Stunning Staghorn Ferns: Living Art for Your Garden Walls

By Tyson Curtis in Partnership with Flora Grubb Gardens

Staghorn ferns, also called elkhorn ferns, are aptly named for their upright forked fronds which resemble antlers. These upper fronds, named fertile fronds, are elevated to release spores for reproduction. The fertile fronds often have an attractive matte white or grey dusting to them, and many have wonderful rippled textures like mushroom gills.

Since staghorns are epiphytic—meaning they can grow on trees or rocks without soil—they have a second type of frond called a basal frond, which allows them to attach to their support structure. Basal fronds also evolved to grow over accumulating leaf litter, allowing the fern to build a large nest over time, which retains water and decomposes leaf litter into usable nutrients. Basal fronds brown handsomely, overlaying themselves and making an attractive shingle pattern.

These ferns are in the genus Platycerium and are native to the southern hemisphere. The most common in California horticulture is Platycerium bifurcatum 'Netherlands.’ Another less common staghorn is Platycerium superbum. Platycerium veitchii, with its glowing white fronds, is also occasionally available. 

Platycerium bifurcatum grows in habitat from Java all the way south to Lord Howe Island in Australia, where it grows alongside one of our most popular houseplants: the kentia palm. They make a fitting pair, since Platycerium bifurcatum also makes a great houseplant. They need very bright light, preferably with some direct diffuse or limited direct sunlight. This mimics their natural habitat in treetops, where they receive bright but dappled light throughout the day. Platycerium bifurcatum also grows well outdoors in mild climates such as the Bay Area, surviving low temperatures into the thirties easily, and even into the mid-to-low twenties for brief periods. This equates to a Sunset zone of 15-17. 

Staghorns are most commonly seen mounted to wooden planks, where they look great in a collection. They can also be grown directly on a fence, wall, tree or rock in the garden, lending fresh new life to difficult areas. Staghorns also thrive in hanging baskets or potted in sharp draining soil such as cactus mix. Since they don’t grow in wet soil in nature, they want to dry out more than most ferns, only needing water when their nest is almost completely dry. You can test this by pressing on the basal fronds or slipping a finger under them to test their growth medium for moisture. It should feel supple and cool when it’s time to water, not squishy wet or crusty dry. 

To water your staghorn, slowly and repeatedly run a shower over it with a watering can or hose. Mounted ferns can also be submerged, which is useful if they’ve gone a bit too dry and are reluctant to rehydrate. They aren’t particularly hungry, but do appreciate a couple feedings each summer. Liquid all-purpose fertilizer diluted by 50% is recommended. Alternatively, we know of many collectors who have impressive staghorns living exclusively off banana peels!  Just cut up your peels at the beginning of each summer and tuck them under the basal fronds. This allows your fern to compost the peels just as they would do with detritus leaf litter and twigs in nature. 

Over time P. bifurcatum will offset many heads and reach three feet across with a crown of cascading leaves, giving movement to the garden with each light breeze. A highlight of staghorn care is watching the fronds unfurl, especially the basal fronds, which flare out over their mount, making their perch seem effortless and gravity-defying. Since P. bifurcatum offsets, it’s also a great plant to divide and give to friends and loved ones.