I think Thelypteris kunthii is a better large fern for zone 7 than ostrich. T. kunthii is a good spreader too - in a year or two you can divide it and have more.

Osmunda regalis - regal fern. I am supposing you mean one grown in the ground, right?

Yes in the ground, I want to have a bunch growing at the edge of my woods, some part of the woods will get about 4 to 5 hours of sun from 9am till 2pm that is slightly filtered.Got to find who has the best prices. Seen regal fern need to research it some more.
Jill

Had some of the Regal fern but it did not do good for me even in the shade. I am guessing because it is so dry at the edge of the woods competing with the trees for water.

O. regalis, also known as "Royal Fern". can be intolerant of conditions that are too dry. For dry shade to part shade, Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is also good. Doesn't get as tall as the first one I mentioned.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thelypteris kunthii

Other Native Ferns you might consider, are:
Dryopteris ludoviciana (Florida or Southern Wood Fern)
I have them in 2 locations, one fairly damp, the other is adjacent to the trunk of a large White Oak tree and somewhat dry. Both do well and are evergreen, except during very cold winters. Also near the White Oak is:
Osmunda cinnamomea (Cinnamon Fern), a native of wetlands and upland locations. The fertile stalks of this one adds to it's appeal. In an upland location, they will go into early dormancy during a very dry late summer and/or early fall period.
Another Florida native fern that survives during droughts and is hardy in Z7, is:
Hypolepis repens (Bramble Fern), often misidentified and sold as Thelypteris or Macrothelypteris torresiana (Mariannas Maiden Fern). Under ideal conditions, it can spread rapidly over a wide area, by underground stolons. The large fronds are held horizontally atop tall (3-4')hairy stems. Mine remained green during this past year, with only about 7" of rainfall in 9 months. 5" of that rainfall occurred in 3 widely spaced showers and we had one period of 7 continuous weeks(April-May), without any rain.
Here's a website that lists many Hardy Ferns, some are Native. Click on the thumbnails for larger photo and description.
I probably would plant several species of Fern in a given area, to determine which one's would perform the best. Guess that's why I have more than 100 different species & cultivars!
Rb

Here is a link that might be useful: Hardy Ferns

I'd like to try Osmunda regalis or or something like dryopteris goldiana, which
I have seen get pretty big in other gardens. I have had some osmunda cinnamomea for a long time, but for the first few years they didn't seem to grow much, compared to really big ones I saw in the wild near swampy areas. So I tried to mimick the swampy conditions by putting them in a container within another containr without much drainage, and keeping them with "wet feet." That seemes to make a huge difference, and they really started growing in constantly wet conditions, over 3 feet tall.

So razorback, what do you grow that gets nice and big, but doesn't stay constantly wet?

todd

Todd...
In addition to the above mentioned species
I have 2 var. of Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis (Native & European),
Varigated Holly Fern, Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata', Woodwardia virginica, W. orientalis, W. japonica, Dryopteris dilatata, D. championii,
Dryopteris erythrosora, D. purpurella, D. tokyoensis, Dryopteris celsa, D. x australis, D. hondoensis
Thelypteris kunthii.

Dryopteris goldiana prefers slightly alkaline, rocky soil.
Rocks, I have, but my soil is very acidic. I grew them for a period of time, but decided they were too much trouble and let them go. Same with Osmunda claytoniana (Interrupted Fern), which likes constantly moist, not soggy, circumneutral soil.

Many of these are available at local nurseries, but some are only found online.
Rb

I think the fern I had was called sensitive fern, was looking at some pics and it looks more like them.They cant handle the dry edges of my yard.
Jill B.