Plant Library

Other Names:  Pom Pom Asparagus, Zig Zag Shrub

Description:

A large shrub-like perennial featuring upright, silver-gray canes that hold feathery tufts of threadlike leaves; small, fragrant white flowers in spring, followed by orange fruits; a great textural accent for the garden or containers; popular for bonsai

Features & Attributes

Ming Asparagus Fern features dainty fragrant white cup-shaped flowers along the stems from mid spring to early summer. Its attractive tiny compound needle-like leaves remain light green in color throughout the year. The gray stems can be quite attractive and add to the plant's interest.

This is a dense herbaceous evergreen houseplant with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its extremely fine and delicate texture is quite ornamental and should be used to full effect. This plant can be pruned at any time to keep it looking its best.

Planting & Growing

When grown indoors, Ming Asparagus Fern can be expected to grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years. This houseplant performs well in both bright or indirect sunlight and strong artificial light, and can therefore be situated in almost any well-lit room or location. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist soil, but will not tolerate any standing water. The surface of the soil shouldn't be allowed to dry out completely, and so you should expect to water this plant once and possibly even twice each week. Be aware that your particular watering schedule may vary depending on its location in the room, the pot size, plant size and other conditions; if in doubt, ask one of our experts in the store for advice. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soil. Contact the store for specific recommendations on pre-mixed potting soil for this plant.

There are many factors that will affect the ultimate height, spread and overall performance of a plant when grown indoors; among them, the size of the pot it's growing in, the amount of light it receives, watering frequency, the pruning regimen and repotting schedule. Use the information described here as a guideline only; individual performance can and will vary. Please contact the store to speak with one of our experts if you are interested in further details concerning recommendations on pot size, watering, pruning, repotting, etc.