Foxtail Fern Bright Green Accent Plant

1 There is no trimming or pruning as is necessary for hedges or roses.

2 A mature plant will become 6 to 8 feet across but new plants will stay about 3 or 4 feet across for 12 years or more.

3 The 25 years I have had this plant, I never saw any pests attack or diminish its health.

4 It is easy to start new plants by dividing the base root system with 10 or 12 sprays attached.

5 If you live in SoCal or similar zone you will be very happy with this plant. Snowy climes will need to bring them in for shelter during the length of the freeze.

6 This inedible asparagus plant is a member of the lily family and not a fern. It is hardy, even the occasional frost will leave no noticeable damage.

7 The foxtail ferns in my yard do not get extra water, except in prolonged days of 95 degrees and more.

8 The mature 25-year-old plant at top right has 2.5 foot sprays and tiny white flowers that attract honey bees. It looks like this all year round.

9 My plants have not tasted a drop of chemicals and are thriving.

10 If you want an easy evergreen plant try foxtail fern. I will give you all the information I have learned about the asparagus fern plant to make the task an easy and rewarding project for a bright green addition to your garden.

The plant I am referring to here is the Meyeri. The other type of Asparagus fern is the Sprengeri and has thinner stems that do not stand up on their own. This type of asparagus fern is classified as a weed in Hawaii, Florida, New Zealand and Australia.

I classify it a weed in my yard, as well. I have a spot in the front yard that keeps sprouting and if you ignore it you will be sorry, because it can take over an area with roots that are hard to eradicate. If left alone they will forever sprout.

It takes about four or five root diggings to rid the area of it. In the seventies this type of asparagus fern was popular as a potted plant and was widely available. Know which one you want when shopping for a new plant. I would avoid Sprengeri it is very invasive.

Plant lovers seem to get these two plants mixed up. Google images reveals that the words asparagus fern is used for both types and the name foxtail fern is mostly used for the Meyeri with the compacted tails.

Here is a short page about the Sprengeri weed by the University of Arizona with pictures. Take note that it does not have the compacted tail look. More information below in Link List section.

Once or twice a year, clean out dead wood and perk up the sides of the bushes. I always do this sitting down next to the plant and only when I feel ambitious.

Note that with the foxtail fern, you will always have sprays dead or drying up. These are the oldest sprays and this is the way the plant keeps itself under control. I go in about twice a year to weed out these dry sticks, dress, and clean the plant to spruce it up.

To do this, lift the sprays off the ground, and hold them to the center. Work into the center, cutting off dead, browning and thinning spears at least four inches from the base. There are always new shoots.

Last, loosen and pick out twigs from former cuttings to allow areas for new growth.

If you get more than 10 sprays browning out in one season you may have to give the plant more water!

June 2010 Foxtail Care Update

This spring I tried the snap technique I use for the cannas and it worked like a dream. It is so fast.

Instead of cutting the spent spears I grab them about half way down the spear, then going in the opposite direction of the line of growth, I snap the spear back with a quick motion. The dried spear just breaks off at the base.

This technique leaves no debris to pick out later. It took me a long time to realize I can use this quick motion method. Try it on your bush. Be sure to have gloves on.

Flowers develop into red berries that attract birds. The berries are said to be poisonous for cats and dogs. Our dogs have always ignored the red berries.

I have placed single plants in spots or corners for color. In a mass planting, I would thin out the individual plants as they get bigger to leave the remaining 8 feet apart. The root mass gets thick and forms a mound at the center and can be four feet in diameter. Spears may grow from any spot in this diameter. If space in your garden is limited this plant may not be for you.

I have bought only one asparagus meyeri fern. It is very easy to propagate. Instructions follow.

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 everywhere, however, it will turn yellow in dense shade. I tried one where there is full sun only half the day. The plant never reached full potential and I took it out of that location.

STEP ONE

The mature foxtail ferns can be divided into new plants. All you need is a little muscle, a narrow shovel for the ladies and some time.

In our first picture, I have decided where I want to split off the plant. I am going for less than a quarter of the plant. At that spot I will need to clear away dead wood by holding the spears down for ease of separating. That way I can use the shovel to slice into the root mass.

It may be hard going for light weight gardeners. Slice down as far as you can.

STEP TWO

On the outside of the plant about 6 inches from the stem base start digging down and under the root mass. Use the shovel to leverage it out by putting your weight down on the end of the handle. Work around the target area three or four times. Now try to lift it out. You may have to work at a few spots to work it free.

The root ball is not hard and tangled with thin dense roots, so this should not be too hard to do. In this picture you can see how the roots are loose at the bottom.

STEP THREE

Here I have my section out of the ground. I will start cleaning out cut roots, stems and loose dirt to give the new growth plenty of room and air pockets.

STEP FOUR

Here is the root ball cleaned up. It is still a little large for the new pot so I shortened and thinned it out some more. I have 13 green spears for the new plant. The pot is filled with store bought potting soil.

STEP FIVE

Hank was with me all the way on this project.

The plant will get water and a slightly shaded spot under one the dwarf palms till I see new growth.

I will keep you posted on the outcome.

March13,2010

Planting Update

May 13, 2010 Finally, I have a shoot on this potted Foxtail. Eight of the spears dried up entirely and I only had three green ones left. The sun is directly overhead now and the growth should be faster.

May 27, 2010. I have four new shoots. All are about one inch long. So I consider this plant okay. I have only four spears that are green from the original planting.

Wed. July 22, 2009
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.

No major harm sustained during this very hot spell.

There are many striking images of the "meyeri" asparagus fern.

See them at...

...Google images of the Foxtail Fern

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