Matteuccia orientalis

About this cultivar:

Matteuccia orientalis is a deciduous fern native to China, Japan, and the Himalayas and thus is often called the Oriental Ostrich Fern. It provides widely ovate, pinnate, bright green sterile fronds surrounding long, narrower, fertile fronds that emerge near black and turn reddish-brown in autumn.

One of the most popular ferns. The long stems give a lovely spreading, almost pendulous habit. Has the RHS AGM and might be called Pentarhizidium orientale now (DNA research etc) but the RHS haven't changed the name yet so I won't....

• Position: Full sun, partial shade, full shade
• Soil: Almost any soil, grows well in Ballyrobert
• Flowers: -
• Other features: Woodland Plant, Dappled Shade or Full Shade Loving, Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (RHS AGM)
• Hardiness: H5 - Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10°C), Fully hardy, grows well in Ballyrobert
• Habit: Clump forming
• Foliage: Deciduous
• Height: 60 - 90 cm (2 - 3 ft)
• Spread: 60 - 90 cm (2 - 3 ft)
• Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years
• Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial, Fern
• Colour: Green
• Goes well with: Woodland, fern, hosta

About this genus:

Matteuccia struthiopteris is the only species in the genus Matteuccia (if you believe Pentarhizidium orientale has left it). Common names include ostrich fern or shuttlecock fern. It is a crown-forming, colony-forming fern, The species epithet struthiopteris comes from Ancient Greek words, struthio meaning ostrich and pterion meaning wing.

This wonderful deciduous plant is at its most beautiful in spring when the large, pale green, lacy fronds start to unfurl and filter the sunlight. It is one of the best foliage plants for areas of moist, dappled shade and works particularly well planted in groups next to water or in a woodland garden in between deciduous trees. One of the best ferns around!