Garden Talk - Enjoying asparagus ferns in every season

If you?ve enjoyed the airy greens of asparagus ferns in pots this summer, you might be wondering if they could come in as house plants. It?s possible.

If the air is not moist enough to suit them, they?ll drop brown bits. Just misting with a spray bottle will not do the trick. Rather, you?ll need to humidify the air consistently.

If that isn?t a realistic option, you can winter asparagus ferns in pots kept in an unheated garage. When temperatures drop well below freezing, the foliage may turn black. However, you can simply cut the ferns back in spring and expect good regrowth.

Potted up for the summer garden, asparagus ferns do best with some shade. Full sun should be avoided as it will dry and bleach out the plants. However, that does mean that the lower light conditions indoors will work fine. Asparagus ferns are not fussy about regular watering, indoor or out.

The three varieties of asparagus ferns that are often available are somewhat different in appearance. The most familiar, Sprengeri, is a nice full plant that fills in well in mixed pots.

Contrastingly, the stems of Meyeri are stiff and upright. It offers an attractive contemporary appearance used alone in a large pot.

Finally, delicate Plumosa grows on long, trailing stems. It can be grown as a climber with support for the stems or positioned on a tall stand with the stems cascading down. Cut fronds are beautiful additions to bouquets.

Asparagus ferns are African plants with adaptive water-retaining bladders that will fill up a pot in a couple of years. Spring is the ideal time to divide and repot. Remove the whole plant, complete with its tangled and crowded roots. Use a sharp knife to cut through the roots. When you repot, give the asparagus fern its yearly feeding, which is all it will need until the next spring.