Corny, yes, but I couldn't help it. The brake ferns hail from the Pteris genus, of which only one is commonly found in cultivation. It's too bad these aren't more common...among ferns, these are hardy, beautiful and don't grow especially large. They are actually perfect for a tabletop or desktop, providing you can give it filtered, bright light and enough humidity.

Photo © meccanohig/Flickr

Now here's another cool plant you don't see very often: the Davallia species of ferns. Commonly referred to as deer's foot ferns or rabbit's foot ferns, these interesting plants have creeping, fuzzy rhizomes that somewhat resemble animal feet. As far as ferns go, they aren't the easiest to grow. They require loads of humidity, which can be tricky to deliver in an indoor environment. But they are such a novelty, it's probably worth it to keep one for a while.

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If you've read this blog for a while you know that I'm not the world's biggest fan of palm trees (except the coconut palm, which I love with the white hot passion of ten thousand suns). But nevertheless, there is something cool about the European fan palm. First, it's an attractive clumping palm. And second, it's the only palm tree native to Europe, where it grows along the sunny shores of Spain and Italy. No wonder all the other palm trees are jealous of its accent.

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This is one of those plants my wife can't believe I actually grow. "Why on earth would you want something that smells like rotting chicken down the driveway?" she asks. Okay, fair enough. Good question. And the answer is kind of weak: "Because they're indescribably awesome?" So yeah, Amorphophallus might be an acquired taste. But still, they have gorgeous foliage and even the smell is hard not to love a little, if only because it's so unusual.

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