Sensitive Fern
SKU: AM021888
Shipping:
Shipping begins the week of March 17th, 2025
Overview
• Sensitive Fern is an eye cathing native fern with distinctive wavy edges and bright green leaves
• Stalks of dark, bead-like spores appear in fall and last through the winter adding texture and interest to your planting
• Great for moist woodland areas with clay soil and rain gardens, it grows best in full shade and can spread to create groundcover
• Deer and rabbit resistant
key features
Botanical Name
Onoclea sensibilis
Advantages
Native, Deer Resistant, Rabbit Resistant, Groundcover, Easy To Grow, Low Maintenance, Naturalizes, Striking Foliage, Winter Interest, Mass Plantings, Rain Gardens
Growing Zones
Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9
Light Requirements
Half Sun / Half Shade, Full Shade
Soil Moisture
Moist / Wet
Mature Height
24" tall
Mature Spread
12" wide
SKU
AM021888
Description
Sensitive fern, Onoclea sensibilis, is found in moist woodlands, swamps and along the banks of streams throughout Eastern North America. Its native range extends from Newfoundland south to Florida, and all the way west to Colorado.
It performs best in average to moist, rich soils, and can tolerate occassional flooding. It is a great plant for rain gardens. In favorable locations, Sensistive Fern will naturalize and spread by rhizomes. If it becomes too aggressive, it is easy to thin. It can thrive in average garden soils, or in full sun, if there is consistent moisture and it does not dry out. Its common name refers to the tendency of the leaves to die-back and be sensitive to the first frost in fall.
