfort for a home with animals: the ostrich fern carries no known toxins and is not flagged as a poison to pets or livestock. People even eat its fiddleheads, though only after a proper cook. The single caution worth keeping in mind is about cooking your own foraged fiddleheads, not about a pet brushing past the plant.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
There is no record of this fern poisoning cats, so a curious nibble is very unlikely to cause any harm. Should a cat overdo it on greenery, you might see a little coughed-up matter or a soft stool, and that soon passes.
Dogs None
Dogs have no known poisoning from this fern, so you can relax about a chewed frond. About the most a sensitive pup might feel is a mildly upset tummy that settles within a day.
Horses None
Rest easy about horses, since nothing on record ties ostrich fern to any harm in them. This is not the bracken fern that troubles pastures, so a grazing horse has nothing to worry about.
Rabbits None
Rabbits can nibble the fronds with no known trouble at all. As with any fresh green, offer it a little at a time so their gut has room to get used to it.
Livestock None
Cattle, goats, and sheep can graze around an ostrich fern in comfort, as it carries none of the toxins found in bracken. That makes it an easy plant to have near a mixed herd.
Birds None
Birds face no reported toxicity here, whether a pet or a backyard flock. A hen that gives the fronds a peck is perfectly fine.
People None
The young fiddleheads are a treasured spring vegetable, and cooking is the one step that makes them safe and delicious. Boil them for 15 minutes or steam them for 10 to 12, because raw or barely cooked fiddleheads can make you sick.
No special contact precautions are documented. If foraging fiddleheads for food, rub off the brown papery husk, wash, and cook thoroughly (boil 15 minutes or steam 10-12 minutes); never eat them raw or merely sauteed/stir-fried/microwaved.
Varieties
Most gardens grow the plain species and do wonderfully with it, but a few selections turn up when you want a little extra size or the true native form. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
'The King'
A grand, oversized pick with a stout crown and fronds around half again the usual size, now and then reaching close to 7 feet tall.
'Jumbo'
A strong, large-fronded form to reach for when you simply want the biggest shuttlecock the plant will happily produce.
subsp./var. pensylvanica
This is the home-grown North American form of the species, gently set apart from the Eurasian populations of the same fern.
How to propagate
Multiplying an ostrich fern asks almost nothing of you, because the plant is already busy cloning itself underground and simply invites you to lift and move the results.
DivisionEasy
Spring as crowns emerge, or early fall · 1 to 2 growing seasons
You really can do this, since the fern makes it easy. Lift and split the crowns as they wake in spring, or wait for early fall, whichever suits you. The plant does much of the work on its own, sending out underground stolons that surface as offset crowns, and those are simple to slice away and replant. Give a transplant 1 to 2 growing seasons to settle in and start throwing full-sized fronds. In the wild it sows itself from spores on the brown fertile fronds, yet at home division is nearly always the friendliest way to go.
Myths
Fiddleheads are fine to eat raw or barely cooked, like any other spring green.
Raw and undercooked fiddleheads have caused foodborne-illness outbreaks across the US and Canada since 1994, with nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, and headaches. The kind fix is simple: rub off the brown husk, then boil them 15 minutes or steam them 10 to 12 minutes. A quick saute, stir-fry, or zap in the microwave just will not get them hot enough for long enough.
Every fern's fiddleheads are good to eat.
Only the ostrich fern's fiddleheads are recommended for the table, and only after a full cook. Bracken and other ferns can be toxic or even cancer-causing, so taking a moment to get the identification right truly matters before anything reaches the pot.
Ostrich fern is a Eurasian import that doesn't belong in North America.
Happily, the fern is native to both Eurasia and North America. The home-grown form even carries its own name, M. struthiopteris subsp./var. pensylvanica.