The Boston fern is one of the most luscious houseplants to grow in the home, with feathered, sword-shaped fronds. In Feng Shui, they’re considered grounding and purifying, and experts say the best way to reap these qualities is by knowing exactly where to place a Boston fern.
Of course, choosing the right spot for your plant should take into account Boston fern care. Most importantly, these tropical beauties need high humidity (which you can provide with a plant mister, like this from Amazon), bright, but indirect light, and consistent moisture. But, as a Feng Shui plant, you should also consider where its energy will be maximized.
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What Do Boston Ferns Represent in Feng Shui?
You can grow a Boston fern as a trailing houseplant
(Image credit: aon168 via Getty Images)
Boston ferns are actually one of the best indoor ferns for Feng Shui.
‘In the right parts of the home, the Boston fern is a Feng Shui workhorse, purifying the air immediately around it, and pushing its beautiful ladder fronds upwards and outwards. It’s the ideal metaphor for positive Feng Shui energy,’ explains Feng Shui expert Suzanne Roynon.
There’s also a lot of symbolism around Boston ferns as grounding and healing plants.
‘Its feathery fronds resemble the Heart Chakra’s radiating field. It softens harsh energy and restores emotional flow,’ explains Feng Shui practitioner Helen Plehn.
‘Because ferns are ancient plants (they existed long before flowering plants), they carry grounding, root chakra wisdom, especially related to lineage and memory,’ she adds.
With all of this in mind, Suzanne and Helen share where to place a Boston fern for positive energy, and where to avoid placing it at all costs to prevent a negative feeling in the home.
This set of 2 Boston ferns come in hanging planters, ready to be displayed.
Expert Gardener Boston Fern
This Boston fern comes in a 10-inch hanging planter.
Altman Plants Boston Fern
This hanging Boston fern comes in a 6-inch pot, with a hook to elevate.
Suzanne Roynon
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Feng Shui Expert
Suzanne is an Interiors Therapist, Feng Shui consultant, and author of Welcome Home, how stuff makes or breaks your relationship (at Amazon). She specializes in understanding the energetic impact of homes and certain possessions may have on all aspects of life, health and relationships, and the ways in which ‘stuff’ can actively prevent people and families from thriving and enjoying the lifestyle they deserve.
Where to Place a Boston Fern – According to Feng Shui
Boston ferns can tolerate lower light but will thrive in brighter light
(Image credit: Future)
When deciding where to place a Boston fern, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
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From a houseplant care point of view, you need to keep in mind that Boston ferns are native to tropical and subtropical regions across the Americas.
Growing beneath tree canopies, they thrive in dappled light and humidity levels between 50-80%. Recreating these conditions as much as possible in the home is key to a thriving plant.
In reference to Feng Shui, the experts encourage you to look at the Feng Shui energy map (or Bagua). This maps your home with different areas governing different energies, providing insight to the best rooms for your Boston Fern.
With this in mind, here are some of the best places for a Boston fern.
The East Corner – Health and Family
Looking at the Bagua, the east corner of the home is the Health and Family area. Helen notes this is one of the strongest regions for Boston ferns.
‘Here, it’s a beautiful way to encourage healing family relationships or strengthening heart energy,’ she says.
‘Energetically, it cools fiery spaces. If a home feels tense, argumentative, or overstimulated, the Boston fern absorbs and diffuses that heat,’ Helen adds.
They’re thought to have Wood energy which is another reason they suit this area well.
‘Here they can raise the positive vibe and support improvements in lifestyle which come with classical Feng Shui,’ explains Suzanne.
Helen Plehn
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Feng Shui Expert
Helen Plehn is a Feng Shui expert and interior designer with a focus on human sensory. She is the founder of Helen Creates Beauty and author of The Aura Color Wheel. As a third-generation Feng Shui master, she can sense the energy of space before she senses the energies of people.
The Southeast Corner – Wealth
The Bagua tells us that the southeast corner of the home governs Wealth. For the grounding energy of Boston fern, this is an ideal spot.
‘Here, it supports steady abundance, not sudden bursts, but stable expansion,’ says Helen.
As Suzanne mentions, the ladder-like feather fronds of Boston fern are reminiscent of a ladder and represent upward growth, a visual representation of progress and climbing the career ladder.
This is likewise why it also makes a great office plant, even better when placed in the southeast corner of the office.
‘If work feels stressful or competitive, this plant restores nervous system balance,’ says Helen.
The Bathroom
When it comes to specific rooms, Boston ferns are perfect bathroom plants where they can soak up extra moisture and humidity from shower steam.
‘They love humid conditions, moist but not wet soil, and bright natural light without direct sun,’ says Suzanne.
‘For these reasons, they are ideal in bathrooms and bright airy kitchen environments. They will also love your laundry room, especially one with a very active dryer,’ she notes.
‘Bathrooms also represent emotional cleansing, so this is excellent placement,’ Helen adds.
Where to Never Place a Boston Fern – According to Feng Shui
You can move a Boston fern to your patio during spring and summer
(Image credit: min hee park / Alamy Stock Photo)
Just as there are some optimal places for a Boston fern, there are some spots the experts warn to avoid.
‘Boston ferns do not like stagnation, so a dark corner should be avoided,’ says Helen.
Not only this, but Boston ferns will slowly decline if growing in too-little light, resulting in leggy growth, drooping, and stunted growth. Instead, choose indoor low-light plants, like this ZZ plant from The Sill, for these corners.
It’s a Feng Shui houseplant mistake to not meet houseplant needs and allow them to become worse for wear. That’s why there are several places to never grow a Boston fern to maintain plant health.
‘Avoid entryways with drafts,’ says Helen. ‘They prefer stable, moist air, with non-fluctuating energy,’ she notes.
‘Likewise, direct sun energetically burns the plant’s gentle heart frequency and may cause physical leaf scorch,’ Helen adds.
FAQsCan You Place a Boston Fern Outdoors?
Yes, you can grow a Boston fern outdoors, but only permanently across USDA zones 9-11. Though, you can successfully grow it outdoors during warmer months (where it thrives between 65-75°F) and then overwinter a Boston fern indoors as colder temperatures arrive.
If your Boston fern is turning brown, it’s likely a cause of insufficient humidity levels. In this case, use methods to increase humidity for indoor plants, like placing your Boston fern on top of this pebble humidity tray on Amazon.
Shop Boston Fern Essentials
Use this pebble humidity tray to boost humidity levels for your plants. Simply top up water levels.
Houseplant Pruning Shears & Snips
This pruning duo has everything you need to tend to houseplants. The snips are ideal for removing damaged Boston fern foliage.
This fertilizer is a special blend to support luscious Boston fern growth. Dilute with water to apply.
TOPICS
Houseplants
Feng Shui
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