Royal Fern

Living up to its regal name, Osmunda regalis is a very tall, deciduous, clump-forming fern, an Irish native once common in the west of Ireland. The emerging fronds are tinted copper, extending to brilliant green in summer, and colouring bronze, rust and snuff-coloured before dying back in autumn. Unusually, its spores are carried on short adapted leaves in the centre of the clump which turn a warm brown as they mature. The royal fern is lovely in a bog garden or beside a stream; it needs a cool, consistently damp site, but will tolerate full sun if these conditions are fulfilled, and looks wonderful with the sun behind it. Holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Site: Tolerates exposure
Soils: wet or damp, humus-rich soil, peaty soils
Position: Partial shade, deep shade, full sun
Season of interest: Spring, summer, autumn
Hardiness: Hardy
Height to 6’6” (2m) Spread to 13’ (4m)