Matteuccia struthiopteris - Ostrich Fern

Matteuccia struthiopteris, also known as the ostrich fern, is a tall and beautiful fern with a spreading habit and a sculptural appearance. It produces a bouquet of large sterile and feathery fronds of a magnificent tender green, which is translucent when young. It creates an enchanting spectacle in spring woodland. The leaves die in winter, while a crown of small olive-green fronds, turning brown, persists in their centre. It is extremely hardy. This superb, atypical plant bears a sculptural appearance. It is fairly easy to succeed with. Grow it in moist, not too chalky soil, in partial shade or in not too dense shade.

Matteuccia struthiopteris is a rhizomatous and colonising plant native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, particularly from Eastern North America, Asia, Scandinavia, the Alps, and Germany. This plant belongs to the Onocleaceae family, and it is very close to Matteuccia pensylvanica, which is a slightly larger form with darker foliage. The plant has an upright habit, with a spreading clump of large fronds arranged in a crown, emerging from the ground. It reaches a height of 80cm (32in) to 1m (3ft) with a minimum width of 50cm (20in). Its rhizomes allow the plant to spread laterally, by producing new crowns emerging at 10 or 20cm (4 or 8in) from the mother plant, sometimes much further. The new 'croziers' (curiously coiled shoots characteristic of ferns) emerge from the ground as early as April. They are feathery, deeply divided, and composed of very tender green pinnate leaflets. These leaflets are also lanceolate and quite narrow. At the end of July, narrow fertile fronds emerge in the centre of the crown, not exceeding 25 to 35cm (10 to 14in) in height. They are initially olive-green before turning brown and have curled edges. They are graceful and light like lace, covering the plant's spores (reproductive cells) under their undulations. The rhizome also grows vertically and can emerge 15 or 20cm (6 or 8in) above the ground in an older plant. If it is happy, this fast-growing plant can become a little invasive.

Matteuccia are enchanting large ferns. Depending on the species, they can be very or not at all stoloniferous. Depending on the space you have, this characteristic must be taken into consideration. Matteuccia struthiopteris is relatively reasonable in its growth rate. It is simply divine in woodland areas, under deciduous trees or bushes. It can also be planted near a body of water, reflecting its architectural silhouette. The miracle of its croziers emerging from the ground always intrigues, and will amuse children. The spectacle of its fronds unfurling into large ostrich feathers and making the light sing adds another dimension to the garden. They can be accompanied by loosestrifes, helxines, meadow rues, or columbines in loose and moist soil, sheltered from the intense sun that darkens the fronds. In our garden, we have planted it with Japanese primroses and Spanish bluebells that self-seed among its rhizomes.