Growing Boston fern's in the winter

Have you ever wondered how plants get their names? Well, the Boston Fern got its name because it is a mutation of a tropical fern that was found growing in a parlor in Boston, Massachusetts around 1890 by a tropical plant grower from the South. A mutation is a new plant that develops with a different appearance from a known plant. This new plant is totally different; it has unique features, interesting characteristics, the growing requirements have changed and so has the appearance of this plant. Mutation is rare in nature, but this mutation made the fern a plant that could be grown inside your home--no longer a plant for a warm climate that grew outside only.

The Boston fern is a close relative of the sword fern that grows wild in southern Florida and tropical regions of the Pacific. It mutated from the Sword Fern, and today it is the most popular of all the ferns grown. What makes this plant unique is its ability to grow in a brightly lit window. Most other ferns prefer a shady location--even a dark location--to grow in your home but the Boston fern will survive in those conditions, just not thrive or grow very well; it needs light.

What I love best about the Boston fern is that it can be grown on your back porch for the summer months or on a shady patio. When the weather begins to get cold, it can be brought into your home for you to enjoy all winter long--and if you follow a few rules it will give your room a bit of tropical look.

If you have tried to overwinter or grow a Boston fern in your home for the winter and have had problems in the past, follow these easy steps for success. The main problem is when you bring them into your home they begin to shed their leaves and the dried up leaves fall to the floor, creating a mess. This is unacceptable but it can be avoided if you do the following.

Boston ferns require bright indirect light at all times. If you live in the northern part of the country, your fern will grow best in an east facing window with morning sunshine or a west facing window with late day sunshine. A south facing window even in the dead of winter is too bright and the direct sun will burn the foliage. If this is your only window, move the plant to one side or the other to create filtered light.

Boston ferns will not survive if you have a forced hot air heat in your home. This type of heat removes all the moisture from the air and the plants cannot survive in this climate. You cannot grow Boston ferns in a room that has a wood or coal burning stove for the same reason--the air is too dry. If you want a beautiful plant, you will have to mist the foliage every day; not just when you think of it, but every day.

A humidifier is the best way to keep the plant happy because it will apply the moisture to the air constantly, just as it was growing in the wild outside. A humidifier will also help your family sleep better during the winter, and your wood furniture is less likely to dry out and crack. Moisture in the air will benefit all your plants in your home, so keep the Boston fern in the same room as your humidifier. I also place my plant on top of a large saucer filled with stones. I fill the saucer to just below the bottom of the pot with water every morning and during the day that water evaporates creating a micro climate around the plant; but never let the pot sit in the water.

Now, temperature is also something that will affect the growth of the plant. Your Boston fern will do best with daytime temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees and 60 to 65 during the evening. If your plant is in a room that gets warmer than 70 degrees, place the plant on top of a table or on a plant stand rather than hanging it from the ceiling. Heat rises and the temperature near the ceiling could be as much as 10 degrees warmer than at waist high in the room.

All types of ferns love to be fertilized every 2 weeks all year long; lack of fertilizer will also cause yellowing of the foliage. Feed at half the recommended rate with something like Dr. Earth house plant. If you forget to feed, as most of us do, use Dynamite pellet fertilizer; this is a wonderful slow-release plant food that will feed your plant for up to 3 months.

Watering is important and ferns need to be kept moist at all times but never sitting in a saucer of water. I put the plant in the sink once a week and give the plant a good watering and soak the foliage at the same time. This is also a good time to clean off any foliage that turns brown on the plant. Use warm water when watering your plant so not to chill the plant, and if your foliage is beginning to lose some of its shine it is usually caused by allowing the soil to dry out between waterings.

When you purchase a Boston fern you will notice that the plant is growing in the center of the pot. As it matures, new foliage will develop closer to the edge of the pot and some of the older foliage in the center will begin to die off; this is natural.

In the spring, your fern will need to be re-potted. I usually examine the root ball first. Usually you will notice small plants developing up against the side of the pot in the root zone. On the top of the plant you will notice dead spots in the center with all the foliage developing from around the edges. If your plant is large and mature, cut the plant in half and repot into 2 new pots during March or April, and by summer you will have 2 plants that will thrive on your porch or patio during the summer. Feed with Dynamite fertilizer and watch the new plants quickly develop.

When you re-pot your plant, use a good potting soil and blend in 50% peat moss or compost to the mixture. If your new shoots growing around the side of the pot look good but the center is mostly dead, pull the new shoots from the root and dispose of the dead portions. Now plant the new shoots in a clump in the center of the pot and watch them quickly develop into a new healthy plant in just a few weeks...think division. Keep plants away from drafty doors that open and close often to prevent chilling, and away from heating ducts to prevent dehydration of the foliage when the heat turns on.

There are now several new varieties available of the Boston fern: The compact is my favorite. It grows to 18 inches wide and stays compact, not floppy, so it works well in a pot in a planter. Also nice is a variety called 'Fluffy Ruffles,' which is more upright growing, with stiff branches; also 18 inches tall and spreading. If you want a large growing plant that will cascade over the side of the pot look for the variety called 'Bostoniensis.'

Ferns are a bit of work but your efforts will be rewarded with a plant that brings the warmth of Florida into your winter home covered with snow. Enjoy!

Growing Gardenia's indoors

This fall and winter, let's add an old-fashioned southern flowering plant to our collection of indoor houseplants. This tropical plant is a shrub in the southern part of the country and real easy to grow as a foundation plant around most southern homes.

The southern gardener uses this plant much like we do azaleas and rhododendrons in the northern part of the country and its beautiful foliage is as important as the flower buds the plant makes in late summer for fall and winter flowers.

Gardenias (also known as Cape jasmine) have glossy, dark green leaves that are almost leathery in appearance. The leaf is oval in shape with a pointed leaf tip often growing one and half inches to three inches long and one to one and half inches wide. When you look at the leaf you will notice a sunken vein running from end to end on the leaf. Also, sunken side veins run from this center vein to the sides of the leaf, like bones from a fish.

The newer growth is not as dark as mature leaves on the plant, but this distinctive color difference makes the foliage stand out. However, if you have a plant in your home now and it has yellow leaves on the lower part of the plant it could be the result of the plant growing in a location that is too shady for the plant. From September to May your gardenias will do best in a window with full sun--if possible--or at least bright most of the day. Outside during the summer, keep them in the shade.

The foliage is nice but the flowers are the crowning glory of this plant. The flowers are double flowers with many rows of petals and resemble rose flowers. The flowers can grow from 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter, and as they begin to open the flowers will fill the room with a powerful perfume scent. The fragrance will last until the flower falls from the plant.

The flower is a rich creamy-white color, and will last on the plant for several weeks before turning creamy-yellow and falling from the plant. The flower buds look like Soft Serve Ice-Cream Cones," pale green in color and covered with whirled flower petal covers. As the buds open, they seem to slowly turn white. Most stems will make 3 to 5 buds on the tip of the branches; these will open one at a time, lengthening the flowering time on the plant.

Keep the plant outside until September as the plant will make flower buds better if the air temperature is below 70 degrees and the days grow shorter. Now the tricky part: gardenias love humidity and moisture on the foliage. Gardenias will not grow in a house with forced hot air heat or in a room that has a wood or coal stove in it. Forced hot water heat is not a problem if it comes from oil ,but if it comes from natural gas the plant will die quickly, as any unused gas fumes are toxic to the plant.

When the plant is inside the house always keep it on a tray filled with small stones and add water to the tray of stones daily. Daily misting with warm water is very important when the flower buds get ready to open. If your flower buds are falling from the plant before opening, the air around the plant is too dry, so use a humidifier to add moisture to the air; it will help the plant, and you'll breathe better, too. One more thing, keep plants away from drafts.

Fertilize every two weeks from May to September and monthly after that with Mir-Acid fertilizer. Gardenias love acid soils, so never use limestone near this plant or it will stop growing.

Repot in late winter when it has finished flowering; use a soil with lots of organic matter. When you repot the plant, cut back the tips of every branch to stimulate new growth--and watch it fill in and grow thicker faster. Keep the soil moist when growing outside, but cut back the watering when it is in bloom. Also never mist the flower when misting the foliage and buds, as water applied to the opened flower will make it turn brown.

If you purchase a plant from a florist or greenhouse, look at the pot shape. If the pot has straight sides and the soil looks like all compost it is the original soil it was grown in and this plant should be repotted when you get home--or have the greenhouse repot it for you. The soil used to grow the plant is artificial and will dry up quickly. Also the plant is probably root-bound, so please repot into a larger pot with fresh soil to help hold moisture around the developing root system.

Gardenias are beautiful, fragrant and worth all the work that comes with them. Try one this fall or winter as your home may be perfect for this wonderful plant.  Enjoy!

"If you ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself with out it.  But if you invest in beauty it will remain with you all the days of your life."

Frank Lloyd Wright

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