Foxtail Fern Is An Easy Landscape Plant
I do not see this plant used very often for landscaping, however, I love the three I have in the backyard. The foxtail fern is a hardy drought resistant fern that doesn't need much care to look bright green all year long. It is also known as Myer's Asparagus fern or asparagus densiflorus 'myers'.
I do not give my plants any extra water and they do not get watered with the lawn sprinklers. The soil is hard packed clay and in direct sun all day by 11am. Some sites I have accessed said they need moist soil but I can attest to the very opposite.
This inedible asparagus plant is a member of the lily family and not a fern at all. We have had occasional frosts and the plants suffered no noticeable damage.
If you want a easy evergreen plant try foxtail fern. I will give you all the info I have to make the task a easy and rewarding project for a bright green addition to your garden.
Mature Hardy Foxtail Fern
Foxtail have no pest problems.
The mature 24 year old plant at the right has 2.5 foot sprays and tiny white flowers that attract honey bees. It looks like this all year round. There is no trimming needed like a hedge or pruning that roses need. A mature plant will become six to eight feet across but new plants will stay about 3 or 4 feet across for 12 years or more.
The 25 years I have had these plants in one form or another I never saw any pests that attacked it or diminished its health.
It is easy to start new plants by dividing the base root system with ten or twelve sprays attached.
If you live in Socal you will be very happy with this plant.
How to Take Care of the Foxtail
Asparagus meyeri bush
Once a year or sometimes twice when I am extra ambitious I clean out dead wood and perk up the sides of the bushes. I always do this sitting down next to the plant.
The sprays on the ground are lifted and held to the center and the outer sprays are cut to get some of the bush off the ground. Next work into the center and cut off dead, browning and thinning sprays at least four inches from the base
Note that with the foxtail fern you will always have sprays dead or drying up. These are the oldest sprays and this is just the way this plant keeps itself under self control. I go in about twice a year to weed out these sticks to dress and clean up the plant for a better look. There are always new shoots.
Last, loosen and pick out twigs from former cuttings to allow areas for new growth.
Some browning of the sprays will happen every year. This is the old growth dying off.
If you get more than 10 sprays browning out in one season you may have to give the plant more water.
Before Grooming
Other Tips about Foxtail Fern
I have bought only one foxtail fern. It is easy to propagate. Beware of other types of asparagus fern especially the one with long feathery stems. This type can invade and will act like weeds starting to sprout everywhere. The foxtail does not have this problem.
My plants have not tasted a drop of chemicals and are thriving anyway.
The "Sunset New Western Garden Book" says "Will survive light frosts but may be killed to ground by severe cold. Frosted plants often come back from roots."
It is a houseplant anywhere. Leaves turn yellow in dense shade.
With the new watering rules in L.A. of watering twice a week the foxtail fern should do fine in your yard.
Books and Aspapragus Fern Plants on Easy to Use Amazon
July 2009 Update on the Foxtail Fern
The heat in southern California has been brutal this month. We have had many days of 95+ heat near the foothills. The foxtail ferns pictured in this lens have suffered. I noticed bright brown areas on several sprays. I gave them all extra water. It has been five days of heat and either the sun burned the sprays or they dried out.
I will keep you updated. Sherry
Mon. July 27, 2009
We have had continued heat in the Inland Empire of southern California. The two ferns that have sunlight from 10am till 7pm are showing more signs of browning. It appears on the top most exposed sprays. New shots look healthy and not damaged. It appears to be burn from the intense hot sun. I gave them an extra watering last week.
Aug. 7, 2009
The heat has waned . Here is the latest picture of the plant that is 25 years old.
There is burning on about 7 sprays but there is one spray covered with white flowers and another new spray center right. I will cut off the burned tails to three inches and later remove the stem when it dries out and has loosen from the root base.
Have You Grown Foxtail Fern?
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Do you have the foxtail fern in your garden or in patio containers?
Please tell us about it.
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Reply
- HorseAndPony HorseAndPony Nov 3, 2009 @ 3:50 pm
- I love foxtail ferns but never had one of my very own. They are beautiful and I love the little flowers. Very nice looking lens.
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Reply
- paperfacets paperfacets Sep 4, 2009 @ 6:20 pm | in reply to Anahid
- What I have read about the foxtail leads me to suggest putting it indoors. The Sunset guide says will tolerate only a light frosting. It will not survive snow drifts. Being in California my experience has been drought and hot sun.Thanks for visiting this page.
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Reply
- Gabi Rusch Gabi Rusch Sep 4, 2009 @ 2:43 pm
- I planted a foxtail fern in a wiskey barrel in my back yard in May. I have absolutely loved it but was wondering if anyone knew if it would survive a Colorado winter outside or if I need to dig it up and put it in a pot indoors.
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Reply
- Anahid Anahid Aug 18, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
- Hi: I wrote to you yesterday but it seems I didn't save it and thus it didn't work. I was replying to Edition H. Hydrengia lens and your name Paperfacets caught my eye and wanted to check your lenses. I haven't seen Foxtail fern before it is interesting and dense growth. In the Pacific North West where my garden is we have lots fern grow abundantly particularly the sword fern. But I have two kind of Ferns in my garden, large one in the front garden called Lady Fern and the other one is called Maidenhair fern.
You have done a good job in this lens all the best. You get 5 stars. Anahid
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Reply
- poutine poutine Jul 30, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
- What a beautiful plant and I never seen it before.
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