Look!: Staghorn Fern Mantlepiece

(Welcome again to Leah, one of the finalists in our San Francisco Blogger search.
Comment away!)

If you're like us, you probably fell in love with the deer/antlers/natural curiosities trend. If you couldn't stomach staring at a real deer everyday and the prices for the faux options were too high -- you're in luck. Named for their “antler-like” fronds these ferns can easily be mounted on your wall and require minimal care(depending on the variety).

Staghorn Ferns (Platycerium bifurcatum) are a type of epiphyte or air plant. They survive on nutrients from the air and need little to no soil. Some varieties thrive outdoors in the Bay Area climate while some will prefer a mildly sunny spot on your wall or mantle. You can find your stag locally at Paxton Gate in the Mission.

Tip: If you haven't been to Paxton Gate before, leave yourself plenty of time to peruse all of the other fantastic natural science goods and then mosey to the back of the store where all of the larger plants are kept.

Happy Hunting!

Links:

Faux Options

Care

-leah

Other Posts by Leah:

SF House Tour: Lena Corwin's Curated Charm

Comments (12)

Now if they only came in white...

posted by AlmostAD on February 5th 2008 at 7:22am
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Urg - looks like a Venomous Tentacula.

posted by KarenH on February 5th 2008 at 7:31am
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Ooo, I am so going to this store. I'm not all that fond of the Staghorn Ferns, but that shop sounds like a blast.

posted by Tiamat_the_Red on February 5th 2008 at 7:32am
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In my humble opinion, this is just a mess . . .

posted by judie on February 5th 2008 at 8:24am
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Nice idea, but not so much the execution.

posted by intheredwoods on February 5th 2008 at 9:21am
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I love this--the weirdness of it, and the wittiness as a comment on the trend of having dead things on your walls.

posted by Cassis on February 5th 2008 at 10:19am
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Someone please wake me up when this whole woodland owls/deer/antler thing is over. I've had about all the kitschy nature I can handle.

posted by Leslie2 on February 5th 2008 at 10:27am
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I'm sorry - the whole thing is atrocious, from the Fern to the mirror to the strange manga kitty and the drapes seen in the background.

posted by blondleo1516 on February 5th 2008 at 10:32am
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I totally get this. I'm inspired to do this in my home! thanks for the links.

posted by emiliana on February 5th 2008 at 4:32pm
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this is a great idea! the plantiness makes it homey and the scraggliness is curious and unexpected. thanks for the links, too. yay!

posted by kristinjeannette on February 5th 2008 at 7:59pm
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@AD: Well, they have this velvety stuff on the leaves, so just let the dust collect, and you'll have a white one.

posted by Jean on February 6th 2008 at 7:45am
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I must say I'm shocked at the ignorant comments made by some of my fellow AT:SF readers.... This idea is brilliant! Displaying nature as design is such a classic approach, but this idea still manages to improve upon it somehow. BTW, love Paxton Gate!

posted by fanya77 on February 6th 2008 at 10:51am
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