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Description

Tree ferns have been firm favourites with plant hunters since Victorian times, when they became a symbol of wealth and adventurous travels to Australia. They have retained that wonderful sense of mystique ever since. Now you can grow these surprisingly easy, exotic-looking plants in your own garden too.

Harvested under strict licence from woodland clearance in Australia and Tasmania, these astonishing plants really will delight and amaze. They naturally grow beneath the woodland canopy in shade, so give them a sheltered spot in your garden too. This is a young plant that you can enjoy watching develop and flourish for many years.

It really is remarkable how a Tree Fern develops over time. They are hardy down to -5C in winter, although the fronds will die back. Protect the crown through winter with a layer of straw or horticultural fleece to help keep cold and excess wet out. When it arrives, plant it into a large pot or directly into garden soil. It can take almost 2 years to root in fully, so don't be alarmed by this slow-growing beauty.

Fully deserving of its coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit, you can be confident that this is a proven garden performer, well suited to UK gardeners at every level of experience. Plant it with confidence and enjoy its spectacular architectural presence for many years to come.

Supplied as a young, established plant in a 17cm pot, ready to pot on or plant out.

Top Tips

Do not be tempted to remove the dead and dried leaves as they provide extra protection from freezing in winter and protect the plant from drying winds. In addition, they help keep humidity around the trunk.
Plants grow by about 2.5cm a year so it is best to buy as large a plant as possible if you want an instant effect.

Care Information

Your tree fern will thrive in a sheltered, humid and shaded position, with plenty of room to spread
For best results, plant in humus-rich, neutral to slightly acid soil.

Planting Advice for Dicksonia antarctica

Soak the base of the trunk, then plant just enough of it to ensure that the plant remains stable.
After planting frondless tree ferns, water every day until the foliage starts to emerge.
To encourage rooting, don�t feed the plant during its first year.
Tree ferns can also be grown in pots and should be planted in loam-based ericaceous compost, adding about 20 percent peat-free potting media for additional humus.
Apply a half strength liquid fertiliser once a week during the growing season or add a controlled-release granular fertiliser at the base of the plant in spring.
Top-dress container-grown plants or pot on annually in spring.

Aftercare Advice for your Tree Fern

The trunk and crown of tree ferns will not tolerate drying out, so water regularly to ensure the trunk remains damp, and spray the trunk with water during hot weather (and also during dry conditions in winter).
After the first year of planting, apply a liquid feed such as HSK Specialist Tree Fern Feed, to the fronds and trunk once a month, from mid-spring to mid-summer, when the plant is in growth.
Alternatively, spread controlled-release fertiliser around the base of the plant in spring.
Young plants can be stood outside in the summer but keep out of direct sunlight. Avoid indoor temperatures greater than 32C.

Winter protection

Hardiness tends to increase with the height of the growing point above the ground so young plants with no trunk are not really suitable to overwinter outdoors except in very sheltered sites.
To protect plants growing outdoors to avoid damage to fronds, put a handful of straw in the crown and fold the fronds in on themselves.
Container-grown plants in milder areas should be placed in a sheltered position and the container wrapped in horticultural fleece from late October. More substantial wrapping is needed if you have a more exposed garden.
Remove wrapping in spring, before new fronds come into growth.
In cold gardens tree ferns are best lifted and brought into a conservatory or greenhouse.

Delivery Information

Our experienced team at the nursery will always carefully package and send your plants nursery fresh in the perfect condition to thrive once you receive and plant them. Although most plants are extremely tough and will not be affected by all but the most extreme of weather conditions, we always avoid dispatching the most perishable plants if extreme frosts or heat is forecast. We also avoid dispatching orders over Bank Holiday weekends.

Please allow us 3-5 working days to dispatch your order. If you have ordered a 'pre-order' item, these will be sent out as soon as possible after the quoted dispatch date and we generally ship your entire order with any pre-ordered items. Once your order has been dispatched, we will send you an email with details on how you can track it.

We send most of our orders via a fully tracked courier service with Yodel. We will send you a tracking link as soon as your order has been dispatched. To avoid perishable items being stuck at depots and deteriorating, we will not require a signature on delivery, and we ask out couriers to leave your item in a safe place ad your delivery address.

*Please note, once your item has been delivered, we cannot be held responsible for loss or theft from your delivery address. If you have delivery instruction and require our courier to leave your item in a specific place, please let us know - there is an option to leave a message for the courier at the checkout.

For smaller and single-item orders, we may send these via the post with Royal Mail - Tracking will not be available for orders sent via this method.

**Please note, we cannot guarantee delivery on a certain day or time. Delivery to outlying postcode areas may take 1-2 days longer, dependent on your location.

For all orders, a small delivery fee of £4.99 will be charged or spend over £49.99 for FREE Delivery!

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