Kurt Bluemel, Inc.

Ferns / O

(Botanical Listing)

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Botanical / Common Name
Description
Photo
Onoclea sensibilis
Sensitive Fern

Best grown in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soil in part shade to full shade. Needs consistent moisture. Although native to swampy and marshy areas, it grows quite well in average garden soil as long as soil is not allowed to dry out. Usually grows taller in wet soil. Spreads by both creeping rhizomes and spores, and can be somewhat aggressive in optimum growing conditions. Sensitive fern is a large, somewhat coarse, deciduous fern that occurs in wet woods and thickets and in moist soils along streams and springs. Commonly called sensitive fern because the green vegetative fronds are sensitive to fall frost. Onoclea is also sensitive to drought.

  • Part shade to full shade
  • Medium to wet soil
  • Height 4 feet x Spread 3.5 feet
  • Deciduous and Native
  • Zone 4-9
Osmunda cinnamomea
Cinnamon Fern

Cinnamon fern is a regal, upright, vase-shaped fern with lustrous green fronds. Showy, spore-bearing, stiff, fertile fronds appear in early spring and turn quickly bright cinnamon-brown, hence its common name. Ferns provide seasonal cover and hiding places for ground frequenting birds.  This fern is significant in the American landscape and easily identifiable among other ferns and shade perennials.  Native fern found in the wet woods near ponds, streams and ditches.

  • Height: 2’-3’ x Spread: 2’-3’
  • Full shade
  • Zone 3-9
Osmunda claytoniana
Interrupted Fern

During early spring growth, it is difficult to distinguish the interrupted fern from the cinnamon fern unless there are fronds left over from the previous year. Both have woody bases and large, pale green fronds. It is one of the earliest ferns to emerge in the spring, arising from a white, cottony ball that was formed the previous fall. As the plant grows, the fertile leaflets appear in the middle of the frond (giving the plant its "interrupted" name). Once the spores mature, the fertile parts wither and fall off, leaving an empty area in the middle of each frond. This fern can often be seen growing with the cinnamon fern. It tolerates much the same conditions, preferring shaded woodlands with moist, rich soil. The interrupted fern does not establish itself quickly, so if habitat is destroyed, it will be slow to return. That's why some judicious transplanting can be useful to help it return to an area.

  • Height: 8-20 inches X Width: 16 inches (40 cm).
  • Part to full shade.
  • Zone 2-8
Osmunda regalis
Royal Fern

Tall, deciduous fern which typically grows in clumps to 2-3' tall, but with consistent moisture in optimum growing conditions can reach 6' in height. Broad fronds have large, well-separated leaflets that give this fern an almost pea-family appearance. Fronds typically turn yellow to brown in autumn. Spores are located in brown, tassel-like, fertile clusters at the tips of the fronds, thus giving rise to the additional common name of flowering fern for this plant. Interesting fact, Osmunda fiber used in the potting of orchids comes from the fibrous roots of these ferns.

  • Sun: Part shade to full shade
  • Medium to wet soil
  • Height: 2 to 3 feet
  • Spread: 2 to 3 feet
  • Native- deciduous after frost
  • Zone 4-6
Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis
Royal Fern

Royal fern is a tall, deciduous fern that typically grows in clumps to 2-3' tall, but with consistent moisture in optimum growing conditions can reach 6' in height. Broad fronds have large, well-separated leaflet.  This is a North American variety of the Osmunda regalis that var spectabilis The North American version has thinner, more distant segments, and fewer hairs.  Fronds typically turn yellow to brown in autumn. Spores are located in brown, tassel-like, fertile clusters at the tips of the fronds, thus giving rise to the additional common name of flowering fern for this plant.

  • Part shade to full shade
  • Medium to wet moisture
  • Height 3-6 feet Spread 2-3 feet
  • Native and Deciduous
  • Zone 4-7

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