Wall-mounted plants

Wall-mounted Plants

James explains how to mount plants on pieces of cork bark to make wall hangings, including an Indonesian technique called 'Tamandama' creating works of art.

Lesson Summary

• Epiphytes grow in well-drained environments with constant moisture but don't ever sit in water.
• To mimic the environment from which they come, I recommend that they be mounted on surfaces such as driftwood or cork.
• With sphagnum moss, the source matters as it is often not sustainably sourced. I recommend New Zealand sphagnum moss, because it is the highest quality, certified and sustainable. It's usually sold in the pet trade for amphibian keeping.
• Sphagnum is packed with water and air pockets, reflecting the environment from which these plants originate.
• Pack the sphagnum moss around the rootball of the Platycerium and fill any gaps you might have.
• I recommend that the thread be wrapped around four or five times.
• The more times you wrap, the more stable it becomes.
• I tie the end of the thread with a flower pin, securing the end of the thread and pushing it into the base of the plant.
• I use a 3mm diameter bonsai wire, stabbing it straight down into the middle. Then twist it around at the base to make a spiral. It can then be hung by a windowsill.
• I mount the cork to the plant by wrapping the wire around the back.
• This is a beautiful example of Vegan taxidermy.
• Epiphytes like bright, non-direct light. Therefore, a north-facing window (in the northern hemisphere) or one to two metres from a south-facing window is ideal.
• Water weekly by lowering it into a bucket of water. Use a diluted liquid fertilizer at half strength.

Equipment Used

• Cork bark
• Wire cutters
• 3mm bonsai wire
• Fishing wire
• Polyester thread
• Sphagnum moss
• Plastic bowl
• Floristry pins

Plants Used

• Platycerium superbum 'Staghorn Fern'
• Tillandsia
• Phalaenopsis 'Lemon Grass'
• Asplenium antiquum 'Bird's-Nest Fern'