Birds nest fern, adding colour to backyard garden

One birds nest fern appeared as tiny baby beside Kakdah's roses pot sometime last year. I quickly had it transferred in a pot half filled with soil and let it grow under shade. It had grown big and healthy now.

The other three were taken from Hamimah's place in Sungai Batu recently. She has an acre full of matured oil palms which play host to different type of fern on their stems. We took three and they are adjusting to living in pots now.

 

birds nest fern

bangchik and kakdah backyard

If bird nest fern is well exposed to sunlight, its colour is yellowish green.  Under heavy shade, the colour will be a lot greener. 

bangchik and kakdah

Putrajaya Presint 8

TANDUK RUSA ~ STAGHORN ~ DEERHORN

 Every plant has a story to tell, like us too, humans. This eleborate fern known locally as pakis tanduk rusa or staghorn /deer horn fern really traveled far. It was taken (through division technique) from my sister's place in Perak. Five hundred and fifty kilometers away, or 7 hours by car. I wonder if the spores can travel that far surfing through the sky with it's life-time natural dispersal agent, the wind. Spores are seeds for ferns, so small and light almost like dust.

The fern ended up  the large raintree, at the right side of our house.  It was placed in position by tying up with steel wire. After almost six months, the fern manage to grow and cling to the tree and we had removed the wire.

tanduk rusa

tanduk rusa

tanduk rusa

We measure the overall height of this gigantic fern..... a whopping 6 feet from top to bottom!!

To us, the staghorn fern is still a 6 month old baby...

___________________________

bangchik and kakdah

pasir gudang johor

oxalis triangularis and fern

Placing potted fern in the middle of two oxalis triangularatis, I dont know which should steal the show. Fern has always been exotic in nature with its beautiful leaves, but oxalis triangularis comes in colourful, with deep purple butterfly look  leaves. If we look closely there is a hint of red somewhere within purple leaves. Whitish stems and pale pinkish flowers place oxalis triangularitis within the category of being exotic too. Both plants just grow..., and they don't react too much with poor watering and fertilising.

Putting them in line, I wonder which one looks better or

they simply complement each other as a package.

fern in the middle, flanked by oxalis triangularis

The combination of strengths will complement each other 

and balance out individual weaknesses 

which will lead to overall enhancement 

of the team.

bangchik and kakdah, 
Tanah Merah Garden

Rosiah's garden featuring staghorn fern

Platycerium, 

is a genus of about 18 fern species in the polypod family, Polypodiaceae. Ferns in this genus are widely known as pakis tanduk rusa (in our language), staghorn or deer horn or elkhorn ferns due to their uniquely-shaped fronds. This genus is epiphytic and is native to tropical and temperate areas of  South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Guinea.

the fern lives on a Payung Indonesia tree

 

the top part of tanduk rusa or staghorn fern

the middle part

the bottom part

This fern must be the focal point of the whole garden. Rosiah, my younger sister grows this fern on Payung Indonesia tree or Hura Crepitans.  The majestic fern is  known as "Pokok Tanduk Rusa" or staghorn horn or deer horn, in the family of Platycerium. It is so big for a fern, that it  acts as a screen and adds privacy to the garden. From top to bottom, my rough estimate is around 8 feet.  The bottom part which behaves like tails, sways beautifully with the wind. The middle part resembles a cabbage. The top part displays the stag horn or deer horn. Even though the fern depends on rainwater to survive in the wild, Rosiah spray water regularly to keep it healthy

She has other interesting plants too, which I thought worth sharing a few here.

 
clitoria ternatea
A single plant about 4 feet high winding its way around tembusu branch as stake. The plant is already flowering. The colour is so beautiful, such deep blue diluting itself into white at the base. Three of my own plants are doing fine right now in Putrajaya.


 
misai kucing
I like this flower, because the petals are so thin, that we can almost see through them.


bangchik

My little Bird's Nest Fern or (pokok sakat)

 

Bird's Nest Fern

at its normal place near  ground orchid 

enjoying the shade of papaya plant.

  

birdsnest fern

(asplenium nidus)

also known as pokok sakat in my hometown

perched high on the wall, for better viewing and photographing. 

That will give the little fern ,

the feeling of being high up on a tree.

The fern was very small, no bigger than a few inches when we took it from the wild. Nature has been treating these ferns well for centuries. Anywhere cool with adequate rotting material will be home for bird's  nest fern. Since the introduction of Oil Palm in Malaysia in 1950's , the palms have been the natural place for these fern to thrive. We took a little baby from Kakyah's 3 acre oil palm plot.  Now it has grown and presented an extra tropical look to our vegetable garden...

The pot was filled with coconut husk and rotting material from oil palm. Occasionally, doses of  organic based fertilizer will be given, to give extra vitamin and minerals. It will get water from the spills of watering on other nearby potted plants... That is  the way they survive in the wild....

I love the curl of the young leaf, 

a symbol of life kicking.

One thing the fern will miss, is the feeling of being aerial.

~ bangchik

Putrajaya, Malaysia