I love houseplants for the living decoration they provide. The asparagus fern is certainly easy on the eyes! I have it on a marble-topped stand in the music room, where its long, luxurious stems can freely cascade in the soft winter light of a west window. More about this easy-going creature, and how to maintain it forever in a 9-inch pot:
Not a true fern but so-called, A. sprengeri is a member of the Lily family. In October, its needled stems are lit with shimmering green berries. Happily, these change from green to bright red in time for the Christmas holidays. The berries are not edible. So don’t eat them.
For all its good looks, sprengeri requires only minimal care. I give mine a peat-based potting mix; indoor temperatures which do not exceed 65°F; weak winter sun (such as an east or west window will afford), a summer holiday outdoors in semi-shade, and food and water whenever the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.
The plant does have one bad habit. During summer, the fleshy roots grow with such gusto that they force the plant out of its pot. Consequently repotting is an annual chore. If at all possible, try to tackle the job out of doors.
First, knock the plant from its pot. If it won’t budge (mine never does), then just break the pot with a hammer.
BAM! And just look at those beautiful roots.
You can shift sprengeri to a larger pot, or simply slice the roots so that the plant will fit in the same-size pot, which, for me, is 9 inches in diameter. Here’s the root-slicing procedure:
Take a serrated knife…
And cut off half the bottom roots. Slice off some of the side roots, too. Be brutal here — sprengeri can take it.
Now grab a new (9-inch) pot, and cover the drainage hole with a piece of broken crockery.
Note: New terra cotta pots must be soaked in plain water for several hours before using. Otherwise, the clay walls will rob moisture from roots.
Add 2 inches of potting mix…
And insert the plant, setting it low enough to permit a 1-inch reservoir for water. (If the plant sits too high, watering will be impossible.)
No pictures of these next steps, but they are muy importante: Add more potting mix to fill any gaps between the plant and the sides of the pot. Then bang the pot down a few times to help settle the soil. Water thoroughly, until excess moisture seeps through the drainage hole.
Oh. If you find any baby plants emerging from sliced-off roots, you can pot them up as gift plants. For these, use 6-inch-diameter pots.
And speaking of gift plants — why not obtain an Asparagus Fern for your own home? Its graceful green stems will delight you indoors in winter, and outdoors in summer.
Are houseplants among your cherished “decorative items” too? You can let me know by leaving a comment. As always, your words are the wind beneath my wings. Or something like that.
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Diane Hollister says
Please note that if you live in an area that doesn’t freeze in the winter and you happen to think this plant will look lovely in your landscape, it will become quite invasive and smother the roots of other plants in the garden. 35 years later, I am still fighting the stuff I inherited in my yard.
Jody Mandel says
Dear Kevin,
I love ferns as well and have several different types in my house and in my garden. I love the new growth on the ferns in my backyard the spring. It almost looks like something from another planet!
But, one of my favorite plants is this angel-wing begonia with green leaves and whitish-silvery polka dots. I find that it is very striking. I cut it back regularly so it doesn’t get leggy. It is easy to propagate if it does get leggy or you want more plants. I propagate it outside in the summer. I found that this plant should be allowed to dry out. If it’s overwatered, the tips get brown. Mine is at an eastern window and it does fine.
I also have a large succulent and cactus collection, which includes a String of Pearls Plant. In the winter, this plant has these strange flowers that smell like cloves. I love the unusual shapes of these desert plants.
And I have a Calathea that I really love that is in my bedroom. I love how it closes up at night!
And thank you, Kevin, for providing all of your wonderful ideas and pictures of your beautiful home. I look forward to your weekly posts.
Best regards, Jody.
Tracy says
I love asparagus ferns, but am often plagued by scale with them, despite adequate watering and misting. Kevin, have you dealt with scale with the plants, and if so, how do you treat it?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Tracy – I’ve not encountered scale on any of my myriad houseplants, so unfortunately I don’t have a treatment to recommend. But I can tell you that misting plants — if humidity is your goal — is a total waste of time. For steady humidity, try to keep the room temperature low. Also, set the plants on pebble-filled trays or saucers, as described in this post: Seven Ways to Beautiful Houseplants.
Chris Baswell says
Thanksgiving Cactus: gorgeous in bloom (mine, right now) and handsome & low-care the rest of the year.
My white geraniums, repotted from the big terrace pots, came inside without a hitch, and are still throwing out lots of bloom, at least for now.
Maraya says
Kevin, please note that asparagus fern is toxic to both dogs and cats. Good source of information:
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants
Lynda says
I love all houseplants. I have it bad. Thanks for the repotting post of the fern. Another fantastically beautiful plant for an east window is a type of begonia. We used to call it “elephant ear” as the leaves are huge. I would send u a pic of it if I knew how.
God bless and keep up the great posts Kevin.
Cathy McBride says
Thanks for another great article! I have one asparagus fern among many other houseplants. It’s in a 9″ pot I made in school MANY years ago, and I never knew it would produce berries! Time to take better care of mine- it’s usually 75° or warmer in my home during the summer in Tennessee.
Belinda says
I thought I had left these behind forever when we left CA. My gosh, Indoors just never occurred to me. Your article reminds me that the small white blooms that precede the berries, have an indescribably wonderful fragrance. I planted them to cascade with bougainvillea down the old steps that led to our pool and we lived with them for a couple of years before noticing the intoxicating smell.
hedy says
Kevin..
THANKS for showing the beauty of this plant…I have 10 dogs and a pot belly pig so these plants are not in my house but are out in front yard…and yes as one lady said if you live where it doesn’t freeze..these will grow all over and HURT when you try to remove them..LOL…
Maraya..
THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting people know this plant’s berries are toxic to pets!..
It should never be inside anyone’s home that has pets.
Kathleen says
Bougainvillea and asparagus fern? Just what I need for my oasis in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Their similar water needs make them a perfect combo. I will pair them in a large tall pot so they won’t be gobbled by the wild critters. East side of the house will work well in the searing summer sun and windy winters. Thanks for the idea, Belinda!
And Kevin. I LOVE the wallpaper in your music room! Birds and vines are my thing. Keep these wonderful posts coming!
Apryl says
Thank you Maraya for the the warning re: the toxicity of the plant. I love them but have a cat that eats plants. Already cost us $400 nibbling on a carnation.
Nancy J says
My Mom had a Hoya plant that I inherited from her at some point when I was admiring it at her home. It RARELY bloomed. I read that it liked to be root bound so I endeavored to keep it so. When it bloomed I would hang it by an open window and when the breeze came through it would carry the fragrance throughout our dining room. The bloom was unusual and was very tropical looking with many tiny flowers making up the larger effect. It had a sap like ooze (?) that looked like fresh dew. It succumbed last year when I brought it in from its summer hiatus outside and I believe was attacked by spider mites. So, I bought a small plant from the local nursery and I am hoping to nurse it on to bigger and better things. Houseplants keep me hopeful throughout the NE Ohio winters. P.S. My sprengeri roots are cut back and are awaiting repotting right now. Thanks for the great tips!
Dorothy says
Enjoyed your blog and recipes for sesame chicken. I love asperagus fern. My neighbor had one in her living room that grew for years, always looked great and I know she did not bother too much with it. I love these in my yard next to old time roses. BTW Kevin the photo of your yard with the snow looks like an impressionist painting. Sometimes we just have to see the beauty in the changing seasons, even if it means cold weather. Love your posts and have made a lot of your recipes and they are all good.
Cheryl Hodges says
Hi Kevin, thanks for instructions on this. I live in northern Montana where it’s windy and coldin the winter. on the south end of our house we have a built in greenhouse so we bought a used long hot tub and it keeps the room warm all winter and I have so many plants in there and a small pond with water plants I keep alive and take out in the summer. I have two Passion flowers that go all across the windows and bloom as we sit and swim. My split leaf philodendron snuck some roots into the pond and has gigantic leaves. One trick I use with my plants is putting foam peanut sauce at the bottom of pots when I repot and they’re much more lighter to move around. When I get the room cleaned up (it’s always messy!) I’ll send some photos. Ok e your page.
Robin Gauvreau says
Kevin,
We had an unexpected drop in temperatures weeks before the dreaded ‘move the plants inside dance’. Dreaded because it means summer is indeed over. My husband helped me move 13 plants inside. Sized in pots from 4 inches to 4 gallon planters. Each plant has its place inside and I love having them all around the house. Your instructions on care and feeding have helped me make this garden grow. Next up, an asparagus fern.
Leafy green best,
Robin
Naomi S. says
I have an asparagus fern. I keep it in my bathroom so it gets moisture from the shower and I spray it every week and keep it watered. Mine’s not as luxuriant as yours, Kevin, but I haven’t had it very long and it isn’t in a nine inch pot. I will have to transplant it soon, I know. I was surprised last summer to see tiny white flowers on it and then a round, white berry. Have you ever seen the flowers? Maybe it’s not really an asparagus fern, but another plant masquerading as one! Anyway, I like its bright green color and the way it sends up its airy fronds.
Joanne C Toft says
I just brought my asparagus fern in for the winter. It was hard on it making the transition from full light to indoors and started dropping it’s “leaves” ( what do you call those things that drop all over the floor). I love the plant but struggle with it all winter. I cut it way back so it is now a little puff ball. I am hoping the new growth this adapt to the indoor light. Thanks for the information about cutting roots.
I have a Thanksgiving Cactus in full bloom and a huge Christmas cactus that is taking over one corner of the house. Love plants where ever I can grow them.
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
It takes a lot to amuse me. After summer officially ended 6 days ago (first fall frost) I have been adjusting the inside decor to absorb dozens of houseplants which are returning from their summer vacation in the back yard. Being unable to get my hands in the dirt outside during the winter months makes me extremely appreciative of the textures, colors, forms and blooms of my houseplant collection. I don’t have an Asparagus Fern, but a recent favorite is a large Cat Palm, inherited from an older couple who made the move to assisted living. They bequeathed the majority of their houseplant collection to me, a nearby neighbor whose yard “passed their test” for a prospective recipient. Another favorite is my pink-blooming Angel Wing Begonia from 1978, continuously propagated, shared, replaced, enlarged, etc., from cuttings. Too easy. A third favorite is a succulent hybrid Echeveria, purplish gray tones, huge after a hot summer, sitting in a purplish pot and looking like an artist’s color lesson. Not to be forgotten is the marbled Goosefoot Philodendron, (Syngonium) broad patches of bright creamy white against a dark rich green, forgiving, reliable, beautiful and unique. But I do love them all, dozens not mentioned, each one for its own reason. We are stuck inside together until the warm spring returns.
Julie R says
I have had several kinds of plants through the years, but not this one, not yet anyway. After reading your great info along with the pictures, I will be looking for one to adopt and enjoy at home. Thanks for the tip about soaking new pots before using. A few weeks ago, I went out to my flower gardens and dug up 3 moss rose plants while they were still flowering. I brought them in to the house and planted them in little pots. Happy to say that they have taken off and are flowering in the house. I hope they will flower all through the winter.
Jeanie Giannotti says
I have a lovely old asparagus fern that is 40 years old. It spends most of the year inside as a houseplant, but it lives to go outside in the summer in the shady area next to our front door. There it puts out new growth that looks lush and extravagant so that it becomes the centerpiece of our home when it comes back inside. It sits on a 6′ stand next to a window and the fronds fall nearly to the floor, which makes it the perfect Christmas tree in December when decorated with lights and an angel. It needs serious repotting this year. A bigger pot is out of the question, so division or root trimming appears to be the only choice. Thank you for your great step by step instructions and pictures on how to do this.
Maruja says
he he he I do the same (slice off bottom and sides) to keep my Sprengeri in the same size pot. Mine is a mini that I keep in 4-inch pots. I keep the leaves upright on stakes then let them fall gracefully like weeping willow branches. They’re my “trees” in my mini forest on my deep kitchen window sill/stool.
Linda McBride says
Hey Kevin, I have a huge asparagus fern outdoors. I live in Kansas and will soon lose it to the weather. The plant is flowe ring now. I would love to keep part of it through the winter, but don’t know how to transplant a small portion of it. Could you please give me some advice on this?
Jane talisman says
I was given a small asparagus fern when I was 20. It is still with me, large and healthy, 50 years later. How long can asparagus ferns live in an ideal environment?
Walter says
Can I keep an asparagus fern with its root in a vase of water indefinitely without ever transferring it to a pot with soil? Thank you. Walter
Leslie says
I have one that I got from my grandmother who was born in 1919 she got it from her mother when she passed so I have no idea how old it is my grandmother says her mom couldn’t remember how she got it.