Plants from down under – Tree Fern

Description – Tree-like fern with a thick mass of roots forming a trunk and dark green fronds up to ten feet long that depend from the crown.

Origin -Tree ferns are one of the oldest plants in the world - native to Australia and Tasmania, and ideal for urban gardens as they are slow growing and may take up to a decade to grow develop a foot in height. When buying new plants, remember that bare rooted tree ferns need to be planted quite shallowly in the ground, four to six inches being adequate. This poses problem with stability, especially for taller specimens and they may need to be wedged with wooden stakes for the first two years until the roots have grown and anchored the plant naturally. Tree ferns should be kept moist during hot dry periods by watering the crown which acts as a reservoir and the trunk. It’s important to both water and feed by spraying the whole stem and crown as these primitive plants absorb their nutrients through the trunk. In addition, you need to protect the crown in winter by removing the fronds after the first frost, then rolling them up into balls and easing them into the crown at the point where the new fronds emerge. These old growths should be removed again in spring as the new growth - some people prefer to use straw or bracken in the crown, pushing it well in, as this has less risk of carrying disease to the heart of the tree. If winters are likely to be extreme, straw or bracken should also packed around the trunk, held in by canes and finished off with two or three layers of bubble-wrap or horticultural fleece. The protection is removed in the spring, usually in late April or early May.

For Decoration - They are perfect for adding drama and style to a semi-shady spot, and will happily grow in any soil as long as the trunk is kept moist.

Australian tree fern photograph by faboo, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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