Phlebodium aureum — blue-gray, deeply lobed fronds rising from furry golden rhizomes that creep across the soil. The most forgiving fern on the bench: it would rather dry out a little than stay wet.
Blue star fern breaks the fern rules in the right direction. Its fronds are thick, waxy and blue-gray rather than thin and green, so they hold water and shrug off dry air; its roots are fat, fuzzy, golden rhizomes that store moisture and rot if kept soggy, so it wants to dry slightly between waterings. It grows into a loose, sculptural clump of wavy, lobed fronds — more like a piece of coral than a Boston fern — and does it in ordinary bright indirect light.
Water the soil around the rhizomes rather than onto them, keep it out of direct sun, and it is one of the easiest ferns you will own. The rest of the bench is on our Houseplants page.
This is the blue star fern we commonly carry. Availability changes week to week and season to season, so call (480) 987-3308 or stop in to see what’s on the bench today.
Wavy, deeply lobed blue-gray fronds to about eighteen inches from creeping golden-furred rhizomes. Bright indirect light; let the top inch dry between waterings; keep the rhizomes above the soil.
Looking for one that isn’t listed? Ask — we can usually suggest a close match or tell you when it tends to come around.
The care tag was written somewhere else. This is the Queen Creek version.
Bright indirect light near an east window, or filtered south light, gives the best blue color and fullest growth; it also tolerates medium light in a north room. Direct sun through glass bleaches the fronds yellow and scorches them in summer. Rotate the pot every few weeks.
Blue star tolerates our dry indoor air better than any other fern we carry, but browning frond edges mean it wants more — a pebble tray, grouping, or a bathroom window — or it is sitting in a vent’s airflow. Move it out of the draft first.
A balanced liquid fertilizer at quarter strength every four to six weeks from March through September. Old fronds yellow and drop naturally; cut them at the base. New fronds unfurl from the rhizome tips — a plant with healthy, plump rhizomes is fine even if it looks sparse for a season.
Water when the top inch of mix is dry — every five to seven days in summer indoors, every ten days in winter — pouring around the edges so the furry rhizomes stay dry. Constantly wet mix rots them. Filtered water avoids brown tips from our hard tap water. A well-draining mix and a pot with a hole.
An airy, bark-rich mix — orchid bark, perlite and potting mix in roughly equal parts — in a shallow, wide pot or basket, because the rhizomes creep sideways across the surface. Don’t bury them when repotting; set them on top of the mix. Repot every two years or when rhizomes reach the pot edge.
Non-toxic to cats and dogs. Scale and mealybugs occasionally; treat with insecticidal soap, not oil. Outdoors, a shaded covered patio in spring and fall; it tolerates the mild months well but not sun, summer heat or frost.
Yellowing, spots, no new growth — snap a photo of the plant and its window and we’ll diagnose it at the bench. Advice is free.
We stock indoor potting mix, orchid bark and perlite for the chunky blends aroids and epiphytes want, balanced houseplant fertilizers, insecticidal soap and neem for the usual mealybug and mite visits, and moss poles, hoops and saucers. The pottery yard has terracotta, glazed and lightweight pots from 4-inch up, plus hanging baskets and cache pots.
Those are the rhizomes — the fern’s creeping stems. They are supposed to sit on the surface. Never bury them, and water around them rather than onto them.
When the top inch of mix is dry, every five to seven days in summer indoors and about every ten days in winter. It prefers slightly dry to soggy.
Yes — it is non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Old fronds yellow and drop naturally. Many yellowing at once with wet mix means the rhizomes are rotting; let it dry out and repot into an airier mix. Pale, bleached fronds mean too much sun.
Less than other ferns. Average indoor humidity is fine if it is away from vents; a pebble tray helps in the driest weeks.
On a shaded covered patio in spring and fall. It cannot take direct sun, summer heat or frost.
Blue Star Fern live on the houseplant bench; any staff member can point you to them. Locally owned, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.