Royal Fern
Osmunda regalis
A fern that reads as a small shrub, four to six feet in wet shade, with rusty spore tips and a yellow-orange fall turn no other fern offers.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
4–6 feet of architectural, non-fern-looking fern with fall color and rusty spore tips. it earns its space the moment it matures.
Royal Fern is a fern that demands a double-take. It doesn't look like a fern: the large, compound fronds with widely spaced, oval leaflets look more like a tropical locust or a small flowering tree than any familiar fern. In wet, partly shaded sites it grows to 4–6 feet, creating an architectural presence that reads as a small shrub from a distance. In fall, the entire plant turns warm shades of yellow and orange before going dormant, a fall color display that no other fern offers. At the tips of fertile fronds, the pinnae are replaced by tightly packed, rusty-brown spore clusters that look like a miniature flower or seed head, a botanical curiosity visible from several feet away. These fertile tips persist into early summer as striking, cinnamon-brown structures above the green vegetative fronds. Site it in the wettest, shadiest corner of your garden: along a rain garden margin, beside a water feature, or in a low spot that stays reliably moist. Give it room; a mature clump can reach 5 feet across and becomes one of the most impressive single-plant features in a moist woodland garden.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown royal fern propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant royal fern instead of Common reed (Phragmites australis) in wet, partly shaded sites. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Wet
- Mature size
- 3–6 ft · 36–60 in wide
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Osmundaceae
- Native range
- Wide range across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia; wet, open habitats
Care notes for royal fern.
Plant in part shade to full sun in consistently wet to moist, acidic, rich soil. Cannot tolerate drought. Remove old fronds in early spring. Very slow to establish in the first two years. don't panic if it seems dormant; the root system is developing. Grows much faster once established. No fertilizer needed in moist, organically rich soil.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside royal fern.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.