I am beginning to put all my orchids on their "tree shelves" and once the shelves are filled the rest will go into hanging baskets/rafts. I expect to put approximately 350 orchids on the shelves. The pictures show three of the eight tree-shelves.

Interesting set up! A canopy made to order!
I assume the shelves are closed up on top?
Do you find lots of drooling squirrels hanging around?

I do have mesh-tops for all of them but don't even bother to lower the tops. I captured and then "relocated" 23 squirrels last year, so their involvement with my orchids was minimal. I have begun a capture and release program again this spring, and have trapped 4 so far. My next door neighbor has an old homestead in a rural part of the state, 60 miles from here, and he wants to relocate every squirrel I trap to his property. In fact, I trapped a squirrel this morning and took it to the neighbor. He is headed out to that rural land to release the squirrel.

Quite an engineering marvel!
What is the base made of and how are they secured to the trees?.., I'm looking at this on my tiny phone.. It's probably very obvious on a real monitor!

The wire shelving came from Lowe's and it comes in 6', 8', 10', and 12' lengths. There are bottom struts that are 18" or 24" long, that will brace on the trunk of the trees and then slot into the shelf. I screw the bottom of the strut to the trunks. I wire that slotted end to the shelving just to be sure they can't come lose. There is a plastic bracket that fits over the shelf where it would normally screw into a wall, but I just screw those to the trunks. Then I attach wires at the corners and one or two between the corners (depending on the length of the shelf). Those wires are then attached to stout branches 5-10' above the shelves. I do this because of so much unsupported length between the trees. In a home, the shelves would have those plastic brackets attached to the wall every 2-3' and would also have the struts attached to the wall every 3-4'.

I did spray two coats of paints to camouflage the shelving and the struts. They are white when purchased.

Jim, this is amazing..I just went and got my laptop to check out your pictures while I enjoy happy hour on the patio surrounded by the orchid benches. Lucky you to have such big trees so close together ! It's not too shady there for the plants you are growing? Gosh...once you painted the wire shelves..they practically disappear...

Lindsey, I am Ken, not Jim.

Not only is it not too shady (well, maybe it is, but the orchids and other tropical plants seem to adapt ) but I have to strategically hang Spanish moss on the west side of the trees to shade the plants in the trees and on the ground, because a west afternoon exposure is the worst for heat. I have had numerous plants, both orchids and fiddle leafs that have had sunburned leaves because they got a smidgen of that sun when it was the most intense. I have to constantly check from now until mid-summer and reposition that moss as need be. For many, Spanish moss is a nascence, but for me, it affords natural shading.

This is some of the mess in my yard. I had three piles just like this plus the patio loaded with plumeria. I had to remove every single object/plant from all the landscape/tree beds so that cypress mulch could be put down. The mulch was completed yesterday. Fourteen yards. Oh, that's not the reason for the picture. If you look on the right-hand side, you'll see just a bit of the Spanish moss hanging from some westerly branches.

That is so neat Ken!! Btw, I love Spanish moss. Wish we had it here instead of Ball moss, yuck

You should come to my house, Jolana. I have gobs of it hanging everywhere.

Jim

I like what you did Ken. those stags are awesome.

Lots of Spanish moss here, though it shouldn't grow. Watering and fertilizing, along with the rest of my epiphytes, makes the difference.

Thanks, Heath. I have grown, propagated, and made available the bifurcatum for years, but began to grow the 'Neatherlands' subv. approximately three years ago. It grows a bit smaller, a bit slower, and is more cold/drought tolerant than the standard bifurcatum. Now I have some French, Mickey's Rainbow, and Mauna Loa available, all are pups of the "momma" plants that I have grown for seven years. Orchids are still my main interest, but these rarer staghorns are certainly interesting.

Tree houses for plants! Too cool.

Plenty of moss here too. I love it in the trees but when it is blown down, which is often, it makes a mess and gets caught in other plants.

Some of mine get blown down too, Alice. I just pick it up and throw it in whatever hanging basket is handy. Because we get so cold here (20's are pretty common and teens not all that unusual), I have some die-back every year. But enough survives to quickly multiply (with regular watering and fertilizing ). I do drape a lot of it in hanging (orchid) baskets and mounted epiphytes. And since all those overwinter inside, that Spanish moss just grows and grows.

Wow, just found this thread...AWESOME idea Ken! It all looks amazing!

Gotta put them somewhere, Patty. I am sure its been done many times before. I have probably never had an original idea in my life.