Staghorn ferns that hang around

Staghorn ferns have been hanging around our gardens for years and have become a noble plant to have in any landscape setting.

Platycerium bifurcatum is one epiphytic species of ferns and grows up in the canopies of trees from Australia, South America, Thailand, Africa, Madagascar, Asia and the Philippines.

These are plants that have elevated their lives to grow high up in the branches of trees and collect rainfall, fog, mist, falling leaves, and assorted animal castings into the center of the fronds to sustain life.

Although exotic and tropical looking, they are fairly easy to grow in Southern California with some basic do's and don'ts.

They can be grown as hanging baskets, mounted to boards, as potted plants or tucked up in a crotch of a tree and become an instant hit for visitors to view and enjoy in any garden setting

They can be grown anywhere from a fairly shaded spot in the garden to a dappled light area and also make a great potted plant inside a home and can be an artful green statement in the right place.

Try hanging some different types of staghorns from a sturdy well-branched tree as a living mobile.

The fronds can have unique architectural shapes, and some names are staghorn fern, elkhorn fern, moose antlers and "wow what's that?"

Staghorn ferns are propagated from fern spores or by dividing the shields or pups from the mother plant. The spores are attached behind some of the hanging split-leaf fronds with a darker like fuss.

These plants can tolerate heat, but no direct sun and grow to around 32 degrees but will freeze below that for long durations.

There are many named cultivars available, and they are usually spores off the mother plants. In colder climates, gardeners can see these unique plants displayed in botanical greenhouses and plant conservatories.

Staghorn ferns can become huge in time, and sometimes they will require remounting or dividing them to increase a collection or share a division with a fellow gardener. When hanging a staghorn fern from a tree branch, make sure to have strong wires, chains or durable nylon rope. When hanging these plants from a tree, be sure the branch can support the staghorn's weight.

Also, I cut old pieces of hose that I'll thread through the chain so not to girdle the support branch or it can break, or girdle the limb and damage the staghorn.

These plants can become like family heirlooms and passed along from generation to generation and can become a green friend in the garden over the years.

I give some of my plants names and, as I pass by them, I'll greet them by saying "good morning Linnea," "How ya doing, Sven," or "what a wonderful sky we have today, Hans" for it's all about being connected with nature and that pleases my soul.

I grow them from hanging baskets or mounted on boards, and I have some very large old staghorn specimens in very big containers out in my shady nooks under the trees.

They are not fussy about feeding, and I'll give them some digested chicken manure, blood-meal and seaweed fertilizer a couple of times a year in the warm months from spring to late fall. Banana peels or old fruit is another form of food to place in the center of the old shields.

I have made up some hanging staghorn basket collections using other epiphytic plants in concert with one another like bromeliads, orchids or spider plants. These combinations make a fuller visual experience to enjoy throughout the seasons.

Although one thinks of ferns as water consumers, these staghorn ferns do not require much water once established. I have some of these plants located near a hose-bib out in the garden and will give them a spritz once a week in the warmth of summer.

If you're looking for some help in remounting or dividing old staghorn ferns, you can contact Protea Farms of California to lend a hand.

As I write this article on staghorns, the massive and uncontrolled fires are blazing across the Amazon region in South American. There will be hundreds of flora and fauna that will go extinct due to the hugeness of these fires and that saddens me.

The dense jungles and specialized environments of trees and flora are unique to the earth, and the Amazon has been called the lungs of the planet.

It has been said that one out of every five breaths we take can be traced back to the clean air generated from the vast Amazon forests, and that is amazing to me.

Who knows, you might just have one of those unique plants in your collection and possible be a caretaker of what might be lost in the wild due to this environmental crisis.

So appreciate all the wonders of the plant kingdom and enjoy the tremendous benefits of being in touch with nature for it's all around us daily.

Join me and the Nature Conservancy this fall in collecting local oak acorns so we can plant oak trees all over California. It's one tree at a time to aid in the cooling of the earth. Help do your part for what has been lost.

"May each of your days be filled with the stewardship in caring for the earth."

Roger Boddaert, aka The Tree Man of Fallbrook and Maker of Natural Gardens, can be reached for tree consultations and landscape designs at (760) 728-4297.