3 Tips to Care for a Love Fern

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days may have popularized the “love fern” as a way to mark your territory in your special someone’s house, but it’s long been a generic term for any fern you might give as a token of affection. At least that’s how Toni Anderson sees it. Here, the interior plant designer and owner of The Potted Poppy fills out our tip sheet on a species that perfectly fits the term—the heart leaf fern.

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Not to break beginner plant owners’ hearts, but the heart leaf fern requires a little more TLC than most plant babies. As a prehistoric plant, it’s high maintenance, in that it knows precisely how it likes its environment: high humidity (70 percent) and warm temperatures (around 60 to 85 degrees).

Lightning

To preserve their heart-shaped leaves, keep your plant away from direct sun to avoid any scorching or wilting. Medium-bright indirect light, preferably pouring through a north-facing window, is the sweet spot for a heart leaf fern.

Watering

Instead of a regular watering schedule, check your soil every few days and water to the fern’s desire—keeping the soil damp consistently. “Think along the lines of a wrung-out sponge,” Anderson says. Also, consider using filtered water instead of tap water to avoid any added chemicals.

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Maintenance

Heart leaf ferns are native to Southeast Asia, so they’re naturally smitten with environments that resemble a tropical climate. Consider sitting yours on a pebble tray with water beneath it or next to a humidifier. When it’s time to replant, use well-drained, humus-rich soil, and consider adding some bark to hold in some moisture.

Price: $12–$20

The Potted Poppy

@thepottedpoppy

Love Fern