What type of plant is this?
#1
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What type of plant is this?
This plant is growing quite tall at a rental property owned by my son. He did not plant it there. Perhaps a former tenant planted it. Can someone tell me what it is? And, if it is generally considered a desirable plant, how should it be maintained?


Last edited by PJmax; 11-23-19 at 07:10 PM. Reason: resized picture
#3
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Well, it's encroaching on a concrete sidewalk between it and the side of the house. Can it be trimmed?
#4
I know they can be thinned out, but not sure about cutting down. Hopefully someone who knows more will chime in.
#5
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I think it's a sword fern and it sure looks happy there! They need a lot moisture so Im curious where that is coming from as that could indicate an undesirable situation- a leaky pipe maybe? Could just be that this is were a downspout drains. However if that is not the case, just trim it back off the side walk. Sword fern can be a bit invasive in forested areas but in a confined area is easy to control. Sometimes allowing what wants to grow in a space - especially when it looks as nice as those ferns look there now - means less work for the property owner.
#6
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Thanks for your input, Miss415. I suspect the ground where the sword fern is located may be getting heavy exposure to water from a rain gutter that may be overflowing during heavy rain. Here in Ohio, we had an abnormally high amount of rain this year.