CAROL CLOUD-BAILEY

Asparagus fern is a thug in Florida landscapes and difficult to remove

Carol Cloud Bailey
Special to TCPalm
A view of the tiny flowers of the asparagus fern. The plant grows at will in Treasure Coast landscapes if not controlled regularly. Be sure to prevent flowering and the production of fruit to slow the spread of this invasive exotic plant.

Carol,

What is this plant that pops in my hedges, flower beds, and even in the cracks of the driveway? It seems to have thorns and comes back no matter what I do!

Thanks,

—Ellen, Vero Beach,Via Email

 

A: The once popular landscape plant now causing all kinds of problems for Ellen is known as asparagus fern or Sprenger’s asparagus. It is not a fern, it is a flowering plant, and in the same plant family as edible asparagus tulips, and daylilies. Known as Asparagus aethiopicus to scientist and horticulturist, asparagus fern originated in South Africa.

Asparagus fern is an evergreen, climbing perennial with wiry, tough stems on which the true leaves are modified into spines or are much reduced and clasping. The branches can grow six feet or more and have needle-like branchlets clustered at the nodes.

The white to pink flowers are fragrant and usually appear in the summer. The flowers are followed by bright red fruit which is very attractive to birds. In addition to spreading by seed, the root system of asparagus fern is tenacious. It is a thick mat of dense fibrous roots with bulbaceous tubers.

A warm-loving plant, this invader grows in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 – 11, freezing temperatures will damage the top portions, but it often recovers with the warm weather. Asparagus fern grows in sun and shade, dry and moist conditions and just about any soil. Once it is established in an area, it is very difficult to remove.

Asparagus fern can grow at will in Treasure Coast landscapes if not controlled regularly. Mechanical control by cutting or digging out is hard work, but recommended methods for management.

In the past, this was a very popular plant for containers indoors and landscapes in warm climates.

Asparagus fern now is often called a garden thug and is now listed as a Category 1 invasive exotic plant by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. It also is reportedly invading and changing native plant communities in California, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and the Lord Howe Islands.

In Florida, asparagus fern is found in cultivated landscape and spreading along roads, disturbed areas and in forest understories. It easily grows up through hedges and other landscape beds.

The best way to control asparagus fern is to never introduce it or let in grow in a bed. There are no natural predators to munch on it and herbicides often require repeat applications to be effective.

However, if this thug already is established in a natural area or landscape, the best way to remove it is to dig out the plant including all the tubers. Any pieces of an asparagus fern left in the soil will regrow.

Carol Cloud Bailey is a Landscape Counselor & Horticulturist. Send questions to carol@yard-doc.com or visit www.yard-doc.com for more information.