Ostrich fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris
- Size
- 1.2 m tall, 1 m across
- Light
- Shade, part sun
- Hardy to
- -30 degrees
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves rather than its flowers
- Shade
- Grown for its leaves
- A wet spot or a rain garden
- Leaves worth having
- Takes shade
- Native
Safety
- Eaten, it may upset a stomach.
- A dog that chews it may get an upset stomach.
- A cat that chews it may get an upset stomach.
- Note: spreads by underground runners and can take over a bed; give it room or a barrier
Reviewed and approved for Poland by a qualified gardener with thirty years of practice, 22 September 2026.
What it needs, what it becomes
- Type
- Ferns
- Family
- Onocleaceae
- Size when mature
- 1.2 m tall, 1 m across
- Light
- Shade, part sun
- Moisture
- Moist
- Soil
- loam, clay
- Soil pH
- 5 to 7
- Hardy to
- -30 degrees
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves rather than its flowers
- For pollinators
- Little
- Water
- High water
- Upkeep
- Little
- Growth
- Fast
- In Europe
- Native
- Spreading risk
- Low
- If eaten
- People: Can upset a stomach · Dogs: Can upset a stomach · Cats: Can upset a stomach
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