Ferns planted creatively...

One of the many things I love about ferns is that some of them are able to grow epiphytically, or at least semi-epiphytically. This trait provides the opportunity to get creative with the way they're planted. Here's my latest experiment...

Left to right the plants are Pyrrosia lingua, Soldanella alpina, and Pyrrosia davidii (which may now go by P. linearifolia). I don't know the Soldanella alpina will be terribly happy here, but it was heading downhill where it was previously planted so I'm hoping this is an improvement. I love those tiny leaves and wanted to plant it somewhere they were at eye-level, or nearly so.

This assortment is planted with a little soil and a moss covering, in a short metal ring sitting on a flat galvanized round. The round is hanging off my Metapanax delavayi.

This planting is based on the success of a similar planting of Pyrrosia that I did years ago (plants bought as P. aff. sheareri from Windcliff Plants, but definitely more aligned with P. lingua).

It was just a couple leaves/fronds when I first planted it, but now there are rhizomes spreading all over the bark/soil/moss combo.

The galvanized round I used here came with holes in it.

The new one does not have holes. The metal ring is so short, and the soil/moss mounded up so tall, I figured it didn't need more drainage. We shall see.

These Pyrrosia sheareri are in soil similarly mounded and planted in a trash can lid without holes. They've done great. 

I planted more of the Pyrrosia davidii (I bought it labeled as such so that's what I'm going with) in the ceramic piece I brought home from Gerhard's last spring.

He'd bought it on a trip to Portland (when we visited this fellow) but hadn't made use of it. Since I had three pieces by the same artist I jumped at the chance for another.

There's a little soil under that moss and it's all secured to the base in a way that reveals the decorative voids.

Here are the other three pieces I have from that same artist. This one planted with a staghorn.

And the next two with an assortment of Lemmaphyllum microphyllum and tillandsia.

Those last two are leaf-shapes, although it's hard to tell now.

They're all hanging in there somewhere...

I ended up with a windfall of Microsorum thailandicum (Blue Oil Fern) this spring (thanks to Little Prince) so I was able to try them in several different locations, like in a pick-axe head... 

...and a shallow terracotta saucer. On the left is Neolepisorus fortunei 'Green Ribbons' (it's in a regular planter, as are the Pyrrosia lingua behind the step along the bottom of the wall). On top of the wall though...

... are a few interesting things to check out.

Lemmaphyllum microphyllum in a shallow metal dish on a pedestal (both metal pieces found in a salvage shop).

A crested form of Pyrrosia longifolia, a gift from Steven (pills23) when I visited him at his greenhouse last February. He gave me a few cuttings and only this one rooted, and only the tiniest of roots. I've been babying it, hoping that someday it will decide it's happy and put out another leaf and start growing.

It's tucked into a piece of bark with sphagnum moss and a chunky soil mix, the whole thing is cradled in another metal piece I picked up at a salvage shop. Here's a better look at it...

Turned this way up maybe you can guess what it was in it's former life? (I think a test-tube holder)

Did you notice those hairy bits on the next fern? It's a rabbit's foot fern (Davallia sp.) that came from Jerry at our spring Blogger's Swap.

But back to the crested Pyrrosia longifolia. Over the weekend I was watering and I noticed shiny slug film on the bark and moss so I decided I should look closely in case a slug had decided this was a chill place to spend a 100 degree day and would later decide to snack on my two leaves.

I'm glad I did because here's what I found. Can you see them? Slug eggs.

Over 30 of them...

On to an update on older project, my fern frame...

Again, I was watering one day when I went to wipe off some white stuff on the moss/plants.

When it wouldn't wipe off I looked closer and discovered orchid blooms! I tucked a few cuttings of Scaphyglottis-amethystinum (stellata) in the mix when I planted this and they're definitely happy!

As are the ferns, a phlebodium and Microgramma vacciniifolia.

The Pyrrosia lingua screen planter is still doing well.

And the Platycerium grande is growing! My gosh it's getting big...

There's a patch of spore deveoping on the bottom of the fertile frond!

This experiment isn't dead yet, so that's a win! I mounted a small chunk of Aglaomorpha coronans on a metal piece, and it's pushed out a new leaf!

This post is getting really long isn't it? I started talking about my ferns and I just can't stop—we're about three-quarters of the way though, so hang in there!

This spring I filled the green Leo Planter with an assortment of phlebodium and I'm loving how they look. 

Of course I especially love that this one piece of fuzzy rhizome I worked to get outside the front of the planter has grown a leaf/frond...

Hanging below the Leo (you can see it above) is the Platycerium grande Tracy gave me when Gerhard and I visited last March. It had some rough times before I got it mounted and it's not the best mount either (its on my list to fix soon, I love the fan cage and need to attach it better), but it has put out new growth!

Speaking of cages, another pyrrosia experiment. I got this black metal cage on our local Facebook Buy Nothing group and thought it was perfect for a plant that would send out rhizomes and grow around the framework. We shall see. I'm not 100% sure this one is a keeper.

This is my last project to share...

Another Pyrrosia, P. christii there on the rock.

The rock and the metal round are sitting on this structure, another from a metal salvage yard. I think it must have been a reel.

Planting this Pyrrosia with a little soil and a moss covering was inspired by something I saw at L.H.'s garden on the Vancouver Study Weekend. 

My first attempt is still happily growing...

So why not try it again?

Such a beautiful fern! (another that Little Prince of Oregon is growing)

Okay before I wrap up this long (and getting longer) post I wanted to share a couple of inspired fern plantings I saw in Steven's greenhouse when I visited earlier in the month (my February visit, is here). This one is Microgramma lycopodioides, and it's growing in a basket he wove. 

I love how the rhizomes are working thru and around and becoming another basket layer.

This one is Lemmaphyllum microphyllum, and it's growing on a bit of lava rock. Just this week Tamara kindly supplied me with a few pieces of lava rock and so future projects are percolating...

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