Many ferns have a soft feathery quality that makes a great contrast with other plants - in the garden or indoors.
Top tips for indoor ferns:
Keep them away from heaters, air conditioners and bright sunny windows. Ours love the bathroom!
Maintain humidity around the pot by placing it on a saucer of pebbles and water.
Don’t overwater.
Feed weakly weekly, with a gentle liquid fertiliser.
Keep an eye out for mealy bug - dab with a cotton bud dipped in methylated spirits
Maidenhair fern
Adiantum aethiopicum
A traveller on a recent tour has a 40-year-old maidenhair and I’ve killed three in a row! The keys: request a division from a friend with a long-lived
plant; find the right position - out of draughts, radical temperature changes and direct light; and keep the mix moist but not wet.
Maiden-hair fern. Photo - Mr.ukkrid duangkaew/Shutterstock.com
Myers asparagus fern
Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myersii’
Also called the foxtail fern, and not to be confused with the weedy asparagus fern, this forms a dense clump of bright green twisted spires in morning
sun outside or a bright position indoors. Don’t keep it too wet.
Asparagus fern
Rabbit's foot fern
Davallia fejeensis
A native of Fiji, this fern can be grown outdoors in warm climates or indoors. Its furry rhizomes (yes a bit like a rabbits foot) go on the march, growing
over the edge of a pot or enveloping a hanging basket, givinga unique look. Look out for ‘Virginia Blue’, with silvery-blue fronds.
Rabbit-foot fern
Silver lady fern
Blechnum gibbum ‘Silver Lady’
The silver lady fern is an attractive rosette fern with a neat but lush look, conjuring rainforests and waterfalls, whether used indoors or out. It needs
good airflow to thrive.
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Silver Lady
Painted Japanese fern
Athyrium niponicum
Also known as Oriental ladyfern, this fern from eastern Asia will die down in winter and reappear in spring. It has a short, spreading habit and is available
in tones of silver, blue, purple or red. Needs light but no direct sun. It loves a bathroom.
Painted fern. Photo - Audrey Wilson1/shutterstock.com
Tassel fern
Huperzia spp.
Tassel ferns require full shade, consistently high humidity, and plenty of good air movement, making them a challenge. They do best in a ‘bush house’ with
the orchids, grown in orchid mix and watered daily through summer.
Tassel fern
Boston fern
Nephrolepis exaltata
These long-lived ferns are commonly seen for a reason. Their long arching fronds make them popular indoors.They prefer slightly humid conditions, so place
the pot on a tray of gravel and water, in a well-lit, protected position. Beginners should try the lemon button fern, the smallest of the Boston ferns.
It gets its name from the lemon-scented, tiny lime-green leaves.
Boston fern. Photo - Jim Hammer