New and Unread Tree-Mails
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Indianapolis (Zone 5b)  Shade Mar 21, 2015 6:37 PM CST |
| I just bought some Ostrich Fern rhizomes to plant on the north side of my house. I live in Zone 5. I have started them inside in a pot until it gets a little warmer outside. Do any of you have experience growing Ostrich Ferns? I know they are native to my state of Indiana. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!! |
Name: Arlene Grantville, GA (Zone 8a)              abhege Mar 21, 2015 9:00 PM CST |
Sorry, I am not familiar with them. Hopefully someone will pop in here soon and help you out. It seems as the weather is getting nicer, people are a bit scarce. Probably tired from working outside and you know how that goes, always overdue it the first few times.  |
Name: Jude Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Zone 6a)            obliqua Mar 23, 2015 5:36 PM CST |
| They grow wild here, too. I have even seen them grow in full sun. They transplant easily. I have a bunch that I received from a friend, they are growing in dappled sun, and don't need much care. They always look great. I do nothing 'special', for them, they are greening up in my garden, now. Very easy to grow, even when they are small. I am sure you will have good luck with them. |
Name: Michele Roth N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b I'm always on my way out the door..            chelle Mar 23, 2015 5:49 PM CST |
obliqua said:They grow wild here, too. I have even seen them grow in full sun. They transplant easily. Same here, except I haven't grown them in full sun. They multiply at a moderate rate too, so you should eventually have several extras on hand at any given time. |
Indianapolis (Zone 5b) Shade Mar 24, 2015 5:24 AM CST |
| Thanks for your replies!! I tried growing them once in our old house and had no luck. I hope to have better luck this time! It would be awesome if I could get them to 3-4 feet tall. I know they can reach 6 feet in the wild. I will give it my best shot. |
Name: Michele Roth N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b I'm always on my way out the door.. chelle Mar 24, 2015 5:43 AM CST |
Try to pick a moisture-retentive, even soggy in the spring type of spot for them, if possible, and don't forget to top dress with organic matter on a regular basis to help retain moisture. The less soggy your planting spot, or the more competition/need for water there is (tree roots, sun, wind), the more compost or mulch you may need. Good luck!  |
Indianapolis (Zone 5b) Shade Mar 24, 2015 5:10 PM CST |
| Thank you Chelle! I was going to plant them on the north side of my house that seems to be perpetually damp but very shady. |
Name: Michele Roth N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b I'm always on my way out the door.. chelle Mar 24, 2015 5:18 PM CST |
Sounds great!  Hopefully you'll post some pictures when you get it done. |
central Illinois       jmorth Mar 24, 2015 6:04 PM CST |
I started w/ 1 on the house's north side, now there's 7 or 8, establishing a colony there. I don't do a thing to them, just let them be their selves. They are well shaded by north placement and a couple of box elder trees and a very large Burning Bush, Nothing that's been done can ever be changed. |
Name: Jude Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Zone 6a) obliqua Mar 25, 2015 10:49 AM CST |
| I am going to try and get a photo of my friends Ostrich ferns, once they start growing again. They planted themselves in a sunny area in her garden. This is where she dug the ones that she gave to me. It is on a hilly area, which probably gets decent water. They are bleached out and look pale at times, but this does not deter them at all. |
Name: Michele Roth N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b I'm always on my way out the door.. chelle Mar 25, 2015 1:02 PM CST |
| Please do! I would love to have a border of these along the low side of my sunny bed, but I've never had the nerve to try it! I even tried to find a supplier of bracken to try to mimic the effect I want, but so far I've come up empty in that search. |
Indianapolis (Zone 5b) Shade Mar 25, 2015 7:10 PM CST |
Mine are just rhizomes at the moment so if they survive they won't be anything to look at until next spring I would assume. Here is a pic of some in the wild. Would love to have them get this tall!!!  |
Name: Michele Roth N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b I'm always on my way out the door.. chelle Mar 25, 2015 7:34 PM CST |
| Here's one of our areas. These rarely get supplemental water so they're not huge, but I think they'll easily double their area this year. Might need to move some. |
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