The 70s taught us a few things about home decor: yes, you can have too much wallpaper, and carpet should stay out of the bathroom. But we can’t thank that houseplant decade enough for Staghorns! Not many plants make a statement or blend in like this interesting, versatile fern. A refreshing foliage ingredient in mixed shade planting, the cutest kokedama you ever saw, or a “vegan friendly deer head”, Staghorn Ferns are the perfect stand-in.
Staghorns (Platycerium species) are epiphytes and in their native habitat (think tropical) they thrive on bright, indirect light and humus, making them a great choice for a houseplant, but we love them out of the house too!
We planted our Staghorns – Platycerium bifurcatum in shade combinations, hung them in baskets, got all “kokedama” with them (more on that later) and right now, Sally and I have many of them as houseplants. They’ve been more cold tolerant this winter than we expected, many of them surviving in our winter greenhouse, which gets down to 31 degrees or less this time of year. On the watering side, ours have held up well even with sporadic “uh-oh, this baby’s light as a feather!” watering. The Staghorn fern is definitely a WOW lister for us: a robust, elegant and modern component for almost anything in the shade. Now, if we could just get some macrame plant hangers.
Love these! Not so much.
Staghorns (P. bifurcatum) can be sweet and unassuming, like in this birdhouse shade planter, blending perfectly with Lemon Cypress and Ajuga.
Staghorns can make a spectacular statement, like this P. grande at Roger’s Garden in Corona del Mar, CA
Structure: Thriller & Filler!
Shade to Partial Shade Outdoors, Bright, indirect light indoors
Hardiness: 25-30 degrees (some varieties are less hardy)
Watering/Fertilizer: High water, fertilize at diluted strength.
Planting Partners: Most shade/partial shade plants for outdoor plantings