Live Asparagus Fern Plant with Pot and Decotative Materials

. Asparagus Ferns produce tiny white flowers in late summer to fall, and will occasionally form red or black berries. They can be trained to cascade down from a hanging planter, or to grow up a totem as a vine. These are not true ferns but are in fact members of the Lily family. The needle-like ‘leaves’ are actually called cladodes which perform the process of photosynthesis. The actual leaves are tiny and scale-like, appearing where the cladode meets the stem. The most commonly grown asparagus fern is Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri.’ This asparagus fern produces a mound of shiny, bright green, finely textured foliage about 18 to 24 inches tall and somewhat wider. Asparagus ferns are adaptable and will grow in full sun to shade. Their foliage, however, tends to look somewhat yellow when grown in full sun. Their growth and color tend to be better if they receive some shade for part of the day. Asparagus ferns will grow in nearly any soil and will thrive in both moist and dry conditions. They flourish in the hottest summer heat. Temperatures in the mid- to low 20s may burn back the foliage, and gardeners north of Lake Pontchartrain have seen some damage. When temperatures hit the upper teens, the plants will turn brown. But these plants are still alive. Trim them now, and abundant new growth in spring and early summer will have the plants looking just fine again. This plant is a sure bet even for novice gardeners. The fine-textured foliage and low mounding growth habit of ‘Sprengeri’ make it a good landscape choice. It’s excellent as a ground cover, as a specimen or in groups. Because it handles poor growing conditions so well, it often will grow where few other plants will.