Intermediate
skill rating
Online Garden Tools
Useful videos
Osmunda regalis (Royal fern)
Comment on a listing
Plant supplier links
- Login to upload a photo
2 hours care
per year
per year
2.5m
Max height
Max height
1m
Max spread
Max spread
5-10 years
To maturity
To maturity
Plant details
Botanical name
Osmunda regalis
Other names
Royal fern, Rusty fern, Water fern, Osmund royal, King fern, Common flowering fern, Ditch fern, Buckhorn brake, Blooming fern, Herb christopher
Genus
Osmunda Osmunda
Species
O. regalis - O. regalis is a hardy fern, forming a large clump of bipinnate fronds with russet-brown spores at the tips. The fronds are flushed red in autumn.
Osmunda regalis is: Deciduous
Habit
Clump-forming, Spreading, Arching
Awards
RHS AGM (Award of Garden Merit)
Flower
Insignificant or absent in All seasons
Foliage
Dark-green in Summer; Flushed red, Brown in Autumn
How to care
Watch out for
General care
Pruning
Remove dead or damaged fronds.
Propagation methods
Division, Spores
Sign up for your FREE ACCOUNT today or login to receive detailed monthly care instructions
Where to grow
Osmunda regalis (Royal fern) will reach a height of 2.5m and a spread of 1m after 5-10 years.
Suggested uses
Cottage/Informal, Beds and borders, Low Maintenance, Underplanting, Wildflower, Foliage only, Roof terrace, Bog garden
Cultivation
Plant in most cool, moist, light shade. This plant will also grow in full sun if given plenty of moisture. Prefers acid or neutral soils, but will tolerate alkaline soils by adding lots of fibrous compost first. Can also tolerate very wet sites.
Soil type
Chalky, Clay, Loamy
Soil drainage
Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
Soil pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Light
Partial Shade, Full Shade, Full Sun
Aspect
North, South, East, West
Exposure
Exposed, Sheltered
UK hardiness Note: We are working to update our ratings. Thanks for your patience.
Hardy (H4)
Companion plants
We do not currently have companion plants added for this plant.
Botanical name
Osmunda regalis
Other names
Royal fern, Rusty fern, Water fern, Osmund royal, King fern, Common flowering fern, Ditch fern, Buckhorn brake, Blooming fern, Herb christopher
Genus
Osmunda Osmunda
Species
O. regalis - O. regalis is a hardy fern, forming a large clump of bipinnate fronds with russet-brown spores at the tips. The fronds are flushed red in autumn.
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump-forming, Spreading, Arching
Awards
RHS AGM (Award of Garden Merit)
Create your free Shoot garden
Create your free SHOOT garden and make a record of the plants in your garden.
Add your own photos, notes, get monthly email reminders on how to care for your plants, and connect with other gardeners. Get started now.
Colour
Flower
Insignificant or absent in All seasons
Foliage
Dark-green in Summer; Flushed red, Brown in Autumn
General care
Pruning
Remove dead or damaged fronds.
Propagation methods
Division, Spores
Monthly care advice
Get access to monthly care advice
Create a free SHOOT account and get instant access to expert care advice for this and other plants in your garden.
You'll also receive handy monthly email reminders of what needs doing. Create your free account.
Where to grow
Osmunda regalis (Royal fern) will reach a height of 2.5m and a spread of 1m after 5-10 years.
Suggested uses
Cottage/Informal, Beds and borders, Low Maintenance, Underplanting, Wildflower, Foliage only, Roof terrace, Bog garden
Cultivation
Plant in most cool, moist, light shade. This plant will also grow in full sun if given plenty of moisture. Prefers acid or neutral soils, but will tolerate alkaline soils by adding lots of fibrous compost first. Can also tolerate very wet sites.
Soil type
Chalky, Clay, Loamy
Soil drainage
Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
Soil pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Light
Partial Shade, Full Shade, Full Sun
Aspect
North, South, East, West
Exposure
Exposed, Sheltered
UK hardiness Note: We are working to update our ratings. Thanks for your patience.
Hardy (H4)
USDA zones
Zone 9, Zone 8, Zone 7, Zone 6
In order to add a note on this plant, please add this plant to your plant lists.
| This plant likes... | Garden match | |
| Soil types: | Chalky, Clay, Loamy | Tell us... |
| Soil drainage: | Moist but well-drained, Well-drained | Tell us... |
| Soil pH: | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral | Tell us... |
| Light: | Partial Shade, Full Shade, Full Sun | Tell us... |
| Aspect: | North, South, East, West | Tell us... |
| Exposure: | Exposed, Sheltered | Tell us... |
| Hardiness: | Hardy (H4) | Tell us... |
GARDENS WITH THIS PLANT
ARTICLES WITH THIS PLANT
M&G Investments, the title sponsor of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, has commissioned designer Andy Sturgeon to create The M&G Garden for 2019’s Show. read more
Designed by Jo Thompson. Classicism meets modernism in this garden which references Etruria, Wedgwood’s eighteenth century factory and village built for workers, where forward-thinking elements… read more
Designed by Mark Gregory. The highlight of the 2019 Welcome to Yorkshire show garden will be an authentically built canal with flowing water and genuine canal lock gates. read more
B&Q returns to the RHS Flower Show calendar, having teamed up with award-winning garden designer Matthew Childs to create a show garden at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower show named the… read more
By garden designer Rhiannon Williams. The Landform Garden Bar embraces a contemporary summer al fresco lifestyle and brings the inside out, using the garden as an extension of the home. read more
To add ? to your lists,
login to your account or subscribe.
Find out more about plant lists here
or Login
To add notes for this plant login to your account or register for a new account.
Sign up for freeor Login
To add images for this plant login to your account or register for a new account.
Sign up for freeor Login
To check if this plant is suitable for your garden first login to your account or subscribe.
or Login
DISCUSS THIS PLANT
Osmunda regalis
This plant is featured at Chelsea Flower Show 2009
This plant is featured at Chelsea Flower Show 2009
There are 5 active discussions about Osmunda regalis (Royal fern)
View all discussions