Staghorn fern from spores

I've always liked the look of staghorn ferns Platycerium superbum.  The first one I ever saw was when I was in high school, someone had one on their front verandah, that thing was massive.  I asked about them at the local plant nursery, and was told they could not get one and even if they could it would be too expensive. 

I saw a few massive staghorn ferns in the wild while I was studying at university.  They were perched high up in trees in a rainforest, and were an incredible sight.  

I really wanted to buy one so I could grow it at home, but I was renting and moving house often, so never looked into getting one back then. 

Baby staghorn ferns 

When I was in my early twenties I was rock climbing and found a tiny plant I thought was a staghorn fern.  It had a shield frond about the size of a twenty cent coin.  At the time I didn't know anything about them, so I carefully scraped it off the cliff and brought it home.  This wasn't a good thing to do, I should have left it where it was.  I regret taking that plant, but I was young and stupid at the time.  

It was a long time ago and I don't remember exactly what I did, I think I initially grew it in a pot of soil or moss.  The plant grew well, and I mounted it on a small piece of wooden lattice.  It grew, then produced pups, which I was not expecting.  

Back then I wondered what I was doing wrong to make it divide rather than growing into a single large plant.  At the time I didn't know that there were several species of Platycerium ferns, and this one was an 'elkhorn' rather than the 'staghorn' that I wanted.  

I had that fern for a few years, it grew into a large thriving clump of plants, and I eventually gave it away before moving house.  

I know more about these ferns now, there is some confusion over common names, which is why it is important to look at the binomial name rather than the common name.  

Staghorn fern sporelings

Baby Staghorn ferns in peat pellet

In Australia, the Stag horn fern (Platycerium superbum) produces large plants and does not produce offsets, it can only be propagated by spore (and maybe tissue culture).  

The Elk horn fern (Platycerium bifurcatum) produces far smaller plants that divide and produce numerous pups in large clumps, these are usually propagated by division rather than spore, but they can also be grown by spores.  

There are a few other species, some are very beautiful, but these two species are by far the most common here.  To add to the naming confusion, I am told that overseas the common names can be the opposite to this, or in some places the common names can be used interchangeably, and some other species share these common names with these two species, which is all the more reason to pay attention to binomial names and ignore common names.

I would like to grow both of these species, but I particularly want to grow a staghorn (P superbum). 

Staghorn - image from Australian Native Plant Society

Elkhorn ferns - image from Australian National Botanic Gardens

I've almost bought a staghorn fern a few times.  Sometimes I regret not buying one, other times I am glad that I waited.  They are really expensive ferns, and they look so good.  Staghorn ferns cannot be divided, so it feels like wasted money and I'm being selfish, especially if the thing dies.  Then again, if I buy one and look after it, I would have it for basically the rest of my life.  

Then I considered growing a staghorn from spore, that way I could have my staghorn and sell some extra ones to break even on cost.  While growing from spore takes a very long time, and can be very fiddly, I am up for that.  It doesn't help that I am not in their preferred climate.  

Probably the hardest part of growing a staghorn from spore is the fact that getting live spore is difficult.  Plenty of places online will sell dead spore that can never grow.  If I knew someone with a large plant I don't think I know enough to be able to collect spore at the right time, and I would likely still end up with dead spore.  Getting live spore is probably easy if you know what you are doing, but I don't know what I am doing.  

I know a guy who knows a guy that knows a lot about staghorns and elkhorns, and was able to get some live staghorn fern spores and some tips on how to grow them.  I am not sure if I will get a second chance at this, so I really want this to be successful and to end up with at least a few strong plants.  

A good number are growing strong

One way staghorn spores can be grown is by putting live spore onto a moist peat pellet.  This pellet is put in a sealed container to keep humidity high, and kept warm in bright indirect light.  

It takes months for the spore to germinate, for months literally nothing happens.  During this time it needs to be kept damp, but not too wet or too dry, and not allowed to get too hot or too cold.  If all goes well, and fungi or moss does not take over, you eventually have prothalli.  

Fern prothalli look like little liverworts or slime, they are the first stage in the fern lifecycle.  They look nothing like an adult fern, and you are not entirely sure that things have worked yet.  I spray fern prothalli with water from time to time to enable fertilisation.  

After many more months, if all goes well and things haven't got too dry or too wet or too cold or too hot and no moss or whatever has contaminated things, the prothalli grow tiny sporelings.  This is when I first know that things have probably worked and I have not spent months carefully looking after moss.

Once sporelings grow, I get very excited.  They grow reasonably fast at first, then due to competition they stop growing and do nothing.  You can see the spore were put on quite thick, and the plants are far too crowded to grow well.  For months they sit at this stage, still needing care, still threatening to be overrun by moss or fungi, and rewarding me by doing absolutely nothing other than staying alive.

That is the stage my staghorn ferns reached.  They are tiny cute baby ferns just sitting in a peat pellet crowded close together.  

I don't know what to do from here, so I divided some and planted in a seedling tray.  Some were divided into individual plants, others were left in small numbers clumped together.  I'm not sure what is best.

Staghorn fern sporelings planted out

I am pretty much making up what to do from here.  

The internet does not explain how to grow these things from spore.  It explains how to germinate the spores, and I found a few youtube videos on this.  It explains how to mount larger plants, again there were youtube videos and things explaining this step.  But I found nothing on the middle step explaining how and when to divide tiny sporelings that are unable to grow due to over crowding. 

Perhaps the sporelings need to be divided into individual plants and given their own space to be able to grow properly.  Or perhaps my rough handling will kill them and they would do better in small groups where one plant might survive and the rest will perish.  

I have no idea what is best.  So I did a bit of both, and hope something works.

Many baby staghorn ferns

Transplanting the sporelings took me a very long time.  I used my planting tweezers, and gently removed the tiny plants and tried to plant them in little rows.  Some plants were tiny and incredibly difficult to handle.  Others were still very small but seemingly more established and much easier to handle.  Hopefully I didn't damage their tiny roots too much when I divided them. 

I have well over 100 staghorn fern sporelings planted in this first tray.  Some are planted close, others further apart, hopefully I stumble across their preferred conditions and a few survive.  Planting out this took me what felt like forever, and I still don't know if any will even survive.  

Once they were planted, I gently sprayed with water to settle them in and to increase humidity.  Hopefully this helps reduce transplant shock.  

Watering this tray will be difficult, so I left a gap in one corner.  I don't know what is best, and am making this up as I go.  I will be able to spray the plants using a spray bottle, and I can tip water into that corner and it can seep underneath and water them from the bottom.  

Gap in bottom left corner for watering

From here I don't know what to do, and hope I don't kill them all.  I know adult staghorn ferns prefer air movement, but I am guessing they need high humidity when they are so tiny, so I put a clear top over the tray.  

This cover has vents I could open, for now I am leaving them closed.  This should keep humidity very high, which will either be really good or really bad - I don't know yet.  I can open one or both vents to reduce humidity, or I can remove the top.  I have options.

I put this in bright indirect light in my greenhouse.  The light there is bright enough to keep maidenhair ferns alive, but not so bright that it burns them.  I assume this is the right amount of light for baby staghorn ferns.  Again, I have no idea and am guessing.  The greenhouse is a bit warmer than the outside temperatures, so the staghorn sporelings could do ok there.  

It has been a few weeks since I divided these tiny ferns.  Some were a little bruised and the tiny roots were damaged from being transplanted.  So far most seem alive, but they aren't doing a lot of growth.  

Staghorn ferns in covered seedling tray

I also divided some baby staghorn ferns in another seedling tray.  In this one I used a 24 cell seedling thing.  I thought maybe the baby ferns would benefit from fertiliser, so I put vermicompost in the bottom of each of the cells.  Some have more, others have less, the nutrients should be able to wick up into the cell. 

I should be able to water this from below by lifting the seedling thing, and adding some water to the green tray.  This will also allow me to add diluted fertiliser or tea or whatever if needed.  

Again I wasn't sure if the baby staghorns would benefit from being separated into individual plants, or left in little clumps, so I did a bit of both.  I planted 5 individual plants into some cells, and small clumps of plants into the center of others. 

24 cell seedling tray with baby staghorn ferns

Some of the plants were tiny, others were far larger but still vey small.  I don't know which would survive being transplanted better.  Some of the tiniest ones were divided into individual plants, and some of the larger ones were divided into individual plants.  Some of the clumps were only tiny plants, others only had larger plants, while others had a mix.  Hopefully one of the combinations works and at least some survive. 

Again I covered it with the clear top with the vents closed so it would have very high humidity.  The vents can be opened if needed, or the top removed.  I have a lot of options. 

I have a sheltered place on the deck where I grow a few types of maidenhair ferns year round.  This spot gets direct sun in the early morning, and bright shade for most of the day.  The deck may be better suited to growing these staghorns, or they may be better in the greenhouse, or maybe neither will be good.  

I put this second tray on the deck.  I will keep an eye on both sets of baby ferns and move one or both of them if needed.

The ones at this end were divided into individual plants

The ones at this end were left in clumps

I had a few staghorn sporelings that I planted these in a self watering wicking pot that I normally use for African violets.  

These ones will be kept on the kitchen windowsill.  There is not a lot of light here, but it is reasonably bright, and hopefully there is enough light for them.  This will stay cooler over summer, and hopefully be a little warmer over winter.  While I wash up the dishes I will be able to keep a close eye on these ones. 

Staghorn ferns

I put a clear cup over the top to keep the humidity high, and I sprayed it with water just after planting to reduce transplant stress.  I also put a little piece of sticky tape on one end that will prevent the top from sliding off easily, but can work like a hinge if I want to open the top or prop it open to reduce humidity slightly.

I plan to keep an eye on this and move it if they start to look poorly.  At this stage I don't know if the dome will make humidity too high, or if that will be ok for now.  Hopefully if things start to go wrong I can move them or do something before they all die.  So far they look good, but it is still early. 

Clear dome to keep humidity high

Wicking self-watering pot

Baby ferns in humidity dome

I found someone on ebay selling tiny staghorn ferns in little cups for $16 plus $12.70 postage.  This seems excessive considering how tiny they are, then again a lot of work went into growing them to this size from spore, so perhaps the price is justified.  

Perhaps this is a better way to grow them.  If fungi or some contaminate gets into my seedling tray it could kill them all.  Perhaps I should have grown some in individual cups like this so that contaminates do not spread easily.  

Staghorn fern growing in little cups - image from ebay

These things are tiny for the price - image from ebay

I have a feeling that if all goes well I probably have another year until they have tiny shield fronds and start looking like tiny versions of the mature plants, and probably more time after that until are large enough to mount onto boards.  

Perhaps they will grow fast and be ready to mount far earlier, or perhaps this is not the way to grow them and they will all die.  I really don't know what I am doing with these.  Hopefully at least one survives for me long term.  

If someone who has done this before is reading my post, feel free to comment on this blog post or email me (my email address is listed on my for sale page) as I would love to learn more.  I have written this blog post about what I am attempting, and I would love to learn from an expert how this should be done.

As these things are going to take ages to reach a good size I'm still tempted to buy a larger staghorn (and maybe an elkhorn).  They are such incredible looking plants.  Or maybe I should just wait another year or two and see how this goes before spending money on a mounted staghorn.  

Baby bird nest fern

Bird's nest fern Asplenium nidus are native to Australia (and a bunch of other countries).  They are lovely and undemanding plants.  

These are commonly sold as house plants.  You often see these for sale in garden shops or florists, but they rarely explain how these things will grow.  These ferns are long lived perennials, they live for decades, and they can grow absolutely huge if well cared for.  

I have a bird's nest fern that I got around 2001.  It was tiny when I got it and has moved house with me many times.  At our last house it had fronds over 6 feet long.  It declined a bit since living here, but still grows new fronds a few times per year.  Not bad for a 25 year old fern! 

My daughter saw a baby bird nest fern and thought it was super cute. 

This fern is tiny, for scale the pot is 10cm across.  

We are not in the ideal climate for bird nest ferns, but they survive here if protected.  This tiny fern is currently in my greenhouse, but may be moved to the deck soon.    

This fern's growth is a little uneven, which is pretty common and easy enough to fix.  I will rotate the pot from time to time, this should result in more even growth.  

I made this post mostly so I can look back and see how tiny this was when we got it.  It is spring here now, so this should do some fast growth.  We will see how big this can grow before winter comes.  

Trampoline ferns

Last spring or summer I found a tiny baby fern growing under the trampoline.  There was only one growing there, I looked carefully to see if there were any other tiny ferns or prothalli, but there were none to be seen. 

It gets dry under the trampoline over summer, it gets icy over winter, and I didn't want it to die, so I dug it up and planted it in a pot.  I put this in my greenhouse.  I am told it is difficult to dig up ferns from the wild to transplant them, but I have always had great success with them.  This wasn't really growing 'in the wild', it was growing under my trampoline.  I am more careful than most people, and have a reasonable understanding of the fern's preferred growing conditions, so that probably helps with my success rates.  

The baby fern grew well, and survived winter with no visible damage.  It started to reach a nice little size, and I was excited to see how it grew once the warmer weather began.  Then, one night in spring, rats or mice came into my greenhouse from the paddock next to us and ate the fern to a stump.  

We have mice and sometimes rats come in from the paddock several times per year, often when the seasons change.  I put out bait to control the rats or mice, the bait was taken every night as soon as I put it out.  

The fern started to recover and then was eaten to a stump again.  Sadly, it died after being eaten to the ground the second time.  Not long after that I got on top of the rodent problem.  I wish I protected it better.  

trampoline fern looking healthy

Growing in part shade in the greenhouse

baby fern after I had grown it for a while

This past summer I noticed another fern growing under the trampoline in much the same position as the one I dug up earlier.  I looked carefully and noticed what may be prothalli, or perhaps liverworts.  I then started to water this area to help the ferns survive.  

This summer has been dry, so the ferns needed a lot of watering.  One trampoline fern is getting reasonably  large, another one is smaller, and there appear to be two other tiny ones.

The larger trampoline fern

Second largest trampoline fern

I don't know what type of ferns these are, and am not sure if they will survive winter under the trampoline as it gets a little frosty here.  

I would dig up one and put it in a pot in my greenhouse, but worry that it may be eaten to death in spring when the mouse numbers increase.  Perhaps it is best if I don't intervene (other than to water them, and to reduce competition by removing weeds and grass from time to time).

Hopefully at least one of these survives long term.  When they get larger I may be able to identify them, but for now they are mystery ferns. 

All the ferns are in this photo, some are too small to be seen

Trampoline fern and weeds

I'm not sure where these ferns came from.  A while ago I brought home a fertile frond from a tree fern but never got around to planting the spores, perhaps these ferns grew from spores that came from that frond.  Perhaps someone nearby has an exotic fern that shed spores to the wind.  Perhaps this is a native fern whose mother is growing near the stream down the road.  I don't know, all I know is that this is the only spot in my yard that is growing ferns.  

I look forward to this getting larger and possibly being able to identify it one day.  I don't really care what type of fern it is, I am happy for it to be growing in my yard. 

If I can keep a self-sustaining population of these ferns under my trampoline that would be nice.  It would be nice if they spread under the trampoline and competed with the grass and weeds that grow there.  If that isn't possible, I would like to grow some in pots.  

For now I will leave them, and water them, and see wat happens.  I would hate to dig up another, only to have it eaten to death by mice or rats.  

I like ferns, and I like plants that appear out of nowhere, these little plants tick both of those boxes.  

Maidenhair Ferns after winter

I grow a few maidenhair ferns.  They are easy enough to grow if you get the conditions right.  Earlier I wrote a blog post on how I grow maidenhair ferns.  

My oldest maidenhair fern has been with me since 2016, over these past 8 years it has grown from a tiny cute little fern into something rather large and impressive.  This used to live full time in my office, but I brought it home a few years ago and it lives at home.  When I had this in the office with me I would remove dead fronds regularly, and it always looked lush and healthy.  

Since bringing my fern home permanently I have not removed the dead growth regularly enough.  It is healthy, but it isn't looking great.  

Over winter it got a lot of dead fronds, I left them on the plant to help protect it over winter as it lives outside.  Although it is under shelter it can get frozen during very cold spells, it also gets blasted with wind where I have it located.  Now the warmer weather is here, my maidenhair fern needs to be refreshed.  

After winter lots of dead fronds

In the old days people would suggest when maiden hair ferns start looking ratty to cover them with a brown paper bag, tie it loosely with string, and set the paper bag on fire.  

This would usually burn at a low enough temperature that the plant would not die.  Once the fronds were burned the fern would send up a flush of new growth and look fresh and reinvigorated.  

It has since been proven that burning does nothing other than removing the dead growth.  I have been told by some fern growers (who know a lot more about ferns than I do) that simply cutting off the top growth achieves the same result and is less risky.  Sounds good to me so I decided to give it a go.  

Maiden hair fern not looking great after winter

Each winter my fern looks a little ratty, and each spring I consider cutting it to the ground and letting it regrow.  Each year I don't do that.  Normally I just remove the dead fronds one by one.  

This year I decided to cut off all its top growth, I planned on removing every last frond.  

Then I noticed how may healthy fronds it had, and decided to only remove the dead fronds.  The dead fronds were clumped mainly in the middle, so cutting them off was quick and easy.  I also took out lots of the healthy green fronds while doing this, but that shouldn't be a problem.  

As you can see, I left a lot of green fronds.  Even with all the fronds, from the front or the back it looks a bit sparse.  

Looks sparse after removing dead fronds

I kept some fronds

When you look from above you can see just how much was removed.  

I kept the healthy fronds so the plant can capture lots of sunlight.  Perhaps I should have also removed these fronds and started anew, but I couldn't bring myself to do that.  Perhaps next spring if I am still here I will try to remove all the top growth, or perhaps I will chicken out again and try to leave most of the green fronds.  

Look how much was removed

Not much left, but it should regrow fast

Removing the dead fronds means they have less protection from the wind, and there will be higher evaporation from the soil.  The dead fronds would have acted as insulation, without them the temperature will rise and fall faster.  

Removing the dead fronds also means the plant can get more light, and have better air flow.  So hopefully they will regrow stronger and healthier.  Regardless, it should look nice once it grows some more fronds.  

Top: tiger fern and variegated maidenhair ferns. Lower: maidenhair ferns

This went well enough, and once you start something it is easy enough to continue.  All of my ferns look a bit tired after winter.  I tried to remove dead growth from all of them, some I was a lot more harsh than others.  As you can see above, they all look ok.  

If I remember, I will try to take some photos of my ferns once they have recovered from being cut back.  All of my ferns look healthy, and I have little doubt that they will start to grow fast now the warmer weather is here.  

Some of my ferns, cut back and ready for spring growth

  You can see a few of my different maidenhair fern varieties in the pictures above.  I have a few other varieties that are not in this picture.  There are a lot of varieties of maidenhair fern around, I grow a few and am still tracking down some others.  

As you can tell, I like maidenhair ferns.  They look pretty, they can live virtually forever, and they are reasonably simple to grow.  If you have somewhere out of direct sun, perhaps you should grow some of these ferns.  

Vegetable fern Diplazium esculentum

For a few years I have wanted to grow vegetable fern (Diplazium esculentum).  This is a beautiful and ornamental looking fern that is commonly eaten as a vegetable though the warmer and wetter parts of Asia.  

Small vegetable fern - Diplazium esculentum

There are a few ferns that are commonly eaten, some are meant to be easier to grow than others.  I am told that vegetable fern spreads rapidly and is easy to grow.  It prefers some shade, it likes heat, and like most ferns it needs decent moisture to thrive.  

I am told the fronds of this species are highly nutritious, and has a host of medicinal properties.  All of the research into vegetable fern indicates that it is highly nutritious.  

One study demonstrated  that its fronds were high in protein (52.3%), carbohydrates (28.2%), Vitamin C, antioxidants, minerals (including calcium and iron), and dietary fibre (17.44%).  That study also stated it contains 324 Kcal 100 grams.  

Vegetable fern thrives in part shade

There are a few edible ferns should only be eaten in smaller amounts due to mild toxins.  Vegetable fern is unique in that it has not been recorded to have any negative effects when eaten.  

Some edible ferns (such as bracken) contain a substance called Ptaquiloside.  This compound is water-soluble and rather unstable, I have read that scientists were able to isolate this and test it on rats and ferrets who went on to develop tumors.  From everything I have read, vegetable fern does not contain this compound and is completely safe to eat.  

Not only is vegetable fern meant to be completely safe to consume, and highly nutritious, it is also highly ornamental.  It is a good looking fern.  Some fronds almost shimmer silver in the right light, I haven't seen a fern do this before.  

Most vegetables will be unproductive in shade, whereas this plant needs shade to be productive.  It also is rarely eaten in Australia, meaning if hard times hit people would not think to steal this if they raid gardens for food.  

I can't capture the silver shimmery fronds

While it doesn't matter to anyone unless they are intending to do any breeding with this plant (ferns are difficult to breed with and not something I have been able to achieve), the vegetable fern is diploid with 2n= 82.  

Vegetable fern spreads quickly through rhizomes, and I am told that it produces readily from spores.  Growing ferns from spores can be fun, the ease that this fern reputedly grows from spores means it could pop up in damp places by itself.  

I like plants that do this.  It is killed by frosts, and does not love full sun and dry areas, so I can't imagine it posing a weed issue where I live.

Vegetable fern stating to divide

My vegetable fern has grown since these photos, and has divided a little.  We have had a few cooler nights and it is showing that it does not cope with frosts.  I now have it in a sheltered spot where I think it will survive the winter.  

Hopefully in spring it will be large enough and healthy enough to grow and divide and maybe even produce some spore.  If all goes well I should be able to start eating this in spring/summer and hopefully have enough plants to be able to share them around a little.

Maidenhair fern comparison of varieties

I grow a few different maidenhair ferns, they are lovely ferns and I really like them.  Each type that I grow are noticeably different.  

I sell a few maidenhair ferns each year, and hope they the buyer looks after them.  Sadly, most people think of maidenhair ferns (or any potted plants) like a bunch of flowers: they look great when they buy it and they expect to throw it away after a time.  I am happy to say that these ferns will live for decades if cared for.  

Maidenhair ferns are relatively simple to grow.  I don't mist them or have them under grow lights or make any attempt to control humidity or have a terrarium or anything like that.  I grow some outside under shelter, some in my unheated greenhouse, and some on the bookshelf in the house.  I wrote a previous blog post describing how I grow maidenhair ferns.  

I really like my maiden hair ferns so thought I would make a blog post showing a comparison of the different types I currently grow.  Please note I am not a fern collector, there are many more varieties (as many other species) of maidenhair that exist.  

Variegated maidenhair pinnules are each unique 

Office fern: Adiantum raddianum.  Originally from South America, these are commonly sold in garden shops.  I call it my office fern because it lived on the deak at my office for the first four years that I had it.  People often complain that they had one but killed it because they treated it like a cactus instead of a fern.  It grows long, arching, delicate looking fronds on surprisingly thin black stems.  This fern can get rather dense and vibrant if looked after.  I have had the fern below for almost eight years and it is thriving.  The largest fronds usually reach a little over 50cm long, which is about as big as this one will grow in a pot this size.  

Maidenhair fern - almost eight years old

Chunky maidenhair: probably Adiantum raddianum, but I am not certain.  I was told this is 'Lady Moxon', after growing it for a few years I am pretty sure that it is not Lady Moxon.  It is quite different to my office fern and produces chunky and compact fronds.  The fronds are slightly contorted and twisted, and the pinnules are clumped much closer together than they typical maidenhair ferns.  The stem of each frond is much thicker than normal maidenhair ferns.  I have not grown this as many years as my office fern so it is not as large, and I don't yet know how large it can become.  While it is staying comparatively compact, it seems to be getting longer and chunkier fronds each year.  When I first got this, due to its shape it almost looked similar to a bonsai tree.  

Chunky maidenhair fern

Chunky maidenhair fern

Chunky maidenhair frond

Variegated maidenhair vs chunky 

Variegated maidenhair fern: Adiantum raddianum 'Variegata'.  The elusive and rare variegated maidenhair fern.  Fronds are green splashed with white and produced on thin black stems.  I think there are a few versions of this, but on mine the fronds tend to divide towards the tips.  This is never as large as my office fern, the largest fronds reaching about 40cm long.  My photos never do justice to this incredible fern, it is a delightful and graceful and captivates with its delicate fronds and striking variegation.  

Variegated Maidenhair Fern

Variegated maidenhair frond 

Native maidenhair fern: this is one of Australia's 8 native species, most likely Adiantum aethiopicum but it could be Adiantum capillus-veneris, I really need a fern expert to positively identify it for me one day.  This species is native to Australia, and native to my location.  The pinnules are a different shape to my office fern, and the sporangium are also a different shape.  It is hardier, and survives light frosts and drying out much better than the South American A raddianum.  This sends out runners under the soil, and survives a far wider range of conditions.  This species never gets as dense and full looking as the South American species.  

Australian native maidenhair fern

This is by no means an exhaustive list of maidenhair fern varieties, it is just the varieties I am currently growing.  There are a few other varieties I would like to get some day, but that may or may not ever happen.

I do sell maidenhair ferns from time to time.  When I have a few for sale I list them on my for sale page.  That page has my contact details, so if you are after one of my ferns send me an email and I will let you know if I have any for sale.  If you have any interesting varieties of maidenhair fern let me know, I would love to learn more.