Choose The King Ostrich Fern when you need a shaded area to fill quickly with a native, upright fern. The tradeoff is control: it spreads by runners, so don’t use it where you need a tidy, fixed clump.
Buy This If
You want fast shade coverage
You like a native fern look
You have room for spreading
Skip This If
You need a small clump
You dislike plants that wander
The site bakes in afternoon sun
PGNE Report Card
Category
Grade
Why
Landscape Impact
A-
It gives shaded beds a tall, full fern mass without relying on flowers.
Growth Rate
A
It fills ground quickly, which is useful in open shade and risky in tight beds.
Maintenance
B-
Care is simple, but you may need to pull or edge runners.
Deer Resistance
B+
Deer usually leave it alone, making it a safer bet than many soft shade plants.
Small Space Fit
D
Its spreading habit makes it a poor fit for small, mixed beds.
Screening Value
C
It can soften low views during the growing season, but it is not a permanent screen.
Compare It To
Hay-Scented Fern (#1)
Choose The King Ostrich Fern for taller colonies in shaded, moist ground; choose Hay-Scented Fern (#1) for lower woodland cover where a softer, meadow-like effect fits better.
Cinnamon Fern (#1)
Choose The King Ostrich Fern when you want faster spreading groundcover; choose Cinnamon Fern (#1) when you want a more specimen-like native fern with less running.
Christmas Fern (#1)
Choose Christmas Fern (#1) for tighter spaces and winter structure; choose The King Ostrich Fern for fast seasonal coverage over a larger shaded area.
Our Experience
At PGNE, we’d typically recommend this where the goal is to let a shaded bed naturalize, not where every plant needs to stay in its assigned spot.
Plant Facts
Mature Height
3–5 ft
Mature Width
Spreading colony
Hardiness Zones
3a-7b
Spacing
2–3 ft spacing (will fill in)
Sun
Part Shade to Shade
Moisture
Average to moist
Growth Habit
upright; spreading
Customers Usually Ask
Will it spread?
Yes. That is the main reason to buy it and the main reason to avoid it in tight beds.
Are the fiddleheads edible?
Ostrich fern is associated with edible fiddleheads, but nursery plants are sold for landscape use, not food production.
Does it handle deer?
It has good deer resistance, though no plant should be treated as immune.
Why Add Ferns to Your Landscape?
Perfect for Shade Gardens: Ferns thrive in partial to full shade, making them ideal for woodland and foundation plantings.
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Growzone Finder
It helps us recommend plants that are best for your local climate, based on your growing zone. Also, because we ship plants based on when they are best for your local climate, it allows us to give you a more accurate estimate of when your order will ship.
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I was very happy with my experience! Pro Growers are not only a quality outfit, but they have the best prices hands down!
Pro Growers of New England, Inc
Randy Cheney
Top notch service and product quality. I didn’t know what to expect seeing the ads on Facebook, so I went to the greenhouse. They had a wonderful variety of products and a very helpful staff. The delivery and installers were fast, neat and friendly. Pro Growers will be me go to for now on!
Emerald Green Arborvitae
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Starting with the owner, who gave us expert advice, along with a great group of installers, this company was a pleasure to work with.
Fair prices and great product. You can’t go wrong
Installation Service ($25)
Kayla Sem
Easy ordering, delivery and installation! Highly recommend ordering from Pro Growers of New England.
The two gentlemen that did the arborvitae installation were absolutely excellent. They listened to exactly what we wanted, mapped out the spots, and worked quickly and thoroughly to get it done. Outstanding work!
Top notch service and product quality. I didn’t know what to expect seeing the ads on Facebook, so I went to the greenhouse. They had a wonderful variety of products and a very helpful staff. The delivery and installers were fast, neat and friendly. Pro Growers will be me go to for now on!
