Ostrich fern is a beautiful, big, recognizable fern. people go straight to the ostrich fern because it’s familiar. And, truth be told, they are wonderful. But, they bring their own challenges.
For one, if your soil dries out, ostrich ferns are going to be stressed. They will brown and wither fairly quickly. Another challenge is that if they do stay moist, they tend to have a spreading habit and can quickly take over an area due to their robust rhizomes.
I don’t want to dissuade you from ostrich fern if you’ve got your mind made up. However, if you are open to ideas, we’re excited to announce that Sally has perfected her growing methods for both Cinnamon and Royal Ferns. Both are large ferns, similar in height to ostrich fern. Both of these ferns also diresd somewhat by rhizome, but not as aggressively as ostrich fern.
Other great news is that if you’ve got the conditions to grow ostrich ferns—dappled light to shade, soil that stays moist, decaying leaves and lots of organic material in the soil—you can grow lots of different ferns! Check out the fern listings in our shop. There you will find descriptions and growing requirements for each fern.
Happy fern gardening!
(The fern pictured with the blog post is Cinnamon Fern)