Osmunda regalis

Osmunda regalis: Regal Fronds, Wet Feet Welcome

Royal Fern is a native that unfurls bronze-tinted fronds like it's reading out a royal decree. Bright green, widely spaced leaflets with brown tassels at the tips. ROYALTY NEVER ASKS FOR DIRECTIONS.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Osmunda regalis
• Common Name: Royal Fern
• Height: 90–150 cm (3–5 ft)
• Spread: 60–90 cm (2–3 ft)
• Flowers: None; it is a fern. Brown, flower-like clusters of spore cases form at the tips of fertile fronds in early summer
• Foliage: Bright green, twice-divided fronds with widely spaced, oblong leaflets, often bronze-tinted as they unfurl; yellow in fall
• Features: Rabbit resistant, tolerates wet soil, RHS Award of Garden Merit

Where to Plant: Give it a moist, shady spot where its size can shine: beside a pond or stream, in a rain garden, at the edge of a woodland or as a specimen in a damp border. It handles standing water better than most ferns, so it's a natural for low, soggy parts of the yard.

Companion Plants: Plant royal fern in a moist to wet, shady native bed with spring wildflowers and a smaller fern in front. Trillium erectum opens maroon-red flowers at 20 to 40 cm in April and May. Cornus canadensis carpets the ground at 10 to 20 cm with white bracts in May and June. Onoclea sensibilis adds sensitive fern fronds at 30 to 90 cm. Liriope 'Monroe White' edges the front at 30 to 45 cm with white spikes in August and September.

Plant Care: Plant in part to full shade in rich, moist to wet soil. It grows best in acidic soil with plenty of organic matter, so work in leaf mould or compost. It can take more sun if the soil never dries out. Dry soil is the one thing it won't forgive. Water regularly, especially through the first two seasons. Mulch with shredded leaves. Cut back the old fronds in late fall or early spring. It grows from a slow, woody crown and is best left in place once established.

History: Osmunda regalis is one of the most widespread ferns in the world, growing wild across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, including the swamps and wet woods of Ontario and Quebec. The species name regalis means "royal," and it holds the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Final Thoughts: Wet soil, deep shade, deer and rabbits? It reigns over all of it. Plant it by the pond. ALL HAIL THE FERN.