This fast-growing, evergreen fern can reach 6 feet in height, though it's more likely to top out at 4 or 5. It has a distinctive frond structure that I've always found difficult to describe until I heard it classified as one of the "shuttlecock" ferns. Exactly. For anyone who's ever seen a badminton "bird," this description will make perfect sense. Oblong, lance-shaped pinnatisect bright green fronds rise vaselike from a central trunk and maintain their verticality, making for a distinctively architectural form. With its short trunk, one can understand why it has the appearance of a small palm to some.This plant will happily grow in the shade in SF, or you can keep it inside!
You can grow B. 'Silver Lady' inside if you give it a warmish position near a window. Increased humidity will aid in its growth and general happiness. Those gardeners who aren't in zone 10 or higher will need to grow this Fijian fern indoors. In zone 10, outdoor plantings will probably go deciduous but with any luck, rebound nicely in the spring. It should be safe outdoors in zone 11.
