Tree ferns

These tree ferns are Dicksonia antarctica, from SE Australia and Tasmania. We originally bought imported trunks, but there are now serious questions being raised about the ethics of harvesting these ferns in the wild. We're fortunate in that our tree ferns are growing crazily from spores - you might spot some young plants growing along the edge of the path, lower left - and if they all survive we'll be inundated!

They're reasonably hardy and don't lose their fronds in winter at Arduaine, but in colder areas it pays to insulate the crowns in cold weather.