FOXTAIL FERNS

An all inclusive guide to planting foxtail ferns in the Broadmoor Neighborhood of Shreveport, La.

Foxtail ferns are a tropical species of asparagus (not actually a fern), that are quite drought tolerant, love full sun, and offer a unique look to any landscape. The only real issue with these are that they can be poisonous to dogs and maybe humans, would not recommend for back lawns. These look exceptional in containers but they can grow quickly and the roots have been known to take over a pot, will need repotted yearly. Some use these in flower displays as wild accents on corners or centerpieces to a display.

Here in Shreveport Louisiana these ferns can be sort of an evergreen, where they keep their foliage and color year long, but if we have a good freeze or prolonged snow like the February of 2021 the cold will kill of the foliage down to a bare stem. In this case we just plucked all of the dead foliage off of the plants and in Spring they all came back from the roots and had a magnifiscent display that next season. This is generally the only maintenance needed to keep these ornamentals looking great, throughout the season you may see little areas that die and will need to be plucked but this is quite rare, and simple to do.

During our scorching Louisiana summers these plant also have water pockets in their root systems, the roots pull in the water when times are good and they conserve it for the summer heat. Overall these look amazing in group plantings, or as accents in a low display. Foxtail ferns are on of the more rare plantings in the Shreveport area.

These plants propagate naturally through the flower, fruit and seed method

If you are interested in buying these great plants in Shreveport we recommend Lex Nursery for the best well sourced plants in the area. If your looking to have a landscape installed or maintained please fill out our contact form or give us a call (318-507-5251) for a quick, painless estimate, and an excellent customer experience, guaranteed!

Plant Name : Foxtail Fern

Botanical Name : Asparagus Meyeri

Adult Size : 2 x 2ft. (tall and wide)

Growth Rate : 12+ Inches annually

Foliage Color : Light Green

Flower Color : Small White

Sun Requirements : Full / Partial Sun

Drought Tolerance : Very Drought Tolerant

Root system : Tuberous

Disadvantages : Potentially Poisonous if eaten, can die back in the cold

Advantages : Great centerpieces or accents, very drought tolerant

Propagation Methods : Seeds, Division. Not commonly propagated with tubers.