Winter Beauty

There are plants that not only bring beauty and appeal to the landscape during the warm months of the year, but also bring their own unique look during the cold, winter months.  Such is the case with asparagus fern.  Ferns are not cold hardy, so you must bring them inside for the winter.  Even then, with humidity levels usually very low, it is difficult to keep them going until spring.  As in years past, I leave the asparagus fern in pots and hanging baskets, as you see here, so that they can be enjoyed until spring arrives.

I find this as beautiful to look at as when the fern was newly planted.  It's like the trees in the wintertime.  How interesting it is to see them bare of their foilage, exposing the bones of the tree.

You see here that I have two of these hanging baskets and I left the asparagus ferns in both of them.  The same goes for any of the ornamental grasses you may have in your landscape.  When they turn brown from the winter cold, they bring a whole new look.  I would much rather see these ferns during the winter months than to come home to two empty baskets or to have taken down the baskets all together for the season.