I got two nice size clumps of Ostrich fern from my parents' house, and they are having a bit of a stressful adjustment to my side yard. The wind has already taken out a few of the tall fronds, and the roots are trying their best to take hold. The leaflets have lightened considerably from a dark green to light green.
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| Ostrich fern - Matteuccia struthiopteris 3 weeks after transplant |
I trimmed off the dead and damaged fronds, and I noticed at the base growing from the crown at the bottom little baby fronds - but not the typical full sized fiddlehead of a mature frond unrolling. I wonder if the plant is reverting back to a juvenile stage before trying to put out new full size fronds?
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| Ostrich fern - Matteuccia struthiopteris damaged by wind and transplant shock |
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| Ostrich fern - Matteuccia struthiopteris putting out little tiny sprouts after going through some transplant shock |
Ostrich ferns have spore-bearing fronds and sterile fronds. Above, you can see the sprouting spore-bearing frond has small saw-toothed leaflets growing upright, and what I think is a very tiny immature sterile frond looks like parsley or some kind of tiny garnish to the right. I don't think it will put out a full sized fiddlehead until next year.
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