Plant – Displaying a Staghorn Fern

On By TimelessladyIn Plants

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I always admire the staghorn ferns in the fern passage at Longwood Gardens. I’ve grown one of these beautiful plants for about six months in an ordinary garden pot. After a recent visit to the gardens, I was inspired to mount and display it properly.

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Staghorn ferns do not need a lot of compost. I used soil amended with vermiculite and perlite to lighten the weight.

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I planned on displaying my fern on my living room wall, but didn’t want to use a natural basket or piece of wood due to possible water stains. I found a good alternative in a wire basket that I had on hand. My first step was to line the bottom with coffee filters to keep the soil in bounds.

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The root system is not large in comparison to the rest of the plant. It fit perfectly in the small narrow basket.

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I planted the fern at an angle, allowing the fronds to cascade over the sides.

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Chair leg pads were a good choice to keep the basket off of the wall. These are self-stick and only took a moment to apply.

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I was pleased with the display after it was hung on the wall. I will update the progress as the fern grows.

22 thoughts on “Plant – Displaying a Staghorn Fern”

    1. I love the conservatory staghorn ferns and wanted to try and grow my smaller one in a similar manner. My husband and I were talking about what kind of hook to get if it grows very big. We have high hopes. 😀

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  3. Kathy,
    I wrote a comment yesterday but it has disappeared. I said, I love your ferns which really look like stag horns and also how you display them- its beauty would be accentuated.
    Susie

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    1. Hi Susie, I hope it is fixed now. I will keep checking my spam column. I will try and contact WordPress about it and maybe you can too. I wonder if comments we both make end up in the spam columns of the blogs we like to read.

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      1. OMG- that is a thought. I wrote to WordPress today. I was so excited about the results. Here we are afraid to say who we support and it is such a shame.
        My daughter in India has been given a hard time by her college mates, when she said she was thrilled with a Trump win. Everywhere everyone seems petrified of saying what their real thoughts or leanings are and it is sad that no Democrat thinks this is deplorable, that people are afraid to say who they favor. But there is a silent majority who saw through all the humbug.
        Susie

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        1. Most of the people who voted for Trump are in the more rural areas, but surprisingly, there are also quite a few cities and states that usually lean toward the Democrats. I hope that now everyone will come together and work for the good of the country, but there are violent protests going on every night.

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    1. Yes, they do. I wish the basal fronds beneath them showed up better…they are also fascinating. They start out looking like a piece of green lichen, and mature to a crispy brown disc-like growth. I’ve read these help the plant gather water growing outdoors.

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  7. What a fabulous way to display Staghorns – I was always taught if not against a tree then they had to be bound by rope to a plank of wood hence I never bothered with them This is SO much more user friendly and visually appealing!

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    1. Thanks so much. I love the way they look in the conservatory, but knew it would stain my walls. This is working well and the fern looks really good so far. With so little soil it will be hard to overwater it too. If you try it, let me know how it works.

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