sweet fern
Comptonia peregrina
USDA zones2 to 6
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size2 to 5 feet tall4 to 8 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Yellowish green
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina) is a shrub for ground cover, naturalized areas, rain gardens, and low maintenance beds. It is hardy to USDA zone 2, or down to -50°F (-46°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry to moist, sandy or loamy soil. The leaves are aromatic when crushed, and the plant forms dense colonies, so give it room. Deer rarely make it their first choice. The grey hairstreak butterfly feeds on it.
Pairs well with Indigo bush, Red fescue, and Golden tickseed.
Native range
Eastern North America.