tree fern indoors
If you’re looking for an elegant and verdant focal point for your home, growing a tree fern indoors may be just the solution. These lush, prehistoric beauties bring a touch of New Zealand’s temperate forests straight to your living room, offering architectural grace with their feathered fronds and sculptural trunks. While tree ferns are commonly associated with outdoor landscapes, they can thrive indoors with the right conditions and a little know-how.
Asplenium bulbiferum (Hen And Chicken Fern)
Asplenium bulbiferum, commonly known as the Hen and Chicken Fern or Pikopiko Fern, is a popular NZ native prized for its lush, arching fronds and ability to produce baby ferns (plantlets) along the leaf edges. Ideal for shaded gardens, underplanting, or pots, it thrives in moist, well-drained soil with protection from direct sun and wind. This fern adds a soft, tropical feel to any space and is low-maintenance, making it a favourite for both indoor and outdoor use.
Phlebodium aureum Blue Star (Blue Star Fern)
The Blue Star Fern features wavy leaves that are a blue-green colour. This popular indoor plant grows as a clump to about 30 cm tall and the same wide. It grows best when positioned in partial shade on a well-drained soil in a sheltered spot. It will not tolerate wet growing conditions or frost. This Fern makes for a fantastic potted plant but can also be grown outdoors in warmer climates. In such environments it is often planted around pool and other outdoor living areas. This is an easy plant to grow and very forgiving.
