Osmunda regalis
(Royal Fern)
Family - Osmundaceae
Category - Fern
Season of Interest - Spring, Summer, Autumn
Hardiness - H6
Height - 1.5m or more
Width - 1m to 1.5m or more
Location - The Stream Area
Description: Deciduous, clump-forming fern with an upright habit and tall, bipinnate fronds. The sterile (non-spore producing) fronds are bright green when they emerge, eventually fading to blue-green with age. The spore producing fronds have smaller and more narrow leaflets (pinnae) covered in spore cases which turn rusty-brown with maturity. The fronds turn yellow to orange in autumn for a brief period before withering. Osmunda regalis is a truly beautiful fern that has been known to grow to as much as 2.4m high, but is unlikely to attain that height at Malverleys.
Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
The additional common name of Flowering Fern is in reference to the fertile fronds that are much difference in appearance to the sterile fronds.
Foliage:
Tall, elegant fronds are bipinnate with oblong to ovate pinnae (leaflets). The sterile fronds are bright green when they emerge and fade to blue-green with maturity. Partially fertile fronds are produced in summer and have smaller, more narrow pinnae that are covered in spore cases which turn rusty-brown as they mature. The fronds turn yellow to orange in autumn.
Foliage Senescence: Deciduous
Foliage Shape: Bipinnate fronds with oblong to ovate leaflets
Autumn Colour: Yellow, orange
Propagation:
Division, spores.
Cultivation:
Best in full sun to partial shade in rich, fertile soil that is moist. More moisture is required for sunnier positions, do not allow plants to wilt. Excellent for planting near ponds or streams.