Blue Star Davana Fern in woven basket

Blue Star Davana Fern is a cultivar of the native Phlebodium aureum, with a more compact, clump-forming, and arching habit. Its distinctive foliage sets it apart with ruffled, undulating fronds that emerge yellow-green before maturing into a soft blue-green. It steadily produces new fronds making for an easy-care, decorative accent that will draw your eye from across the room. Shipped in a 7" wide x 6½" tall woven basket, with liner. 'Raadphle01' PP 32,332

Phlebodium is a small genus of epiphytic, evergreen Ferns native to the tropical coasts of North and South America. Previously classified under the genus Polypodium, they are still often referred to as Polypody Ferns. Species in this genus tend to be relatively large, with pinnately lobed—but not fully divided—fronds. The most well-known species, Phlebodium aureum (Blue Star Fern), is native to the southeastern US (primarily FL) and widely cultivated as a houseplant. These Ferns are valued for their ability to improve indoor air quality and are excellent choices for terrariums, hanging baskets, or shaded garden spaces in warmer climates. Outdoors, they can grow year-round in USDA Zones 9–12; they do not tolerate frost or temperatures below 50°F.

Our houseplants appear generously sized in our photos. They are representative of the sizes we ship to you. For information on growing and care, click Growing Guide.

We want our customers to receive strong, healthy plants that are ready to thrive in their gardens and homes. Here's what we'd like you to know about our shipping practices.

Delivery Timing

We aim to deliver your plants at as close to the proper time for planting in your area as possible. To do so, we consider the USDA Hardiness Zone to which we're shipping, current and forecasted weather at the destination and along the shipping route, and whether your plants are ready for transplant.

In spring, we ship first to the warmest regions and move north as planting conditions improve. For fall deliveries, we begin with the coolest regions and work south. We frequently adjust shipping schedules when extreme weather could put plants at risk while in transit or soon after arrival.

Because different plants reach readiness at different rates and are weather-sensitive in varying degree, a single order may be delivered via multiple shipments. Plants sold as part of a collection, or that are otherwise meant to arrive together, will be shipped together. Please contact our customer service team with two weeks' advance notice if you anticipate being away at the expected time of delivery. 

Tracking information for each package is delivered via email. 

Plant & Container Sizes

We deliver plants in various sizes and stages of growth, and the product detail pages of our website indicate the form and/or pot size in which the plant will be delivered. Pot sizes range from 1 pint to 1 gallon and larger. Many perennials, roses, shrubs and vines are delivered bareroot - that is, not in a container at all. Bulbs and tubers are generally delivered bareroot and fully dormant. We choose container sizes and delivery methods based on how each plant grows best, how we can minimize transplant shock, and how to minimize unnecessary bulk/weight in shipment. 

Caring for Your Plants Upon Arrival

It is important to acclimate greenhouse-grown plants to life outdoors. All plant shipments include simple instructions for handling your plants upon arrival. Further how-to information, including planting instructions, is available on each plant's product page.

Ferns, more ancient than flowering plants, proliferate in the shady understory of forests around the globe. Warm, tropical regions flanking the equator in South and Central America, Asia, Africa, and Australia are especially rich in tender, evergreen Fern species. Tropical Ferns make excellent houseplants and are splendid in summer containers or as garden plants in warmer zones where nighttime temperatures remain above 60°F. Most require filtered or indirect light and moderate humidity to grow well indoors. Some share a genus with familiar cold-hardy species (Asplenium, Adiantum, Asparagus) that adapt to cold weather and short days by shedding their leaves and going dormant, making them unsuitable as houseplants.

Growing Tropical Ferns Indoors

Light: Tropical Ferns grow best in filtered or bright indirect light. A spot where sunshine is filtered by curtains or blinds, next to an east- or north-facing window, or in a bright, sunlit room—but out of direct sunlight—are all good situations for these plants. Brown tips can indicate too much sun.

Watering: Many tropical ferns are epiphytes, plants that grow in small pockets of decomposing plant material in the forks of trees or between rocks where they receive frequent showers during the growing season and experience a dry season in winter. When grown indoors, Ferns do best when watered lightly and frequently so that soil is neither saturated nor allowed to dry out completely. Water when soil feels dry to the touch ½" down. Reduce the frequency of watering in winter, which corresponds to the dry season in the tropics.

Temperature: Typical indoor temperatures are suitable for tropical Ferns, with nighttime temperatures that do not fall below 60°F .

Fertilizer: During the growing season (generally April into September) fertilize potted plants about once a month using a balanced houseplant formula such as 18-18-18 diluted to half strength. Withhold fertilizer in fall and winter, when most plants rest.

Humidity: Most houseplants, including Ferns, are native to tropical or subtropical regions of the world, where relative humidity is typically very high. Plants suffer and may develop brown leaf tips in the dry air produced by furnaces (especially hot air systems) and woodstoves. Some Ferns (such as the Lemon Button Fern) shrug off dry air, while others (such as Maidenhair Ferns) cannot survive without exceptionally high humidity. Frequent misting is highly beneficial and grouping plants together helps preserve humidity. The most effective way to increase the humidity around your plants is to run a humidifier nearby. You can also set plants on top of pebbles or gravel in a tray or large saucer kept filled with water to just below the top of the stones. Make sure that water does not rise to the level of the pot to avoid saturating the soil inside and potentially causing root rot.

Growing Tropical Ferns Outdoors

Ferns are valuable for their graceful, arching fronds and often deeply cut, feathery foliage. They add texture and fullness to summertime, annual container gardens, hanging baskets, as porch plants, and in shade-grown patio containers. In warmer Zones (9 or 10-12), they can be grown year-round as ground covers or specimen plants in shade gardens.

Light: Grow in partial to full shade; excessive sun can burn leaves.

Watering: Water when the top ½" of soil is dry; keep soil evenly moist.

Fertilizer/Soil and pH: Use a good quality water-retentive potting mix for containers. In garden beds, a moisture-retentive soil rich in organic material is ideal. Apply a balanced, liquid fertilizer monthly to containers throughout the growing season (April to September). Fertile soil with compost should be sufficient in garden beds.

Pests/Diseases: No significant pests or diseases.

Companions: Combine with flowering shade-loving annuals such as Begonias, Fuchsias, and Impatiens to provide a soft, textural contrast, or with Caladiums for a tropical look in containers or garden beds.

End-of-Season Care: In all but the mildest winter climates, bring container plants indoors well before frost. Gradually acclimate plants to the lower light levels they will encounter indoors by moving them into more and more shade over the course of a couple weeks. Cut off any brown fronds and wash plants with a strong jet of water to dislodge dust and any possible hitchhiking insects. Overwinter in bright indirect light following the directions above: Growing Ferns Indoors. In spring, set plants back outdoors after the danger of frost has passed, and gradually acclimate them to higher light levels.

For more information on planting and care of annuals, click {cms_link name="how-to-grow-annuals" text="here"}.

At White Flower Farm, we stand firmly behind every product we sell and are proud to offer a money-back guarantee on each and every item offered on our website and at our store in Connecticut. Some modest terms and conditions apply, click here for details.

Should you have any questions about how our guarantee applies to a particular product or circumstance, our customer service team will be happy to help – please contact us at (800) 411-6159 or [email protected].