Botanical name: Nephrolepsis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’
Common name: Boston Fern
Famous for its fabulous fronds and graceful elegance in a hanging basket, Boston ferns can spill down up to a metro, which also makes them perfect for pedestals.
Care instructions.
Light: brightly well-lit areas indoors.
Watering: don’t let them dry out in summer, though you can ease off in winter unless they are in a windy position.
Feeding: liquid fertiliser applied at half strength every fortnight is ideal.
Tip: they love humidity so misting them regularly with a mist/spray bottle will help them stay fresh. In late winter cut back removes any dead or dry foliage and encourages new growth in spring.
Looking for the perfect pot/basket and plant combo? Click here to access our pot plant size matrix.
Boston fern, also known as Sword Fern, is a classic hanging basket plant that is super popular for shaded balconies, with graceful arching fronds creating an elegance to any space. There are quite a few cultivars available, including ‘Fluffy Ruffles, which has finer, divided foliage, and a golden form ‘Aurea’, which looks great if well fed and given enough light to really ‘shine bright’. Boston ferns are one of the top ten NASA purifying plants.
Note: Fishbone fern, or Nephrolepis cordifolia is a weed in many areas of NSW and Queensland and should not be planted. The spherical tubers it develops make it difficult to control, and the rhizomes can travel under rocks and in difficult to get to places making it difficult to control.
By: Meredith Kirton