Chicago is a tough place for ferns. Cold, dry winters take a toll on moisture-loving ferns. Many fern owners start off with a full, lush plant and end with a sad pot of scraggly stems. Boston ferns have their best moments during summer when they fill out container gardens and spill from hanging baskets. They thrive in warm, humid air, but never seem to look as happy indoors. When I visited my friend Raquelle, I was amazed at her gigantic indoor fern. The purpose of the visit was to meet her new granddaughter, but I confess, I was just as excited about her houseplant. Take a look at this fantastic fern.

The Boston Fern’s Backstory

Boston ferns are native to humid forests of South America, Mexico, and Florida, and part of the sword fern family. The Boston fern got its name in 1894 from a floral shipment sent from Philadelphia to Boston. The florist noticed a particular fern in the shipment had wider fronds and stood more upright than the others. He began propagating it, and two years later, botanists named it the Boston fern. The lush ferns became popular parlor plants during the Victorian era and have remained a design staple since. In Raquelle’s modern home, the fern sits on a wooden stand between her kitchen and dining room. It has grown so heavy that it cracked the plant stand. 

A Simple Plant Care Strategy

Raquelle’s care strategy for this fantastic fern is simple; she keeps the soil moist and gives it three quarts of water at a time. The fern grows in regular potting soil, and was repotted only once in the six years that she’s had it. She also gives it what she calls a “haircut” twice a year and clips off any dead or dry fronds. The fern gets plenty of bright indirect light because it sits right next to several large, west-facing windows on the top floor of a high rise condo. In their natural habitat ferns live in dappled sunlight or under a canopy of trees, but when indoors, ferns do best with large amounts of bright indirect light. 

Raquelle And Her Boston Fern

The Gift Of Loyalty

When I asked Raquelle what she likes most about her fern she said that it asks for so little and gives so much. The connection is easy; she loves the fern and the fern loves her back. She reflected on how over the past six years her life has changed a lot, but this fern is one of the few things that remained consistent. Then she smiled with gratitude and said, “it’s a tried and true friend.”