GARDENING : Space Full? Let <i> Epiphytes </i> Climb the Walls : Plants: They are ideal when your garden runs out of space, because they can cling to walls or fences. Besides, they require little water.
There are times when a garden is so chock full that space simply can’t be found for another plant--frustrating our desire to try something new. And, there are places in the garden where there simply isn’t room for anything in the ground--frustrating narrow spaces in side yards or behind buildings.
During those times, and in those places, consider taking to the air with any of the plants that are called epiphytes .
Epiphytes are plants that take their sustenance from the air, gathering enough water from rain or fog, using whatever falls their way for food. They are usually attached to another plant, but they are not parasites, and some simply attach themselves to cliffs or rocks. This is primarily what their roots are for--holding on; leaves do most of the gathering of water and nutrients, though roots contribute.
Epiphytes are not usually grown in pots but attached to slabs of woods, tree fern fiber or bark, and they can simply be hung on a wall, fence or patio post. This is what makes them valuable plants in the garden, because not much else will grow on these surfaces.
Epiphytes have something else going for them--they need little water. In general, the watering of epiphytes can hardly be called “watering” at all since they are simply sprinkled quickly with the hose, just enough to get them wet. The best time of the day is early in the morning, and if you want exuberant growth and no maintenance, consider putting is a drip system that is equipped with little mist nozzles instead of the usual emitters.
These provide just the right amount of water and a clock can control them. Watering every three days is about right for most epiphytes, though inland they might need more and close to coast, less. In a pinch, most can go for weeks without water.
This is how Paul Isley waters his personal collection of epiphytic tillandsias, the most “drought-resistant” of bromeliads. Striking in their gray foliage, these are becoming readily available at nurseries, though at Isley’s Rainforest Flora, a nursery that specializes in tillandsias, you can pick through bins filled with these bromeliads, most of which are raised from seed on the premises.
One particularly fun use for tillandsias is on patio posts, where they can be seen up close. A single post can hold a whole collection if it faces in the right direction; tillandsias need full sun.
They need infrequent watering and you can tell when a tillandsia is too dry because they begin to roll up their leaves. The best way to water at that point is to drop them in a bucket of water for a few hours so they can soak up all they need. Otherwise, water every few days with a quick blast from the hose, followed by another when the leaves dry. One sprinkle is not enough because they do not have time to take the water in before it evaporates.
Staghorn ferns are another epiphyte. Every north wall in the milder parts of Southern California should have at least one staghorn fern, if for no other reason than to knock the socks off of out-of-state visitors. Staghorn ferns are simply spectacular once they get a few years behind them. The most common kinds form clumps of shields and antler-like leaves 3 or 4 feet across. They can be found at nurseries as small plants and should immediately be reattached to large plaques made of several 1-by-12-inch boards, held together with 1-by-1-inch pieces nailed to the back. Tie these ferns on with plastic tree tape.
In time they will outgrow even the largest boards and will begin to cling to the walls of the house or to a fence, though they are easy to peel off if need be.
Best of all, near the coast they require next to no maintenance and only occasional watering. Though they look decidedly tropical, they are actually quite drought-resistant where humidity is reasonably high (as far inland as Pasadena) and when they are grown in the shade.
In sun or part shade, try any of the various epiphytic orchids that will grow out-of-doors in Southern California. One of the most spectacular, and certainly, one of the toughest is the genus Oncidium . These epiphytic orchids need no care to speak of but bloom every summer or fall, with huge sprays of delicate yellow flowers, marked with splotches of maroon.
Marilynn Cohen, of Marilynn’s Garden (by appointment only: 8184 Katella Ave., Stanton, (714) 995-4133), thinks that the oncidiums should be on every drought-tolerant list of plants because they need so little water, only an occasional blast from the hose. She is one source for these exotic plants, though they too can be found at some nurseries in summer. They begin flowering this month, and the blooms last for weeks.
