Friday, September 4, 2020

Trashcan lid planter with a staghorn, yes I did

You may have heard my claim that I don't care for staghorn ferns, it's true! I've never seen the allure. Well, that is until I laid eyes on this one at Bob Hyland and Andrew Beckman's garden here in Portland (thanks to Bob for letting me use his photo)...

Isn't it fabulous? And I love the way it's grown over the edge of the green hover dish it's planted in.

Of course I was suitably impressed by this absolutely monstrous version at a garden I toured in California...

I mean if you can grow one this large, well, that takes things to another level completely.

So when this creation from Max Cannon (which I shared previously on this post) had my heart going pitter patter, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. The fern is a stellar specimen and paired with his trashcan lid hanging planter creation it's reminiscent of Bob and Andrew's plant.

You know where this is going right? I found this small, shallow lid recently.

The patina on the inside was so fabulous that I really didn't want to cover it up. But the size was so perfect.

A 3-wire swivel hanger and I was ready to go.

My finished planter...


I realize this is an entirely different plant than the one I pictured at the top of this post. Bob and Andrew's is a Platycerium grande and mine are Platycerium bifurcatum ‘Netherlands’... in other words mine will never have the look of the one I first fell for. But then again...when it grows up maybe I'll like it even more?

It looks right at home with the other containers under the shade pavilion, don't you think? What? You can't see it?

There it is...

On the far side there's a large metal planter I purchased at Garden Fever (one of a pair I have) filled with a large rhipsalis, and providing a nice counterpoint to the trashcan lid, a hanging pie-plate planter...

Trashcan lids, pie-plates, it sounds like my garden must look like Goodwill doesn't it? I hope not!


On the side with the staghorn is the other large metal planter, this one holding a Nepenthes x Miranda and there's an orange hover dish planter with painted ferns.

I look froward to watching this little guy grow up, and thanks Max for sharing your idea!


Weather Diary, Sept 3: Hi 95, Low 61/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

17 comments:

  1. I think the fact that you have some fancy metal containers makes everyone just note a bit of metal and assume everything you have are quality garden containers. Fun to see how you constantly improvise.

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    1. I love watching people realize that what they're looking at is a trashcan lid, as I now have 6 of them. The pie-plate is a one off and not many folks make it into that corner.

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  2. Your shade pavilion is always very stylish, Loree, and the new creation fits right in. The fact that you're repeating shapes and material (metal) makes everything look like part of a carefully curated collection. I've had mixed feelings about staghorn ferns too but currently have one (in a pot, not mounted) in my shade house.

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    1. Interesting, I didn't realize you were a fellow staghorn holdout.

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  3. Loree, I just love Love LOVE your shade structure! What a wonderful place to hang out on a warm day. Or any day. ��

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  4. How inventive is this ! .. and it will be such an individual "look" as it grows into it's trash can "pot" ? ... what a beautiful pavilion to create with such unusual plants .. I have never seen the stag horn fern in person .. I have to rely on gardeners like you to photograph the beauties .. thank you !

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  5. Better late than never seeing the allure of this plant.
    You are defiantly a lid finder; may I call you "The Lid Whisperer"? Thrift store finds are the best, and your garden looks upscale and enviable, and I love your reuse of discarded objects. If I hadn't failed in all attempts of hanging planters I might have tried to copy this idea.

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    1. You may! Although it occurred to me yesterday that I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to my finding more—I need to stop encouraging others to use them. So how have you failed?

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    2. The plants shrivel and die... maybe because I don't live where I garden and the maintenance falls to the home owner... (I realize I just threw him under the bus, LOL).

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  6. Interesting. Wonder if the rust will affect the plant at all. I have a couple, one will be attached to the oak tree sometime this winter. K's specimen I think you saw during the drought, last I saw it it has recovered and has gotten much larger. One happy Platy.

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    1. I have wondered the same in the past with other containers and have never seen any indication that it's an issue. I can't imagine K's plant being even happier than it was when I saw it.

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  7. Saying I don't see the appeal in some family of plants is always the kiss of death, within the year I'll probably be trialing a small collection to find the keeper(s). Love all of the iterations of lids/saucers, but I'd need to add a drainage hole, if only for my peace of mind!

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    1. That's such a good point! (both of them actually) Since I knew it would be hanging under the pavilion I felt safe not adding a hole, but it certainly would have been easy enough to do.

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  8. That pie plate planter has my heart going pitter patter, and I think the idea of using the lid for staghorn ferns is genius, because that thin frame lets that slipper foot/holdfast thingy really shine as sculpture or keeps the pebbles and moss prominent as with your lid, and it all just floats under the SP -- love it!

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    1. I found that pie-plate at a secondhand store for pennies, anytime I've tried to search online for a couple more—specifying the unique hexagonal shape—they are ridiculously expensive.

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