If you want to view Ostrich ferns, 'Matteuccia struthiopteris' visit the Warehime-Myers Mansion in Hanover and tour the yard surrounding the mansion. We were given Ostrich ferns many years ago before we realized how invasive they could become. Every year we encourage people to take some of them home to their yard!
You may wonder in general how ferns reproduce. Ferns are one of the more primitive plant forms. From the above paragraph you learn that you can simply dig up a small plant and move it, but ferns also reproduce by spores. Spores appeared eons before the first flowering plants. If you turn over a fern frond, you may see many dot-like objects stuck to the underside of the leaf. These are the spores, sometimes millions of them. They come in little cases called sori. Or in some cases they are found on a separate fertile frond. When the spores ripen, they are catapulted into the wind and dispersed. The chances of a spore landing in a place with optimum conditions for growth are rare, hence the need for so many. Next, if the spore does find conditions it needs, the spore doesn't sprout into a fern. Rather it develops into an intermediate generation, a tiny plant called a gametophyte. Here the eggs and sperm are produced and fertilized to develop into the
generation we know as the fern.
If you plant a Christmas fern (or any fern) you should probably water it weekly the first year; after that it probably won't need any supplemental water unless the summer is very dry. If your fern experiences leaf drop, that could be a sign that it needs to be watered. A light application of granular fertilizer designed for acid-loving plants can be applied under the fern leaves during its second year.
There is a long-range purpose to the environment by planting ferns. Species that are weedy or thrive in disturbed soil are beneficial in erosion control and soil stabilization. The rhizomes and root systems are thin and grow horizontally beneath the surface of the soil and this helps to stabilize the soil and the root systems are well branched and add moisture to the soil to prevent erosion.
Two more ferns that are native to Pa. are Lady fern Athyrium filix-Femina and Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis and Royal fern Osmunda regalis. These ferns like a shady and moist environment. I hope reading this article will educate more people in the use of ferns in the garden. It's good to use native plants whenever possible and there are a lot to choose from.
Read other articles on ecological gardening & native plants