The foliage of this plant is one my favorite for arranging flowers. The long flowing stems with bushy needle-like leaves gives the right background and texture for arranging flowers.
Picture above is Asparagus Plumosus
Asparagus Fern though referred to, as fern is not a fern as it produces seeds rather than spores. In summer white flowers cover the stem like snowflakes and these flowers turn into bright red berries. Asparagus is a perennial and looks good in hanging pots as well as in pedestal pots. It is also known as Fox’s tail.
Picture above is Asparagus Sprengeri
Plant Summary:
Asparagus is a genus in the plant family Asparagaceae*. This plant is easy to grow and of the well known species is the edible Asparagus Officinalis. The other species like Asparagus Plumosus, Asparagus Densiflorus, and Asparagus Sprengeri of this family are grown as ornamental plants.
Asparagus is native to Europe, northern Africa and Asia. The root of the plant is a complex ball of bulbs with roots. The roots of the plant have broken many pots in my garden and I have repotted the plant by cutting the roots and splitting the plant into many smaller plants. Handle the plant carefully as the stems have small thorns. The plant can grow 24 to 36 inches in height and a width of 3 to 4 feet.
The leaves are actually leaf-like cladodes. The flowers are small white or pinkish-white flowers, which are 0.3-0.5 cm long and arise in clusters off the stem. The flowers turn into small round berries 0.5 cm in diameter.
It likes sun and also some amount of shade, so plant it in a place where it gets enough morning sun and shade in the hot noon.
Picture above is Asparagus Densiflorus
*Asparagaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants in the genus Asparagus in the lily family.
