Real World Gardener GROW Soft Tree Ferns in Plant of the Week

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PLANT OF THE WEEK

SOFT TREE FERN Dicksonia antartctica

Dicksonia Antarctica is a statement tree which will create a dramatic sense to any garden.

Easily established and maintained, this evergreen tree is guaranteed to intensify your garden.

Let’s find out. I'm talking with the plant panel, Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal

 

www.hortjournal.com.au  and Jeremy Critchley, The Green Gallery wholesale nursery owner. www.thegreengallery.com.au

 

Soft tree ferns live in moist areas with high water content in wet sclerophyll forests, along creek beds, in gullies and occasionally at high altitudes in cloud forests

 

Dicksonia tree ferns can grow up to 15m in height; it has large dark green roughly textured fronds in a spreading canopy of up to 6m in diameter.

 

They have an erect rhizome forming a trunk. They are very hairy at the base of the stipe. (trunk). The "trunk" of this fern is the decaying remains of earlier growth of the plant and forms a medium through which the roots grow

Fast Fact:

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know that the soft tree fern doesn’t reach maturity until it’s 23 years old?

 

A lot of places just name this tree fern but you mightn’t want the taller growing coin spot tree fern.

Look for Soft tree fern or Dicksonia Antarctica on the label.