A Fern That's Not a Fern

Look what an aunt of mine gave me. It's commonly called a foxtail fern but it doesn't belong to the fern family. As the word "fern" comes from old English fearn, it means feather. With dense foliage giving it a fluffy appearance, it resembles a fox's tail. Others call it a bottle brush fern.

A young Asparagus Densiflorous Myersii or foxtail plant

Believing it might be invasive and can grow rapidly on the ground, I preferred to leave it in the old pot. I don't know but there is always something about old, previously used pots. For me, I find it attractive as their appearance improve with age. The crusty white deposits left in the pot were some salts and trace elements from the water and medium used previously. Sometimes, plants could benefit from them by converting these elements into soluble forms that will make it again available to the plants needs.

The shape of this pot allows unrestricted growth of the plant. I can't wait to see these branches with green fluffy foliage draping over the edges of the pot in my small garden.