Garden City Market

The Sensitive Fern, Onoclea sensibilis, is a large, somewhat coarse deciduous fern which occurs in wet woods and thickets and in moist soils along streams and springs. Sensitive Ferns can grow up to 4' tall. It features long-stalked, deeply pinnatifid, bright green, vegetative (sterile) fronds (2-4' long) with leathery, triangular leaflets (pinnae) which have distinctively netted veins. Some shorter, erect, woody-like fertile fronds (to 12" tall), typically brown up in late summer and persist throughout the remaining season and winter. It is commonly called sensitive fern because the green vegetative fronds are sensitive to and suffer almost immediate damage from the first fall frost. This deciduous perennial fern is also sensitive to drought. It performs best in wet woodland gardens and moist locations along streams and ponds. Also appropriate for shaded areas of a native plant garden or naturalized planting. The foliage may depreciate as summer progresses in hot climates, particularly if soils are not kept moist. It is best not to remove dead fronds until spring, because they provide protection for the crowns over the winter.