I clearly remember the conversation I had with my landscape designer, Sasha, as she was quizzing me on what kind of plants I wanted in my backyard landscape. I, of course, had no idea, but at some point, I blurted out that I “sort of like ferns.” I don’t know why I said it, but I did. And so, three ostrich ferns were installed in one of the back beds that would come to be called the ostrich fern bed. (Japanese beech ferns and Japanese painted ferns were also part of the plan, but they were planted in different beds.) Over the past three seasons I’ve been thrilled to see the ostrich ferns get fully established, forming a tall, brilliant green backdrop in early spring for the other plants in the bed. The rest of the year their large fronds add fascinating texture and contrast with the foliage of the coral bells, brunnera, and variegated liriope that live in the front of the bed.
How about Ostrich-cized Bed?