PlantFiles: Foxtail Fern
Asparagus densiflorus 'Meyersii'

The "foxtail" Asparagus Myersil Fern (not really a fern) is beautiful and grows easily in southern California. No insects, no diseases, etc. BUT it spreads its roots far and wide, it is like a weed. I started to remove one of them and after the best part of a day of digging I got the main plant out and many roots but there are still more for another day. I have 3 more of these things! I recommend them for in a pot, but not in your ground. It reminds me of when my grandmother put a little bamboo in one of your garden areas, it spread to fil that garden bed, when under the little brick wall, spread into the lawn. Grandfather spent months digging it out and spraying it. Finally, they gave up and cemented that whole area.

I have a whole row of this plant in front of my home. Seems to grow well here in Southern California. The plant's look is a matter of preference, as I tend to think it's shape is fairly ugly but I do like the texture of the plant. I would probably put up with it being in my yard if it were not for the fact that the red berries it produces are toxic to humans and I have kids that like to put things into their mouths.

This is a gorgeous plant!
I have two potted ones, bought at the same time. I purposely left one in part sun and the other in full sun to see where they would be happiest. I must say that after several months, the one in full sun is TRIPLE the size of the other. So....full sun=fast growth!
I will be planting both in the ground this season, of course in full sun.

All these years I thought this was the Asparagus Fern...so sue me.. My mother told me that so what can I say? This one is about 3 years old and has always been in the pot it's in since I bought it. I water mine daily in summer here (Irving, TX) because of the drought, but it's a light watering only because there is no space at the top of the pot for water to sit which is fine by me. The soil I have it in is a sandy, but compact type, real cheap bagged stuff, but as you can see it is doing just fine. I give it a light shot of Miracle grow once in every third or seventeenth blue moon or so. It really is a plant you can stick in a pot and almost forget about unless you're up north where it takes constant care. I am from Ohio and it never grew to well there. Here it has never had a big needle loss that I remember. It goes in the greenhouse in winter and here in TX that means a small heater because it's a 12X8 GH with a 12 ft peak, polycarbonate walls and aluminum framing..(cheap deal from Harbor Freight, but works wonderfully none the less..) Kept just above freezing at night it does quite well in winter as long as it gets plenty of sun in the daylight hours.

Thank You

My foxtail ferns are very slow growers, but are planted close to my brick wall. Theses ferns have lived through 2 winters with NO care. They die down in the winter and sprout again in the spring. I will move them from the full sun to a filtered sun location to see if they will be a bit more vigorous (I've done my research now, oops!). They do not grow as well as the regular asparagus ferns planted nearby. I garden in zone 8b.

This fern grows GREAT here in Jacksonville, FL (8b). Keep it in part shade and out of the blazing summer sun and it thrives. Looks great at the base of trees or to soften up walkways. Check out this plant at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens!

Originally puchased this plant over 10 years ago, when living in Sarasota. Had it in a pedestal planter in center of yard, with other ferns and aroids surrounding it. It was gorgeous! Had to divide it as it had quit growing, then it took off again. I still have original plant here in Central Florida and it is past time to divide it again. I have been very neglectful, but it keeps trying despite me. :-) You definitely get a workout dividing it... my arms are sore for days after.

Readily available in nurseries locally. This plant has thrived here in zone 9b.

I like the shape of the plant, but it is a very slow grower. I first bought mine in July '06 and put it in a pot with some other plant. 7 months later and it's sent up 4 new spears, with a 4 month spread between the last two spears. I haven't seen any berries on mine and I'm okay with that.

I absolutely love this plant, it's in a bed that's semi-sheltered by the eave of the house. The most beautiful texture and structure.

I'm neutral about this plant for the time being but may be happier if it picks up speed in growing. I'm used to other asparagus ferns that grow quickly, sending up new spears frequently. This one seems to be very slow. It's growing okay so I'll see how it does in the future. It would be nice if it grew more & I could plant it outside. I'll divide in spring & put one out to see if it makes it through the winter.

This plant is simply breah taking in groupings. My friend has a walk way, that has a little side of dirt, like 3 feet wide by 13 feet long and all she has planted there are these! They look soo amazing cascading over onto the walk way. They always look good! Planted alone, they arent as pretty, well to me.

Planted outside in landscape around a raised waterfall early spring '05. It's thriving! It's in full sun most of the day and didn't seem to falter at all during the string of 100 degree days. It grew quickly and all 3 plants had berries. I'm still trying to find info about overwintering. One of the coolest plants in my landscape.

Sam Rayburn Lake, Zone 8b

I have great success with growing Foxtail Fern in large pot (12" diameter)
I've had mine about four years yet it has never produced berries. Perhaps it is a male Foxtail?
If you have information regarding sex of Foxtail, please let me know. How old must plant be to produce red berries?
Many thanks

I really like this plant and it has performed wonderfully as a patio plant. Don't now if it is as vigorous as asparagus sprengeri, but since it is in a pot, not an issue. I collected seeds this year after red berries dried up, have not sown as of this writing. It is planted in mostly sun and watered when soil feels dry; every other day in July-Aug.

I started with a small 8" foxtail fern about 6 years ago. I live near the Arkansas/Missouri border, zone 5, so this plant can't survive the winters. The first winter I took it indoors and put it by the large window in our living room. It lost almost all of it's needles and I was sure it was dead, but put it out in the Spring (bringing it in if there was frost warnings) anyway giving it a good drink of Miracle Gro from time to time and it did come back to life quite well.

That September I cut the root cluster in half and repotted both halves in new potting soil. I would water them about twice a week with about every 4rd watering being a Miracle Gro watering. When first frost threatened I began taking them to the covered porch and then putting them back out during the day. That winter I put them in a back room that was cooler. They still lost a lot of needles but did better then the single plant did the winter before.

They again did well after being put back out for the spring, summer and fall. The third winter I decided to try putting them in the unheated garage under a shop light which we left on 24/7 for the dogs. That's exactly what they wanted. Through the winter I watered them occassionally (every two or three weeks) and they appreciated the cool weather, the light and the occasional watering enough to bloom on me. They lost needles, but nothing like before and still looked great to put back out in the spring.

Today, 6 years after purchase, they really add curb appeal to our house, sitting on pedistals on either side of our garage. They measure about 2.5 feet tall and the same in diameter. I have transplanted them into larger pots twice after cutting the initial plant into two sections.

They are in nice size pots now so I only need to water them about once every week or two, depending on the weather. I water till water comes out the bottom and I still continue to make every 4th watering a Miracle Grow watering. I have gotten the most favorable comments on this plant then on any other I've grown. It's a favorite with everyone who comes to visit, and since moving it into the Garage in winter and back out in summer, transplanting into a larger pot every couple years, and watering it from time to time, is all the maintaince it requires, it's a pretty easy plant to take care of.

I keep this one in my house since 2 years.

Treated as an annual here 7B/8 zone. I use it in hanging baskets and it is lovely, but never overwinters.