Kangaroo Fern Hanging Basket

Kangaroo Fern (Microsorum diversifolium) is the fern to reach for when other ferns have disappointed you. Native to Australia and New Zealand, it holds thick glossy fronds to about 40cm tall and creeps outward to a metre or more on surface rhizomes, so a hanging basket spills over the rim within a season. The fronds are leathery rather than lacy, so it shrugs off wind and dry air that would crisp a maidenhair. It is also safe around cats and dogs.

Why you'll love it

• Tougher than it looks. Wind tolerant and comfortable in humidity, with fronds substantial enough for a breezy balcony or a draughty hallway.
• Pet friendly. Non toxic to cats and dogs, so it can sit at floor level or hang low without a second thought.
• It spreads to fill space. Creeping rhizomes run across the surface and spread past the listed metre width, closing bare ground under trees.
• An Australian native for shade. The dim, root filled positions where most plants sulk are its natural home.

Where it works best

Hanging baskets and pots. The rhizomes run over the edge and the fronds arch outward, giving a basket a full skirt rather than a bald top.

Groundcover in shade. Plant 0.5m apart under established trees or along a shaded fence line, and the rhizomes knit into a continuous carpet within two seasons.

Indoors, balconies and courtyards. It is one of the more forgiving indoor ferns, and in a small courtyard it softens paving without ever growing tall enough to block a view.

Growing Kangaroo Fern in Australia

Position and climate. Filtered light or full shade, never hot direct sun, which bleaches and burns the fronds. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens and takes light frost only, so in hard frosting districts keep it under a verandah or indoors.

Soil. Open, free draining and rich in organic matter. In pots use a quality mix opened up with perlite or bark. In the ground, work compost through the top 150mm and leave the rhizomes sitting on the surface where they belong.

Water and feed. Keep the soil evenly moist through the warm months without letting it stay soggy, and water less in winter. A half strength liquid feed monthly from spring to autumn is enough, since heavy fertiliser scorches fern roots.

Pruning. Cut old or browned fronds off at the base and leave the rhizomes alone. If a basket outgrows itself, lift a rooted section of rhizome in spring and pot it separately.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock and in 200mm pots sold in packs of six. Tubes are young, usually two or three fronds, and the value choice for covering a shaded bed. The 200mm plants are already full and go straight into a decorative pot or basket.

Ferns travel with a little frond damage, and a bent or dried tip is normal rather than a fault. Water on arrival and give the plant a fortnight in shade before judging it. New fronds usually appear within four to six weeks in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The right conditions for ferns in the garden
• Ferns for shady areas
• Pet friendly indoor plants
• What else copes with full shade

Common questions

Is it safe for cats and dogs?

Yes. Kangaroo fern is not toxic to cats or dogs, which is why we list it as pet friendly. A chewed frond may still upset a small stomach, as any plant material can.

Can it take any sun?

Early morning sun is fine. Direct sun from mid morning turns the fronds pale and then brown at the edges, and that damage does not recover.

Why has it never flowered?

Ferns do not flower. They reproduce from spores, and the brown dots you may find under a mature frond are spore cases, not pests or disease.