Asplenium australasicum [Aspleniaceae] Birds Nest FernYes, this species is certainly not overlooked; it is frequently seen in plantings in Sydney. However it is a plant that I think perhaps deserves a re-framing for planting design.
I believe that the simplest way to understand how to use a given species to generate beautiful, nuanced planting design is to observe it in its natural habitat. Its ecological niche, the plant community that it grows in association with, the substrate, its distribution patterns. The effect of environmental conditions on the form and aesthetics of a given species: light, wind, water, seasons. The commonly used birds nest fern (Asplenium australasicum) is a good case study. In designed landscapes, this species is typically planted in the ground en-masse. I’ve seen it as monocultures by councils, or in designed planting intermingled with aroids, bromeliads or other loud, bold vegetation. In this circumstance it is viewed from above, emphasising its round ‘rosette’ growth habit.
However, in nature birds nest fern is more often than not an epiphyte, living on the trunks and branches of living or fallen trees. This circumstance highlights three different attributes: (1) Its expressive, vase-shaped form when viewed in section (rather than in' ‘plan view’), and (2) the way that the fronds illuminate when backlit by the low-angled sun, giving it a lightweight, glowing appearance (3) the distinctive strong geometry of the plant in juxtaposition to the finer, illegible forms of the surrounding tree and shrub foliage, and (4), the sporadic arrangement of the plants, with negative space around each individual.
Yes, it does also grow as a lithophyte (rock-dwelling plant) on shaded sandstone outcrops, either sparsely spread with voids around them, or waist-deep in a sea of climbers and ferns, as in the bottom image. Here it can also be beautiful for some of the above reasons. Using them on the ground is not a travesty, but we think that it would be wonderful to see this species more in the following location and condition: Grown on trees, walls or structures in semi-shade conditions where the viewer’s eye is at or below the plant, and where the sun passes behind it when the sun is at low angle (i.e. to the west or east of the viewer).
