Purpurascens royal fern
Osmunda regalis 'Purpurascens'
USDA zones4 to 8
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size2 to 4 feet tallup to 4 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Arching
- Bloom color
- Non-flowering
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Notes
'Purpurascens' royal fern (Osmunda regalis 'Purpurascens') is a fern for shade gardens, rain gardens, and borders. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and average to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It sits low on the menu for deer and rabbits. New stems are purple and new growth is burgundy, and both fade to green as the huge fronds expand. Older plants form mounded trunks up to 1.5 feet high.
Pairs well with Cardinal flower, Sedge, Jewelweed, and Bottlebrush buckeye.