Ostrich Fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris
Bold, upright shuttlecocks of bright green fronds that bring height and texture to moist shade, woodland edges, rain gardens and banks, and deer leave it alone. It spreads by runners into colonies, so give it room to naturalize rather than a small bed.
- Mature size
- 4 × 3 ft
- 1.2 × 0.9 m, tall × wide
- Hardiness
- Zones 2b–7b
- USDA
- Sun
- Part sun to full shade
- Water
- Medium to moist
Ostrich Fern at its mature size
A mature Ostrich Fern grows 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide.
Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.
Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: NC State Extension.
Through the year
What Ostrich Fern looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.
Below ground · Nov–Mar
Dies back; only brown fertile stalks remain.
In leaf · Apr–Sep
Upright vase of bright green feather-like fronds.
Fall · Oct
Fronds yellowing to golden-tan and browning.
Photos
Growing Ostrich Fern
- Grows well in
- The Northeast, the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest.
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Good for
- Shade garden, rain garden, deer resistant, and fast growing
- Leaves
- Dies back in winter
- Native to
- North America, Europe, and Asia
Spacing
VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Ostrich Fern, that’s about 3 ft apart, center to center.
Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.
See Ostrich Fern in your yard before you dig
Visualize it at its true size, alongside the rest of your design.
Other ferns
Christmas Fern
Japanese Holly Fern
Western Sword Fern
Ostrich FernAll drawn to the same scale.