#eowyn the shield fern

I’m very anxious and overwhelmed for a bunch of reasons, so of all things to post, I post ferns. Which as houseplants, are the epitome of anxiety. Or so I’m told.

Featuring my collection, minus one crocodile fern (mildly sunburned but fine): Staghorn fern, Japanese shield fern, rabbit’s foot fern, and delta maidenhair. Oddly enough, the rabbits foot is the most likely fern to communicate annoyance, and I think that’s due to me forgetting about it since they’re fairly tough. Also it’s sitting where I can’t immediately see it. (The mug was broken but found new life as a pot once I drilled a drain hole into it!)

The maidenhair has been with me for over a month and a half now and seems weirdly content, so long as I check in with it each day. Watching the new fronds come in has been so satisfying. Aside from watering regularly with fish tank water and good light, these babies get no special treatment. They all live within a foot of west facing windows, which is perfect for winter/spring/fall growing, and they get monitored in summer to make sure they don’t burn: they can easily be moved to less direct light should they become unhappy. Most fern problems seem to stem from poor lighting and improper watering related to said lighting. Then again, I’m no expert.

I do not know what I will do when/if Hector the staghorn reaches massive size. I guess the room will then belong to him! He’s grown so much since I got him a year ago.

I guess I’m happy to find these ferns are tougher than I was lead to believe. Which makes sense, considering I have native ferns in my landscaping (and want so many more!!!)

I’ve tagged the rabbits foot fern with arachnophobia since I’ve seen people get grossed out by their fuzzy rhizomes. I love them, it’s part of the appeal for me!