One of the questions I’m often asked is how to keep ferns happy indoors. With most species adapted to sky-high humidity and perfectly even root moisture, it can be tricky to find any members of this group that will handle the bone-dry air and forgetful waterings that are the reality in most homes. However, there is one exotic that will thrive both indoors and outside. Let me introduce you to the hare’s foot fern.
Native to moist forests around the world, this genus of creeping ferns lives by clinging to the branches of trees. To survive in this unique habitat, they have evolved the ability to rapidly absorb the brief flashes of irrigation they get from passing rain storms that run down the tree bark. Growing on a surface with little to no water retention, they have developed thicker, waxier leaves and stout water-retaining rhizomes covered in moisture-absorbent fuzz. In some species these finger-thick, furry brown roots, which creep over the surface of growing media, can look astonishingly mammalian – like an Ewok has stepped out from the undergrowth. Hence the common name, hare’s foot fern.
These adaptations not only give the plants their rugged resilience to power through incredibly dry conditions and an enormous aesthetic appeal, but the adaptability to be displayed in all manner of quirky ways to show off their unique features. One of the most straightforward is in a wire, moss-lined hanging basket. Out of the confines of a traditional closed pot, the fuzzy roots will quickly creep over the entire surface, enveloping the whole basket to create a sphere of networked furry fingers. The leaves will do the same, resulting in a cascade of downward-facing fronds that look breathtaking from below. A living chandelier.
By far the most commonly available species is Davallia canariensis from the Atlantic coast of Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, which also happens to be borderline hardy, if you keep them nice and dry in winter. This makes them perfect for bright, unheated rooms in winter, when more tropical species would struggle, or even in sheltered outdoor spots in the southern half of the country. Under the eaves of porches or under evergreen tree canopies would be perfect.
Similarly, the harder-to-find Japanese species D marieseii will take lows of at least -5C, which makes them reliable in sheltered, urban centres in southern England. Unlike other species, these are deciduous, with the leaves turning a beautiful shade of orange and red. If I lived around the moist western coasts of Britain, like west Wales, Devon or Cornwall, I’d definitely try establishing mine in a colony of moss on thick tree branches to mimic how they grow in nature. They are versatile, forgiving and a rare combination of a quirky novelty that somehow is also classically beautiful. I will never know why they aren’t grown more often.
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