When you learn a new word, you suddenly seem to hear it everywhere. It’s the same with gardening queries. I overheard a couple of hipsters in an east London plant shop bemoaning how despite their love of ferns they find them impossible to grow. The next thing I know I am hearing the same claim on podcasts, getting asked about it on Twitter and overhearing it on trains. So, before I get asked about it again, here is all you need to know to grow ferns like a pro.
There are thousands of species, they’re native to habitats as diverse as dense tropical rainforests and frozen alpine peaks, but what they all have in common is a love of humidity. As our homes are designed to keep moist air out and modern central heating dries out what is left, the amount of humidity indoors can be so low it actually draws the water out of the delicate tissues in many ferns, causing them to turn brown and lose their leaves.
However, there is a range of fern species that have specifically evolved thicker, waxier coatings on their leaves to help them survive lower humidity – the epiphytes. In nature, these grow clinging to tree branches, so they have to handle rapidly drying out between rainstorms, which makes them tough candidates to survive the average living room.
My favourite is the popular bird’s nest (Asplenium nidus). Its perfect rosette of paddle-shaped, apple-green leaves will handle even a severe lack of humidity. If you are up for something more dramatic, it doesn’t get better than the staghorn (Platycerium superbum). To make them even quirkier looking, I liberate mine from pots and strap them to pieces of driftwood, to mimic how they grow in the wild, and hang them as wall decorations. Of course, there is also the hare’s foot (Davallia canariensis) – yes, I know, another fern named after animal anatomy. Its adorably fuzzy, creeping stems of rusty brown look amazing dangling out of hanging baskets.
However, even with the most thin-leaved of ferns, like the notoriously delicate maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum), there are tricks to boost their chances of survival. While traditional tips, like keeping them in humid bathrooms, sitting them on trays filled with water and pebbles, and daily mistings are often mentioned, I recently picked up a new one that to me is a game-changer: simply plant them in larger pots. Grouping three or more specimens in a large bowl not only creates a humidity-trapping microclimate around their leaves, but also makes for a larger volume of growing media that is less prone to drying out.
This has turned one of the trickier houseplants into something quite reliable, while also being an eye-catching way to display their tumbling locks of green. I was surprised how effective it turned out to be. I hope it will be for you, too.
Email James at james.wong@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter@Botanygeek
