Fixated

Every person has to go through some developmental stages as he takes his journey to adulthood. One must experience and undergo the process accordingly or else he may not be able to move on to the next stage of development and becomes fixated. Fixated may also mean focusing one's attention to something...obsessively.

What used to be a boring and long trip is now one of my method of relaxing from a day's work. Suddenly, I find driving fun whenever I see lush trees, ferns and shrubs along the roadside.

If I am fixated with tree ferns at this point in time, I don't mind being such because just by looking at them, they bring delight to my senses and they please my mind. Fixated but not that obsessed, I can only imagine and daydream about them. Scared of taking the risk of growing them in my garden, I think the place might not be suitable enough for them to survive.

Magnificent Cyathea

Dense growth of  ferns swarming over shrubs and trees 

 Shade ferns are replaced by weedy sun ferns 

 Appreciating tree ferns growing wild in the mountains, rainforests and even along roadside trees are good indications of preventing erosion and promotes stability of the soil and fern roots are not invasive. Decline of shade ferns is a result of exploitation of tropical rainforests for timber. It breaks my heart to know that some of them are close to becoming scarce due to deforestation and unauthorized logging.

Erosion of mountains

Forests give an ideal habitat for ferns. Some ferns do well in low light and in high humidity while others thrive under the sun. I saw these type of tree ferns growing in the mountains under dappled shades. The soil was moist, almost clay but porous.

Row of Cyatheas in the mountain

Look at the magnificent tree fern. Who would have thought that beneath the majestic beauty are thorny stalks. Up close, presence of spines were all over the hairy stipes. At first I found them quite scary. Nobody wants to get pricked by these tiny hard thorns...The spiny stipes seemed to protect the delicate, soft fronds from predators and even from intruders.

Spiny stipes

Even the stem of a young frond has thorns around it

Spines with golden thick hair in the stipes of mature fronds

Some ferns grow like weeds but can add interest and drama to a garden when blended with several ornamental plants.