To make outdoor wall-mounted staghorn ferns, you’ll need:
Step 1: Cut the board
Take the fencing board (Zuelich bought hers at Home Depot) and cut the board at varying angles. Optional: Once the boards were cut, Zuelich made and nailed French cleats to the backs of her wall hangings and to the shed. “French cleats are two pieces of wood cut at a 45 degree angle, then attached to either side of whatever you’re looking to hang,” she explains. “The French cleats make it easy to take the staghorn down to soak with water and then hang back up.” If going this route, a simple screw and D-ring picture hangers work well too.
Step 2: Delineate a space for the fern
Draw out a circle on the board. This is the place that will hold the staghorn fern and moss. Be sure that the circle has a radius at least 2½ inches larger than that of your plant. Otherwise, it can be as large as you like.
Step 3: Hammer in nails to make a fern nest
Using a hammer, pound in nails half way around the circumference of the circle, leaving around 1½-inches of space between the nails. The circle of nails will help support the fern. Place a thin layer of sphagnum moss inside the circle of nails—it should look like a little nest. Add the staghorn fern on top. Cover the soil with more moss, making sure the soil is covered with at least half an inch of moss. This step ensures the soil will not fall apart when the plant is wall-mounted in place.
Step 4: Secure the plant
Tie the fishing wire to one of the nails. Then string the fishing wire across the moss, looping around the nails, then back over the moss. The fishing wire net should reach the base of the staghorn fern plant. You’ll want to ensure the moss is securely packed, yet not too dense, since staghorn ferns are thirsty and you want the water to penetrate. Leaving no more than a quarter-inch of space between fishing wire lines should do the trick. Once you think the moss will stay in place, knot the fishing wire to a nail.
Indoor wall-hanging plant planks
If you want a unique way to hang your succulents, look no further. Floral and botanical arts teacher Sylvia Rushing teaches workshops at The Makery in State College, Pennsylvania. “I just love inspiring people to bring plants and flowers into their lives in different forms,” she says. If you didn’t think a desert plant could hang from your wall, Rushing shows you how.
To make indoor wall-hanging plant holders, you’ll need:
