Staghorns and Elkhorns: Garden Placement, Care and Natural Mounting at Fernmania

Staghorns and elkhorns are some of the most striking ferns you can add to a shaded garden, courtyard, verandah or fernery. Their sculptural fronds give them a living artwork quality, but they are also practical, hardy and well suited to the right outdoor position.

At Fernmania, we grow staghorns and elkhorns in-house, with a focus on strong establishment, suitable mounting and long-term survival. These plants do not behave like ordinary potted garden plants. They are epiphytic ferns, meaning they naturally grow attached to trees or other surfaces rather than growing in ordinary soil. [1]

Staghorn or Elkhorn: What Is the Difference?

The names “staghorn” and “elkhorn” are often used loosely, and different nurseries or gardeners may use them differently. In Australia, the plants people commonly mean are species of Platycerium, a genus of bracket-forming epiphytic ferns. Platycerium bifurcatum occurs naturally in eastern Queensland and New South Wales, as well as Lord Howe Island, and is one of the familiar elkhorn-type ferns seen in gardens. [2]

Platycerium superbum is another spectacular species, mainly epiphytic in rainforest and found in Queensland and northern New South Wales. It can produce long, dramatic fertile fronds and a large shield-like base. [3]

The important point for gardeners is not just the name, but the growth habit. These plants want to cling, collect moisture, receive filtered light and build themselves into a living mount over time.

Best Garden Placement

Staghorns and elkhorns are best placed where they receive bright filtered light rather than harsh direct sun. Think of the edge of a forest, beneath a high canopy, or a protected garden wall where light is strong but softened.

Good positions include:

• shaded verandahs

• protected courtyards

• fernery walls

• the side of a shed or fence with filtered light

• large tree trunks in suitable climates

• under pergolas or shade structures

• sheltered garden entrances

Avoid positions where the plant will receive strong afternoon sun, hot reflected heat, drying wind or frost exposure. These ferns like light, but they do not want to be cooked. Dense, dark shade is also not ideal, because the plant still needs enough light to produce strong fronds.

Watering Requirements

Staghorns and elkhorns need moisture, but they do not like sitting wet and stagnant. This is one of the most common mistakes people make with mounted ferns.

Their basal or shield fronds help cover the root structure and collect water and fallen organic material. This is part of how the plant feeds and protects itself. [4]

In warm weather, they may need a deep soak, especially if they are under cover and not receiving natural rain. In cooler months, watering should usually be reduced. The mount should be allowed to breathe and drain. Constant wetness around the centre can lead to rot.

A good rule is:

Water deeply, then allow air movement and drainage before watering again. If the fern is outdoors and exposed to natural rainfall, it may need very little additional water once established. If it is under a roofline, verandah or eave, it will rely much more heavily on hand watering.

Air Movement and Humidity

Staghorns and elkhorns appreciate humidity, but humidity must be balanced with airflow. A damp, still corner can create problems, while a sheltered, airy position allows the plant to stay hydrated without becoming waterlogged.

Good air movement helps the mount dry between waterings and keeps the plant healthier over time. Horticultural guidance for staghorn ferns commonly recommends bright indirect light, good air circulation, moderate humidity and consistent but well-managed moisture. [5]

Feeding and Natural Nutrients

One of the fascinating things about these ferns is that they create part of their own feeding system. In nature, falling leaves, bark fragments, rainwater and organic debris become trapped around the shield fronds and gradually break down.

This is why the mount matters.

A mount is not just a display board. It becomes part of the plant’s growing environment. The best mount supports moisture retention, drainage, root attachment and slow organic breakdown.

Why Fernmania Uses Dicksonia antarctica Bases as Mounts

At Fernmania, we re-use sections of Dicksonia antarctica bases by cutting them into slices that make excellent natural mounts for staghorns and elkhorns. This is a practical and sustainable use of a material we already know well. When Dicksonia antarctica is transported, the living future of the plant is in the head or crown. The crown is where new growth continues. If that head is viable and properly handled, the fern can continue growing after relocation. The trunk itself is not like an ordinary woody tree trunk. It is a fibrous tree fern structure capable of supporting new root development when the living head is replanted correctly. [6]

That is why the remaining base material should not simply be treated as waste. Once the living head has continued its own journey, sections of the old Dicksonia antarctica base can still support life in another way. Cut into suitable slices, the fibrous base becomes an ideal mounting surface for staghorns and elkhorns. It holds moisture, provides texture for attachment, and gradually contributes organic material as the mounted fern establishes.

In that sense, the Dicksonia antarctica lives on in two ways:

1. First, through the transported head, where the tree fern continues growing.

2. Second, through the re-used base, where it helps another fern attach, feed, grow and survive.

For Fernmania, this is not just recycling. It is a continuation of purpose.

Why These Mounts Work So Well

The fibrous nature of Dicksonia antarctica makes it especially suitable for epiphytic plants. Instead of mounting a staghorn or elkhorn onto a flat, lifeless surface, the plant is given a natural, moisture-holding base that behaves more like the kind of organic structure it would use in nature.

A good mount should:

• give the young plant something to grip

• hold enough moisture without becoming waterlogged

• allow air movement

• support slow organic breakdown

• look natural in a fern garden or shaded landscape

This is why sliced Dicksonia antarctica bases are such a good fit. They suit the biology of the plant, not just the appearance of the garden.

Where to Use Mounted Staghorns and Elkhorns

Mounted staghorns and elkhorns work beautifully in shaded and semi-shaded garden spaces. They can be used as feature plants, living wall pieces or natural additions to a fernery.

They are especially effective:

• beside tree ferns

• on shaded timber walls

• in rainforest-style gardens

• under verandahs with good light

• in courtyard gardens

• as a feature near garden paths

• mounted near water features or cool shaded areas

Over time, the plant grows into its mount and becomes more impressive. The shield fronds will gradually cover the base, while the fertile fronds extend outward and create the dramatic antler-like shape these ferns are known for.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistakes are:

• placing them in too much direct sun

• keeping the centre constantly wet

• putting them in a dark, stagnant corner

• removing brown shield fronds

• treating them like ordinary soil-grown plants

• mounting them on a surface that dries too quickly

• forgetting to water plants kept under cover

Brown shield fronds are not necessarily a problem. They are part of the plant’s natural structure and should usually be left in place. They protect the root area and help the fern build its own growing pocket. [4]

A Living Fern for a Living Mount

Staghorns and elkhorns are not just decorative plants. They are living systems. They attach, absorb, collect, shelter and build around themselves. That is why Fernmania’s use of Dicksonia antarctica base slices makes so much sense. A tree fern that has already given life through its own crown can continue supporting life as a mount for another fern. It is a practical, natural and respectful re-use of fern material - one plant helping another plant grow. For gardeners wanting a strong, beautiful and naturally mounted staghorn or elkhorn, the right placement and the right mount make all the difference.

Staghorns & Elkhorns for Sale

Fernmania has staghorns and elkhorns available for sale among our range of ferns and other garden plants. We are open 7 days so come in and browse the stock anytime at Scottsdale TASMANIA.

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[1] PlantNET describes Platycerium as bracket epiphytes, rarely growing on rocks, with short-creeping rhizomes.

[2] Flora of Australia records Platycerium bifurcatum occurring in eastern Queensland and New South Wales, also Lord Howe Island and naturalised on Norfolk Island.

[3] PlantNET describes Platycerium superbum as mainly epiphytic in rainforest, occurring north from Nabiac on the Manning River, with Queensland also listed.

[4] UF/IFAS notes that staghorn fern basal/shield fronds cover the root structure and help nutrient uptake by collecting water and fallen plant debris.

[5] Wisconsin Horticulture says staghorn ferns need good air circulation, bright indirect light, warm temperatures, moderate humidity and consistent moisture, while also warning they rot easily if overwatered.

[6] ABC Gardening Australia explains that Dicksonia antarctica can be cut and transplanted because new roots grow from the trunk/root system, and the University of Melbourne notes that tree fern growth originates from the apex/crown, so crown damage can kill the fern.