Gardening : Staghorn Ferns Can Thrive in Southland Yards

In its native Australia or New Guinea, the staghorn fern grows high in a tree, drinking in moisture from incessant tropical humidity and rainfall.

But once established, staghorns--as ferns go--need relatively little water and thus are the perfect exotic conversation piece for a Southland garden or patio.

“The staghorn fern is a pretty hardy soul,” says Wade Roberts, garden director at Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar.

“It will survive to about 20 degrees. A coastal area is ideal for growing them, but one can also grow them inland.”

Flat, sterile fronds grow at the plant’s base to support antler-shaped fertile fronds that give the plant its striking appearance. Because the staghorn fern is an epiphyte (a non-parasitic plant that grows on another), it can be mounted on a board or piece of bark and hung on a tree or a wall.

Though nature’s design calls for them to grab all the moisture and nutrients they need from the air, staghorns benefit from watering and feeding in Southern California’s arid climate.

“Treat the plant like it’s raining,” says Roberts. You can sprinkle it weekly with a hose or water wand. Any balanced plant food that is soluble can be applied monthly when watering, as the staghorn will absorb food and drink through its foliage.

If the plant is under stress--too dry, for example--fertilizing should wait until it is more robust.

Heat will not hurt the staghorn, he says, but a lack of humidity will. Besides watering directly, steam up the plant’s surroundings by watering the ground beneath it or using a fogging nozzle, available at nurseries.

Roberts will discuss staghorns and their cousins, moosehorn ferns--or Platycerium bifurcatum and P. grande, as botanists know them--at a program today at 9:30 a.m. at Sherman Gardens. Presented as part of the facility’s Weekend Gardener series, his lecture will cover the ferns’ culture and how to use them in a garden.

The moosehorn fern must be hung on the appropriate size mounting, Roberts says. It will probably need remounting three times in its life, ending up on a board that is perhaps 4 or 5 foot square. Its fuzzy shield fronds face upward to catch rainfall, dust and whatever falls from the air; from this, the plant makes its own nourishing compost.

More difficult to grow than the staghorn, the moosehorn is one showy set of fronds and reproduces by spores.

The staghorn, by contrast, puts out “pups” from its base. They can be left in place or removed, once they have several shield fronds, and mounted to start a whole new plant.

“The key is not getting an extremely young little pup,” Roberts says, “but to get one large enough to have enough root to mount on small board and have it survive.”

Make sure it has enough moisture to get established, and it will soon become tough enough to survive periodic benign neglect.

Though the ferns will grow some clinging roots of their own, they also need occasional attention to their mountings to ensure that they don’t become heavy and fall. They can be secured to a board or tree with non-copper wire or strong strips of plastic. New shield fronds will soon cover the wires. Old base fronds may need to be cut away, but their brown papery appearance is perfectly normal.

As a project for beginning gardeners, Roberts says the staghorn and moosehorn ferns are “highly recommended.”

Among the Platyceriums, “those are the two that the homeowner can grow and have success with,” he says. They are widely available at nurseries; a nursery that doesn’t have them in stock can easily order them.

At his program today, Roberts will demonstrate proper mounting and remounting of the ferns and explain their care and feeding. The lecture is free and open to the public at the Gardens.

* Sherman Library and Gardens, 2647 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. Information: (714) 673-2261.

Other events slated this weekend:

* The Cymbidium Society of America, Orange County branch, hosts its 10th annual orchid show at Huntington Center mall today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Cymbidium culture demonstrations will focus on dividing and repotting. Demonstrations are at noon and 2:30 p.m. today, and 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday in the mall’s main entrance corridor. There will be displays and sale booths throughout the mall. Admission is free. The mall is at Beach Boulevard and the San Diego Freeway in Huntington Beach. Information: (714) 525-8905.

* The Temple City Camellia Society will hold its 42nd annual show today and Sunday at Los Angeles State and County Arboretum. More than 2,500 flowers will be displayed, including white, pink, red and variegated cultivars, as well as the rare golden camellia.

Show admission is included in the entrance fee of $3 for adults, $1.50 for senior citizens, students with ID and youths 13 to 17, and 75 cents for children 5 to 12. Hours are 1 to 4:30 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The arboretum is at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Information: (818) 446-8251.

* “Violets at the County Fair,” a judged African violet show and plant sale, is due today and Sunday at South Coast Botanic Garden. African violets will be exhibited and a large selection of violet cultivars and supplies will be for sale.

Admission to the garden and the show is $3 for adults, $1.50 for seniors and students and 75 cents for children 5 to 12. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The garden is at 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula. Information: (213) 377-0468.