Ferns are an exceptional choice for hanging baskets due to their lush, flowing fronds and low-maintenance nature, making them perfect for both indoor and outdoor settings. Their unique texture and vibrant green hues can transform any space into a tranquil, garden-like atmosphere.
Ferns thrive in the dappled light and confined soil of a hanging basket, where their leaves can cascade beautifully over the edges. Moreover, their adaptability to various climates and their ability to purify the air add to their appeal, making them not just a decorative choice but a functional one as well.
Whether you’re looking to add a touch of greenery to a shaded porch or brighten a high-rise balcony, ferns in hanging baskets provide an effortless and striking solution.
Best Ferns for Hanging Baskets
1. Boston Fern
The Boston Fern is the easiest of the fern family to care for and looks absolutely stunning. They are sure to transform any space. In their pot or hanging in a trendy plant hanger, ferns are all the rage but do need specific care.
Ferns in hanging baskets tend to dry out quickly and require more frequent watering, especially during the summer months. Be careful not to overwater during the winter. Feed a fern in a hanging container every month during spring and summer using a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer mixed to half strength.
Grow your Boston fern in a bright spot that’s out of direct sun. It likes humidity. Boston ferns are the perfect porch plant, as they thrive in lots of indirect light.
2. Kimberly queen fern
You can plant Kimberly queen fern in containers, use as a hanging basket, or even plant in the ground. Kimberley queen ferns thrive in partial sun to low light conditions.
When grown indoors, they do well next to a bright window in indirect light. Avoid harsh, direct sun as this can burn the delicate fronds. When grown outdoors, a shaded location that receives dappled sunlight is ideal.
This fern is also known to do well in fun sun, but it requires humidity and more regular waterings.Kimberly queen fern is a natural air purifier when grown indoors.
3. Wart ferns
One of the best ways to highlight ferns is to plant them in hanging baskets or pots. Wart ferns are known for their medicinal properties, as they have been used in traditional medicine to treat skin disorders and respiratory ailments.
Water the Wart Fern regularly, ensuring the soil remains damp but not soggy. Its tropical nature means it appreciates higher humidity levels. If indoors, consider misting the plant occasionally or place it atop a tray filled with water and pebbles to maintain the desired humidity.
This fern flourishes in areas with partial to full shade, making it a perfect fit for understory gardens or spaces with indirect light. It thrives in consistently moist, well-draining soil.
4. Southern Shield Fern
Because it forms clumps and spreads over time, Southern shield fern works well as a groundcover, though it may need some taming to keep it in bounds. This versatile fern appreciates moist soils but also has good drought tolerance. It purifies the air and improves the quality of the environment.
Easy to grow in slightly acidic to alkaline, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soils of average fertility in part shade to shade. It will tolerate dry conditions for a period of time but prefers moist soil.
Southern shield fern performs in a variety of conditions, from moist to dry soil, from shaded areas of the garden to full sun. Most Ferns are slow-growing and can take several years to reach their mature size.
5. Cinnamon fern
The best landscape use for cinnamon ferns is as background plants in large shaded gardens. They spread slowly.
Cinnamon ferns thrive in deep shade or filtered sunlight. They can tolerate more sun when grown in wet soil. Keep the soil around the ferns moist at all times. To avoid constant watering, plant them in soggy or boggy areas. Cinnamon ferns perform best in partial to full shade.
Cinnamon ferns typically grow in the wild, but containers with rich compost soil can also work. The plant is also used as a remedy for chills, headaches, joint pain, and colds.
6. Macho fern
Macho fern are beautiful ferns, needs little light to thrive, so this is the perfect fern to use in large urns on a covered porch or patio, or in large hanging baskets under the eaves of a building. Just be sure to give it plenty of moisture and site it out of the way of strong winds and afternoon sun.
Site in bright indirect light with no direct sun. Tolerant of some shade. Soils should be kept consistently moist, with only a slight reduction in watering from fall to late winter. Macho Fern prefers high humidity and may appreciate being set on a tray of wet pebbles.
Macho fern is ideal for large urns or planters where it has room to flex its graceful 3- to 4-foot-long fronds. It’s ideal for decorating hanging baskets. They grow well both outdoors and indoors. When grown indoors, macho ferns need watering once or twice a week, depending on the temperature.
7. Japanese holly fern
Japanese holly ferns prefer acidic to neutral soil (ideally 6.0 to 7.8 pH) that is evenly moist, fertile, and well-drained. Avoid planting spots where the soil stays wet for extended periods.
Although it grows in full shade, holly fern does just fine in partial but not punishing sunlight. Indoors, place the plant in bright, indirect light. It grows at a medium rate and, under ideal conditions, can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.
Popular for its hardiness and handsome foliage, this fern makes an excellent ground cover or border edging in shaded locations.
8. Fishbone fern
Fishbone Ferns are common indoor plants, often seen in hanging baskets or displayed on plant stands. Fishbone fern leaves are bright green in ferns that grow in the shade and yellowish green in bright sunlight.
Fronds grow upright and sag, making it a good choice for hanging baskets. Give the fern bright, indirect light and well-draining soil. Fishbone Water Fern needs 0.8 cups of water every 9 days.
Keep soil moist but not wet at all times, especially during the growing season, and should be kept in a well-draining potting mix.
9. Autumn ferns
We recommend you choose a larger hanging basket for this beautiful fern, as smaller baskets can dry out very quickly.Autumn ferns are low-maintenance, pest-resistant, and ideal for easy gardening.
More ferns die from overwatering than underwatering; water only when soil is dry to the touch. Autumn ferns thrive in partial or full shade and moist, rich, well-drained, slightly acidic soil.
However, autumn fern can tolerate short periods of afternoon sunlight or light shade , but won’t perform well in intense heat or prolonged sunlight.
10. Tiger Fern
These are beautiful ferns ideal for hanging baskets and planters. Brown spots signal care issues in Tiger Ferns, like water and light mismanagement.
Site in bright indirect light with no direct sun. Light shade ideal for them. Tolerant of some shade. Soils should be kept consistently moist, with only a slight reduction in watering from fall to late winter.
Prefers high humidity and may appreciate being set on a tray of wet pebbles. Most ferns require well-drained moist conditions but some will tolerate standing in water in a bog-garden or at the edge of a pond.
Conclusion
Ferns make an excellent choice for hanging baskets due to their lush, draping foliage, which adds a touch of elegance and tranquility to any space. They thrive in the dappled light and elevated positions of hanging baskets, where their leaves can cascade beautifully.
In terms of care, ferns require consistent moisture and prefer humid environments, which can be easily maintained through regular misting and watering without allowing the soil to become waterlogged.
Choosing the best hanging ferns, like Kimberly Queen ferns, can greatly enhance your indoor garden with their dark green foliage and bright green fronds. These ferns grow well in consistently moist soil, rich in peat moss, and with proper soil pH management. While they tolerate standing water, ensuring the soil remains well-drained will help them thrive.
Additionally, ferns help purify the air and increase indoor humidity, making them not only a decorative choice but also a functional one for improving indoor environments. By choosing the right fern species and providing them with appropriate care, these plants can transform hanging baskets into vibrant, living ornaments.
