Why Plant Ostrich Fern?
The stately Ostrich Fern. This regal Spirit is the picture of grace. Its fronds shoot up from the center and arch like a fountain; it carries itself with a calm confidence. Give this spreader room to run to show it off to best advantage. It’s sublime in the dappled shade of a woodland garden, but it will flourish in any moist, shady spot in your landscape. In fall, the leaves turn yellow and die down, but interesting brown fertile fronds appear, lasting throughout the winter as ornaments during the cold months. These fronds make unique additions to dried arrangements.
Having been around for millions of years—since the time of the dinosaurs and before—ferns speak to a primal part of us. They give a sort of lush, prehistoric feel to shady garden retreats. Ostrich Fern is especially evocative of this mood, with its dramatic fronds, long and elegant like real ostrich feathers. It becomes most impressive in cool northern climates where it is happiest (it struggles in hot regions). Ostrich Fern has a surprisingly large native range and can be found growing wild in Europe, eastern Asia, and right here in the eastern U.S. (and Canada).
How to use Ostrich Fern in the landscape?
A gourmet treat in spring! The tightly coiled new Ostrich Fern fronds that emerge in spring are called fiddleheads, and fiddleheads are a gourmet delicacy. Fine restaurants pay top dollar for them. They must be cooked before being consumed and are most often sautéed in butter. You won’t find them at the supermarket, but if you grow these in your garden, you can enjoy them every spring!
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 3-7
How To Plant Ostrich Fern
Moisture is key to growing healthy Ostrich Ferns. They don’t like to dry out and will even grow in mucky soil if you have a troublesome area in your landscape that doesn’t drain well. Shade is also a necessity, especially during the hottest part of the day. Plants will tolerate more sun in cool-summer regions. After the season’s growth has died down, it’s best to wait until spring to trim the dead fronds off, though you can do this job in late fall if you find the old stems distracting—or, you can just leave them be, as in nature. Ostrich Fern will spread to form new clumps, so plant it with this in mind or confine it with a barrier.
How To Water
Water as soon as they arrive! Ferns need to be watered regularly to maintain evenly moist soil for proper establishment in the landscape.
How To Fertilize
Fertilizing the Ostrich Fern really is not necessary, but if you prefer to give a slight boost we recommend using our Elements Starter Plant Food!
How To Prune
Each fall, just before winter sets in clean up the previous years foliage and compost it. Be sure your perennials are mulched well for winter protection. Two inches of an organic mulch will do the job. Consider leaving the plant debris in place through the winter and doing your clean up on the weather warms in the spring. While it doesn't make things neat and tidy, the debris provides overwintering protection for insects, their eggs and pupae including our native Viceroy butterfly.
How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our big trees, sizes XL and bigger, require expert delivery and care, that means our extra-large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care. We deliver your trees and plants directly to you. Ask Bower & Branch about planting services – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*For Big trees and Shrubs, Size XL and bigger: Review our Seasonal Shipping Timelines and Policy here.
Your trees and plants are grown across the United States at various Bower & Branch Growers. Depending on your location, your plant orders may be shipped from various locations. Please expect orders with multiple items to be delivered over a number of days as a result. Orders made up of numerous items or selections will not arrive at your home on the same day.
Shipping Delays:
From time to time, Bower & Branch Growers may determine to delay order shipment based on various factors for plant health. Weather in your region, as well as, where your plants are grown, is always considered when shipping. Extreme weather conditions may delay some or all of your order. Bower & Branch allows our Growers to make final shipping decisions based solely to benefit your trees and plants’ health and success.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
