MY (NOT SO) SECRET WEAPON FOR INCREDIBLE FERNS ALL SUMMER LONG
Whenever someone comes to my house for the first time during the summer months, they always know which one is mine by the ginormous ferns flanking my front door! For me, it’s just not summer without these quintessential southern beauties; when I first moved here from the northeast, my neighbor laughingly told me it was sacreligious NOT to have a fern or two hanging or potted on your porch and it’s always stuck with me for the eighteen years I’ve lived below the Mason Dixon line!
There are so many ferns to choose from but the most popular around here are Boston (hanging), Kimberly (broad leaves and darker green than Boston) and then a sword fern (spikey, lighter green fronds that stick straight upright). I always buy Kimberly ferns for the planters on my front porch and I get them year after year from the grocery store, believe it or not! Nothing fancy, $10 a piece and I buy four – two for each planter. Most years, depending on how long our Indian summer lasts, these ferns will thrive well into fall and a few years I even had them out while putting up Christmas decorations!
I don’t know what it is about the Kimberly ferns, but they get HUGE. To the point that I’m having to trim them back a few times during the summer, just to be able to get in and out of the door. Because these usually make quite a few appearances on Instagram during this time of year, I always get questions about what I do to them to get them this size and the answer is surprisingly simple: they never get any direct sunlight and every two weeks, I add a scoop of this to a gallon of water and drench them with it. That’s it.
Knot door mat / Pineapple door knocker / Similar lantern lighting
If you have any other tips or tricks, please feel free to leave them below! Have a wonderful weekend!
Posted in INSPIRATION, MY HOME
Hello and welcome to Bungalow Blue Interiors!
I'm Kelly, interior designer, stylist, hostess with the mostest and editor of my blog, where I share pics of my work, my own home, décor projects, entertaining hacks, where to find the best decorating deals and all the beautiful things that are currently inspiring me!
Do love these porch ferns. I keep mine for years, never cut them back or repot them, fertilizer in every watering with Miracle
Grow 1/4 teaspoonful in 2 quarts of water. My ferns are outside on the porch all summer, inside near a window all winter. For me, house plants are a welcome visual transition from outside greenery to inside. A softening. Plus, they are low maintenance, inexpensive and give a lot of greenery. More bang for the buck!
I couldn’t agree more about the bang for the buck, Ann! They are the quintessential summer plant and add so much color and interest to both the exterior as well as the interior of a home! xx
I’m impressed, I have to admit. Rarely do I come across a blog that is both equally educative and amusing, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head on this topic. Thanks.
Thank you so much, Catherine, for the kind words! That means so much! xx
I also depend on ferns for front door urns! I live on coastal Georgia so mine are out year round! If there is a threat of frost – very infrequent- I throw a sheet over them at night! I fertilize with fish emulsion but yours are deliciously green – I might give Jacks a try!
Let me know what you think if you end up trying the Jacks, Jayne! I can’t think of anything more welcoming than gorgeous ferns at a front door year round! xx
I love your website! So glad I found it!! I, too have the Kimberly Queens by my front door. My porch is not very large, so they are beginning to look “too big” for the area! How do you trim yours back?
Hi, Kathy! I make a few small snips halfway down the frond so that they won’t hang so much, but spring back upward with a little weight cut off. They grow so fast that they look overgrown sometimes, but they are so hearty, I just love them! xx
Thanks for the tip! I have a tendency to break off the entire frond and then regret it afterwards! Love the “halfway ” down suggestion! 👍👍👍
I’ve done the same! Also, try to cut the frond at an angle so it doesn’t make it look like you hacked it straight off (like I’ve done before, lol!) xx