Our Dicksonia antarctica tree fern trunks have been potted and nurtured in the nursery and are starting to look pretty special right now. ‘Fronding’ and ready to take pride of place in gardens across the county and beyond, it would be a a great time to snap one up!
We have a wide range of different sizes available – priced at £45 per foot of trunk, up to 5ft sized trunks, and £50 per foot for the really big ones, over 5ft. Don’t forget the measurement also includes the ‘hidden’ trunk within the pot/beneath the ground so a 4ft trunk tree fern won’t be 4ft of ‘visible trunk’ – but nearer 3ft of visible trunk. Do take this into consideration when thinking about the size that would best suit you and your garden – and the fact that they are slow growing, so will take a great deal of time to reach a ‘desired height’ if you purchase one a way off that height.
A little more about these beauties!…
Dicksonia antarctica is an evergreen Australian tree fern with large fronds and a dark brown trunk – slow growing to 3m/10ft or more. It should be planted in a moisture retentive soil in a cool shaded position out of strong winds. It can also be grown in a cool shaded conservatory if preferred.
Larger specimens are able to stand temperatures as low as -10°C but in very cold areas the crown should be protected with a mulch of bracken or straw. In every case, the tree fern should be watered freely, especially in warm weather.
We always advise feeding antarcticas with a high nitrogen liquid feed — on the fronds and trunk of the fern from mid-spring to mid-summer, in order to encourage green frond growth. This is because it is unable to absorb nutrients at the base of the trunk in the same way as the other Dicksonia varieties – it is the top foot of the tree fern that is alive and able to take in all the goodness it requires.
If you’d like to get your hands on one, and live local (TR postcode), you can buy online or pop by the garden centre (now re-opened). If you’re further afield, email [email protected] or call 01736 763880 (9am-5pm) to discuss delivery.
