Ostrich Fern is a perennial grown for its blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 7 and shrugs off deer.
Ostrich Fern — the short answer
Ostrich Fern: grown in zones 3–7, shade, pH 5–7.
- USDA zones
- 3–7
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5–7
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Shade
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Ostrich Fern on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether ostrich fern actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score ostrich fern against your land's real conditions.
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See Ostrich Fern
What Ostrich Fern is
Ostrich Fern grows as a perennial and reaches around five feet at maturity. It blooms in summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Ostrich Fern
Ostrich Fern grows in USDA zones 3 through 7. Ostrich Fern does best in shade — at least 2 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 7, on consistently moist ground.
USDA Zones
3-7
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 7
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Shade
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
poorly (saturated >50% of year)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
5 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant ostrich fern in shade with at least 2 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Ostrich Fern prefers pH 5 to 7 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Harvest at its peak
Cut ostrich fern blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Ostrich Fern thrives
Ostrich Fern is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 7. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 3–7 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 10°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 23 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 3–7·Where Ostrich Fern growsOpen map →
Where Ostrich Fern stands, state by state
Ostrich Fern is rated for zones 3–7 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 23 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–7
23 states
3 of 23 shown
The line runs through
25 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- Idaho · zones 3b-8a
- California · zones 4b-11a
3 of 25 shown
Ostrich Fern’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Ostrich Fern
Growing guides for ostrich fern
In rotation planning, ostrich fern counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — ostrich fern isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Ostrich Fern isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data — pair it with high-value bloomers nearby to feed bees.
Your land is one point inside Ostrich Fern's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Ostrich Fern will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether ostrich fern actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Ostrich Fern
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Ostrich Fern in my zone?
Ostrich Fern grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 7 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Ostrich Fern?
Ostrich Fern is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Ostrich Fern need?
Ostrich Fern is shade-tolerant — it gets by on as little as 2 hours of direct sun, so it earns a place most vegetables can't use. A north-facing strip or the ground under a leafy canopy is right where it belongs. A Growable Ground report shows which corners of your land stay shaded through the day, turning those dim spots into planting spots.
What soil does Ostrich Fern need?
Ostrich Fern prefers soil pH 5 to 7, on consistently moist ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Ostrich Fern attract pollinators?
Ostrich Fern isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data. Pairing it with high-value bloomers nearby keeps bees and butterflies fed.
Is Ostrich Fern safe for pets?
Ostrich Fern is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)