Dicksonia antarctica is the most iconic and popular of the large ferns grown in the UK. With an unsurpassed elegance and primordial visual effect, it is a plant of outstanding beauty and has been granted the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Dicksonia antartica develops a stout reddish-brown stem and a terminal rosette of arching, deeply divided, glossy dark green fronds up to 3mtrs. in length. In addition to garden planting, once the stem is around half a meter tall, these ferns can be grown very successfully in pots and containers, as long as you can reproduce the basic requirements, and especially the need for constant moisture. Use a good quality neutral or acid (ericaceous) peat or peat substitute compost. Be very careful with cheap peat free composts that often dry out very quickly. Tree ferns generally require a constant feed of nutrients so please ensure you feed regularly as a hungry plant is a poor performer. We recommend Osmoscote pro 12 - 14 month applied in the early spring as growth begins. One application gives all the nutrients the plant requires for the whole year. Ensure the pot or container is placed in a semi shady location while the plant is young, however as soon as a stem begins to form they can take quite strong sunlight. Keep moist and protect from frost in winter. In a frost proof location with good light, they will continue to grow through winter. Once you have half a meter of stem the the plants are less prone to damage from cold weather.
Please Note: You are buying a Tree Fern in a two litre pot. These plants are between two and three years old and are well established for the pot size. They have just begun producing a trunk. These plants are propagated from spores and are grown here in our Nursery. They are not imported from the wild.
