Mid January Garden

Today (15th Jan) I took delivery of a new compact camera – a Panasonic Lumix FS30. This camera is destined for my daughter’s forthcoming trek over the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The camera joins a growing portfolio of Musa cameras which include a Canon DSLR, a Canon G9 and a Canon D10 (underwater), however,  it was decided that our existing cameras are too valuable to risk on the trek. Armed with this new camera I ventured out into the Musa acres to test it out.

It is a cloudy, windy day and the garden looks rather drab, however, it is quite mild for January at about 9 degrees. At least the evergreen bamboos, Magnolia grandiflora, Cordyline and palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) give some structure to the garden. The Olive Tree (Olea europaea) still retains a good number of its silvery, grey-green leaves, they do not show-up well in the above photo (centre-left) but sparkle at night when lit by the garden spotlights.

 

 

 

The Tree Ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) look very battered by the recent very cold and snowy weather. The one pictured right has a 6ft high trunk, its frost-blackened, broken, dead fronds hang sadly down the sides of the trunk. The crown is stuffed with horticultural fleece in an attempt to give the growing point some protection whilst still allowing air to circulate and thus prevent rot. I’m thinking that I will leave the dead fronds hanging where they are as they might give the trunk some protection against the cold.

 

I do hope it survives and wonder what else this winter will throw at it!

 

 

I’m amazed that most of the succulents seem to have survived, so far. The photo below shows a group of 3 different Echeverias, some Sempervivums and an Aloe, they all seem OK. I cover this group of succulents with just a plastic propagator cover, this keeps the rain off but does next to nothing to protect against the recent sub-zero temperatures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 [There’s a gap here and I can’t get rid of it. Sorry!

Scroll down for more interesting mid-January Musa news]

The photo on the right (taken today) shows a Pachyphytum bracteosum looking quite healthy, I said in a post in early September that I doubted it would survive winter.. Again this plant has just been protected by a piece of plastic and you would think that the moisture in its very succulent leaves would have frozen and burst its skin. Perhaps it has anti-freeze properties waiting to be discovered! Most books give the advice that this Mexican succulent is only hardy down to freezing but one article I read recently did say that it could withstand temperatures down to –4. However, it has been down to –12 in my garden just before Christmas.

 

The Agave also looks to have survived well so far. I should have moved it closer to the warmth of the house but it is a viscous plant and I prefer to not get too close to it!

It just sits there, unprotected, bad-tempered and  threatening! In a beautiful sort of way!

 

 

 

 

The daffodils are continuing to grow in the current mild weather showing the promise of Spring.

Also showing that this camera takes quite good shots even in the low light condition of today.

 

 

 

 

So – The Panasonic FS30 is a great camera for the price (£115) and I think should take some great shots of Morocco and the Atlas Mountains.

I just hope that my daughter gets to go on her trek. I wonder what will be the wider effects of the overthrow of the Tunisian regime will be on Morocco. I applaud the over-throw of the corrupt government of Tunisia and welcome the possibilities that other similar governments in the region may also fall. However, the selfish side of me hopes that my daughter and her school will get their holiday.

Last photo showing this camera’s ability to adapt to changes in lighting. In this case, a photograph inside looking out:

Snowy Night

Temperature down to –7! However, I braved the sub-zero temperature in order to capture some images for this blog. It helps that I have some low-voltage lighting in the garden but still it is a long wait for the exposure time the camera needs in low light. The exposure times were approximately 30 seconds but that seems a very long time when it is so cold outside.

The first image shows the olive tree, Miscanthus and Tree Fern. The tree fern’s snow-covered fronds have produced almost an igloo (see previous post):

The next photo shows the Fascicularia bicolor covered in snow and lit by one of the garden spotlights. I thought it looked very strange but now I think it just looks like a clump of snow-covered grass! Oh well!

Finally, you may have read in this blog about my small, temporary plastic greenhouse – Well, I keep a small frost-guard electric heater going in it (probably costs me a fortune in electric bills), the effect of this is that the snow on its roof gradually melts and forms icicles around the edge of the greenhouse roof. I tried to take a photo of these last night:

Snow on the Dicksonia

 

It’s been very cold for the past week or so and now we’ve got snow. So much snow that I can’t get to work and have to work from home. Although working, I can’t resist the temptation of a wander around the garden. The Tree Ferns fronds are weighed down by snow and have created a sort of white parasol:

I tried taking a photo from inside the Tree Fern parasol:

Frosted Fronds

It has been a very cold night! Down to –6 !

There is no snow here – yet! But it is set to remain very cold for at least the next week. The photograph below shows one of my Tree Ferns with frosted fronds. (Frosted Fronds . . . . .  could be a name for a breakfast cereal). The crown of the Tree Fern has been stuffed with fleece and I hope this will help it survive.

October Night Garden

Fuelled by a pre-dinner gin & tonic and bottle of wine with the boeuf bourguignon – and feeling pleased with earlier completing the erection of the small, temporary, plastic greenhouse – I thought the garden looked quite good, so I stumbled outside to take some photos. The following photos show the Olive Tree, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’ and Tree Fern (Dicksonia antarctica) lit by the garden spotlights. Also there is a rather odd shot of a candle lantern with a gargoyle next to it (sorry about this!).

Early Saturday Sunshine

Twas a cold night but I awoke yesterday to bright sunshine. Looking out of the window I saw the early low sunshine lighting up the flowers of the tall grass – Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’. Its not often that I catch the sunlight coming from this direction so I got-up, got the camera and went out into the chilly dawn dressed only in pyjama trousers.

The photo below is taken from the back-door and shows off the giant reed – Arundo donax – as well as the leaves of all the other plants in this part of the garden:

The next photo shows Arundo donax catching the early sunlight:

The next photo shows the scene that prompted my early morning photographic expedition. It is of the red flowers of the tall grass Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’ with the sun shining through them:

The following 2 photographs again show Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’ but also show the fronds of the Tree Fern – Dicksonia antarctica. This is my tallest Tree Fern at about 6ft high but I have always struggled to get decent photos of it. The direction of the early morning sunlight seems to show-off the fronds very well:

It was good to have the sunshine but the cold night was a taster of the coming autumn and winter. I’m already thinking of my summer holiday next year!!

Miscanthus sinensis 'Malepartus' and Tree Fern (Dicksonia antarctica)

Both the tall grass Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’ and the Tree Fern – Dicksonia antarctica seem to be in their prime right now:

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’ - has just started showing its red flowers. This grass grows to about 2m high and requires very little attention, all that’s usually needed is to cut down the dead stems before new growth comes through each Spring. This year the wet and windy August weather conspired to make the clump loll about in all directions, a loop of string mid-way around the clump did the trick of bringing it back together. Later in the autumn the grass stems will die becoming whitish in colour as will the seed-heads but it remains an architectural plant throughout the winter.

Dicksonia antarctica – Tree Fern – I had some concerns during the hot weather in July that this Tree Fern was too exposed to the sun (since next-door removed a large tree). However, perhaps because of the cool August, it is looking very good and is even putting out some new fronds. I continue to give it daily oceans of water through the crown and blasting the trunk with a strong jet from the hose-pipe. By late Autumn I will stop watering and pack the crown with old dead fronds or fleece ready for winter.

Tree Fern and Poppies from Kevin

Kevin, a regular viewer and contributor to this (great) blog has sent in the above photo of Poppies growing under a Tree Fern, taken last year. I think it qualifies as an 'underplant' photograph. It is also the first post by a guest contributor to this blog.

Tree Fern Clinic

This blog seems to have become a refuge for owners of sickly Tree Ferns . . . not that I mind at all. I can't claim to be any sort of expert in the care of Tree Ferns so I welcome any input from anyone who has some knowledge or just wants to share their experience. I hope to persuade Wendy to become a 'guest blogger' on this site to share her experiences and her witty observations.
Meantime I apologise for posting news and views of my healthy Tree Ferns and for posting articles about non-tree fern stuff.
I hope the people who have posted comments to this site continue to update us on the progress of their Tree Ferns but perhaps also share with us their news on other plants.
I started this blog as a kind of experiment and I need to learn more about running a good blog. But I am really excited that it does seem to be generating an interchange of views and ideas from some very interesting people. Thank you to everyone who has read this blog and particularly to those who have posted comments.

Tree Fern - June 2010

I know a lot of people have lost their tree ferns due to the harsh winter and I really don’t want to seem to be crowing or disrespectful. But, my tree ferns survived and survived better than the winter before last. The photograph below is of my small tree fern taken on Saturday (5th June), it even has a few of last year’s fronds still looking green.

It is over-shadowed by a large bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) which being evergreen perhaps gives the tree fern some protection from the frost. Of course, my tree ferns live in Southeast England (as do I) where perhaps it is warmer. We also live close to the sea so do not get the really low night-time temperatures although a north-easterly or easterly wind straight off the sea is enough to freeze a stoat (stoat?).

Here’s the picture:

Is My Tree Fern Dead?

 

I’m not sure why but most of the traffic to this humble blog seems to come from people who have either lost or think they may have lost their tree fern to the cold winter. I would like to thank those people as without them this blog would not have any readership. The trouble is – I really am no expert on Tree Ferns! I have tried to give as much advice as I can and have sifted through various books of mine to try and be more helpful. The book ‘Garden Ferns’ by Martin Rickard is probably the most informative on the subject. I’ve even looked in some of my old Victorian books on ferns but they have been of little help.

I won’t repeat the information given in my previous posts on the subject of Tree Ferns – you can find this by clicking the ‘tree fern’ label either in the right-hand column or at the foot of this post.

What I will do is copy the comments and replies I have made to people over the past few days in the hope that they may, at least, be of some small help to all the people who access this blog on the subject of dead and dying Tree Ferns.

I’m sorry I can’t be of more assistance – the following are some of the comments and my replies:

Can anyone help me please? I have a 5 ft Dicksonia antarctica and I think its poorly. The ferns / fronds are very small and it looks stunted. Its planted in ericaceous soil in a large tub, and although it got a lot of sun last year it never did well. Is shading that important? Is it a nutritional issue? I feed it with seaweed extract now and again. Is it possible that the sun has just done its damage?
On the plus side, it has sent up 6 new fronds but they are only a foot long. The winter did its best to kill it off but, like Flash Gordon, he's alive.
Please advise. Many thanks,
Jack.
Nr Guildford. Surrey.

Hello Jack

I’m certainly not an expert on Tree Ferns (or anything else really!). I have no experience of growing Tree Ferns in pots but with the help of Martin Rickard’s excellent book: ‘Garden Ferns’, I think your main problem may be that the plant is getting too much sunlight. Martin Rickard says that a Tree Fern in full sunlight will have much shorter fronds. Of course, a tree fern needs its trunk to be kept moist throughout the growing season and this could mean watering the trunk every day and possibly more in hot weather when growing in sunlight. Martin Rickard also advocates the use of a general-purpose fertilizer but I would not think that a seaweed extract fertilizer would do any damage. I use a basic general-purpose liquid fertilizer and the tap water here is very alkaline.

I hope I’ve been of some help. The largest of my tree ferns is now growing in full sunlight since my neighbour felled the tree that used to give it shade. As the tree has only recently been felled, I wait to see what effect it will have on the tree fern, I do know that I will have to water it even more!

Thanks for your post and long live Flash Gordon!

Rob

Anonymous said...

My tree fern is quite moist in the middle with no sign of any fronds could it of died????

19 May 2010 19:53

Hi

I think that may be the case but it is worth waiting a little longer to see for sure. It is always worth protecting the crown with straw over winter, I use old fern fronds.

I hope you tree fern pulls through.

Rob

 

Mary said...

I am mourning my beautiful tree fern as I think it is dead but I am afraid to give up hope! It was absolutely fantastic but last winter was extremely cold (in Ireland - a freak winter) and all the fronds died off. I was hopeful that this spring loads of new fronds would uncoil from the centre and spring up but each day nothing happened. Yesterday, I examined the centre in great detail. It is very moist, smells badly and is crawling with little worms of some sort - it is definitely rotting away in my opinion. The only thing I can think of doing is maybe trying to saw off the top few centimetres as perhaps the rotting material is only in the very top layers and there are perfectly healthy uncoiled fronds below just waiting to escape (unlikely I am sure but still I wonder have I nothing to lose by sawing off a few centimetres). What does anyone think? Likewise I too have searched the web for any help but can't find any specific to my query.

Hi Mary

May I offer my sympathy, the passing of old fronds is always sad. It does sound like your tree fern has expired. You could try removing the rotting part but I’m not sure that would help.

I’m no expert on tree ferns but I have scoured my collection of books on ferns to see if there is anything about resuscitating a tree fern. Martin Rickard in his book ‘Garden Ferns’ writes:

“It seems to me that it is the meristem (the bud tissue in the crown) that is vital for the continued success of the plant, so from late October to mid-April I protect this area of the plant.”

From what Martin says it seems that cutting into or cutting off the meristem would not help.

Sorry I can’t give more joyful advice but thanks for your post and once again my sincere sympathy.

Rob

25 May 2010 09:59

Anonymous said...

I'm in Lancashire and we too had a deeply cold winter with temps as low as -20
Our two tree ferns were well protected- it appears we have lost both of them. The smallest was obvious. It was wet and mushy ontop and smelt bad. The second 5ft high fern started seeping orange slime out of the trunk during early April and it appears the top (although not mushy or rotten) has completely died- all the developing fronds were dry and black.

Hi

I’m sorry about the loss of your tree ferns. Both mine have survived unscathed but last winter (and the one before) was very cold. I live close to the coast in Kent and I don’t think we got temperatures anywhere near those you experienced.

It is interesting what you say about your smallest tree fern. The smaller of my two was badly affected the winter before last. In researching some of the comments I’ve had about the losses through the winter, I noticed that Martin Rickard in his book ‘Garden Ferns’ suggests that shorter tree ferns are less hardy. He bases this on the severe winter in the mid 80’s when he says that none of the plants he saw that were less than 4ft high had survived despite being protected. Of course, the theory is that this is due to temperatures being lower near the ground.

The winter before last caused the coiled fronds in the crown of my smaller tree fern to turn black and die. However, new growth fronds did come through despite the dead coils impeding their progress somewhat. Perhaps there is some hope for your 5ft tree fern? I hope so.

Thanks for your post.

Rob

Tree Ferns - Dicksonia antarctica – May 2010

Both my Tree Ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) have survived the cold winter (so far!). In fact, they have faired better than last year. Last year the small Tree Fern was badly hit by the cold winter but the tall one suffered no ill effects. This time last year I thought I may have lost the small Tree Fern – coiled fronds, like claws that would have been the new growth had died. These dead coils then seemed to block any new growth coming through, I’m pleased to say that the new growth did get past the dead coils but it resulted in a bit of an uneven spread of fronds.

Last winter, I put old dead fronds around the top of the large Tree Fern and stuffed some fleece into the top of the smaller one. This has done the trick and both are now beginning to send up new growth (see photos below). However, it is still very cold and I hope we don’t get a severe frost now!

Some of last year’s fronds have turned black due to frost but I will leave them on the plant for a while longer yet because I have a theory that their weight helps bend their old stems downwards and out of the way from the new growth. This is only a theory!

Anyway . . . Below are a couple of photos of the new fronds emerging this year

Above: New fronds of Dicksonia antarctica

Click on the ‘Dicksonia’ or ‘Tree Fern’ labels for earlier posts.

March Night

March night (15th): The photograph below shows the old dry stems of Miscanthus sinensis 'Malepartus', the Tree Fern: Dicksonia antarctica with in the background Phyllostachys nigra (Black Bamboo) and Aucuba japonica ‘Crotonifolia’.

The weather has, at last, warmed up and now feels like Spring. It is surprising how good this group of plants look despite the cold winter and late Spring.

Miscanthus sinensis 'Malepartus'

I’ve grown this grass for many years now and have to restrict its spread each year. The photo above shows the dead stems and flower heads of last year’s growth. Very soon I will cut down the old dead canes to enable the new growth to come through. But I leave this as late as possible as I rather like the white, almost ghostly dead stuff. In fact, the grass is highlighted by an exterior spotlight and looks good from the windows of the house. When cut-back there will be only a few short weeks when this plant is not earning its keep in the garden. It grows to about 2 metres with a fountain of leaves and produces its flower hears in late summer. The top growth dies with the onset of winter and usually I pull out the dead leaves, partly to stop them falling into the pond below but also to expose the canes.

Dicksonia Antarctica (Tree Fern)

With fronds like these . . . . As the photo above shows, the fronds of this Tree Fern have been scorched by the frosts but I still think it looks good. I’ve stuffed some old dry fronds into the crown of the trunk to give it some protection from the cold – I don’t know yet if this has worked but I’m quietly confident. When new growth resumes (if!), I will probably cut out the fronds killed by the frost and leave any looking healthy.

Background
The Bamboo Phyllostachys nigra and Aucuba japonica ‘Crotonifolia’ are both great ‘all year’ plants and go well with the Tree Fern and Miscanthus. In Spring and Summer they are joined by Hydrangea aspera and various Ferns and Hostas.

Is Your Tree Fern Dead?

I know from my stats page that many people find their way to this blog to seek advice on their Tree Ferns and in particular Dicksonia antarctica. It seems that Tree Ferns all over the UK have suffered due to the very cold winter. The questions people are seeking an answer to include:

• Is my Tree Fern Dead?
• My Tree Fern has no fronds.
• How do I know if my Tree Fern has died?
• My Tree Fern has only a few fronds.
• Why has my Tree Fern not got many fronds?
• Should I cut off dead fronds?

I do not claim to be an expert on Tree Ferns (or anything else for that matter) – so I set off on the Interweb to see if I could find answers to the above questions. I found lots of expert advice on the cultivation of Tree Ferns including how to protect them over winter. But I could not find anything about cold-damaged Tree Ferns or any advice on how to nurture a frost damaged Tree Fern back to life, if indeed, that is possible. For myself, I would like to find advice on what to do about my smaller Tree Fern that has, so far, only put up 2 new fronds this year.

So if there is an expert out there who knows some of these answers please could you use the comments section at the bottom of this posting to share your wisdom.

I have 2 Tree Ferns (Dicksonia antarctica), one 6ft tall and the other 3ft tall. The tallest one is quite exposed to both wind and sunlight and despite losing all its fronds to frost has now put up 20+ new fronds. The shortest one is more sheltered from the wind and sunlight and even has a tall bamboo growing next to it giving increased shelter but this one has only put up 2 new fronds so far this year. Both had some dry leaves and fronds stuffed over their growing point. It seem then that size must be an important factor in getting through a cold winter.

My smallest tree fern, the one in trouble, seems to have either some dead coils of fronds at its heart or somehow the growing area is blocked by the stems of dead fronds. I wonder if some of the cause of my problem is that some of the fronds have been killed by the frost before that were able to naturally bend outwards and downwards away from the centre of the central well of the trunk? I wonder too if dead, embryonic fronds are similarly blocking the central well and stopping the development of new fronds?

I think my non-expert advice for anyone wondering if their Tree fern is dead is:

• To not assume death and continue to keep the trunk moist. Perhaps there is a chance of recovery.
• To not cut off dead fronds unless absolutely sure that there is no life in them.

Sorry that I can’t be of more help but perhaps an expert will give us

some advice.

Technorati Tags: Tree fern,Dicksonia antarctica

Dicksonia antarctica

Dicksonia antarctica
Originally uploaded by emagen

And finally on the subject of ferns, an update on the Tree Ferns.
The Tree Fern in the photo (taken today) is busy making new fronds and influencing people. Despite losing all its fronds in the winter, it has sent out a large number of new ones and looks very happy.
My other, shorter Tree Fern does not look so healthy. I am used to the smaller Tree Fern sending up very large fronds and has always looked very healthy since planted 5 years ago. This year, although also losing all its fronds during the cold winter, I was not worried. Early in the Spring I could feel its coiled fronds within the central well.
But so far it has only sent up 2 new fronds and these seem quite weak, I can feel that there are other fronds ready to go but these feel smaller than usual. It could be due to the cold winter or, I wonder, if it is due to the dry Spring. In the last couple of weeks I've ensured that the trunk is kept moist and hope that this will do the trick.
Judging from the numbers of people finding this blog in answer to a Google search on why their Tree Ferns have died, it seems that this is a problem throughout the UK.
It also seems that the taller your Tree Fern the hardier it will be.

Tree Fern progress

Dicksonia antarctica very much alive.

I’ve noticed from the blog counter data that many people have found this blog as a result of a search on the topic “is my Tree fern dead?”

So this is a photo taken this evening of the new fronds (croziers) on my tall Tree Fern. ( a poor photo).

It has been a cold winter and all the fronds on my Dicksonia’s were killed by the frost. But the tallest Tree Fern is making rapid progress, perhaps too rapid? There seems to be about 30 new fronds coming up and that could mean that each frond will be small or that it is a sign that the whole tree feels threatened and might be on its last legs.

Meanwhile, the small tree fern has only just started to show new growth. I have been keeping the trunks damp by watering them as up until the last few days, it has been very dry weather.

Technorati Tags: Dicksonia antarctica,Tree fern

Phyllostachys nigra with Philadelphus coronarius 'Aureus'

I've been working from home today and its been raining and dull all day. Looking out of the window onto a dark and sodden garden everything looks gloomy. Except, almost as if lit by its own ray of sunshine, the yellow-green leaves of Philadelphus cornarius 'Aureus' really stand out. This shrub, common name Mock Orange, is the yellow (well yellow-green) leaved variety and is at its best in Spring. The leaves are at their brightest and most yellow at this time of year and the beautiful white blossom will soon follow. After the blossom is the best time to prune the shrub as it flowers on the previous year's growth and thus new growth will have a chance to develop over the summer. I actually think Philadelphus looks pretty drab during the summer.

Looking out of the window through the rain at the Philadelphus, I thought the canes of the Black Bamboo contrasted well with the yellow leaves. So I braved the rain to take a photo:

Also in this photo you can see the bare stump of a smallish Tree Fern (Dicksonia antarctica), I'm pleased to say that it is about to unfurl its new fronds.

Ferns

Above: Polystichum polyblepharum (right) and Onoclea sensibilis (left)

It’s been cold and windy for the last few days and looks set to continue like this through the weekend. So far, there is not much sign of new growth in the ferns except for the Tree Ferns where I can feel the coiled fronds amongst the dried leaves etc. that currently fill the funnel at the top of the trunk. The old leaves and old fronds help protect this new growth from frosts.

I grow about 30 different types of ferns and collecting more species and varieties is quite addictive. I even have a collection of books on the subject including some Victorian books written in the heyday of fern collecting mania.

Mostly I grow ferns in the more shady areas of the garden but some species do well and even require

sunnier sites. They mix very well with Hostas and with any large leafed plants including Colocasias where they add to an exotic effect.

Generally the cultivation of ferns is very very easy providing one knows which ones prefer shade, which prefer damp ground and which prefer dry. Tree ferns require a little more attention particularly in keeping their trunks moist during the summer months.

Having learnt my lesson from omitting to keep a record of all the Hosta varieties I have, I’ve gone in the opposite direction and keep a database of all the ferns including their position in the garden. Recording the position of ferns is not really needed for the evergreen varieties but recording the position of the deciduous ones helps to keep me from accidentally digging them up.

Another reason for recording their names is that most have ridiculously long and difficult names to remember  (I think this may be part of their appeal!). And another reason for recording their names and position is that so many look exactly like each other despite being different species etc. There is something about ‘collecting’ which is enjoyable despite the fact that so much of the collection looks the same. I used to collect bus numbers as a child!

Amongst the collection there are some beautiful ferns and particular favourites. Polystichum polyblepharum (Tassel Fern) shown in the photo at the top of this post is one such, the way the fronds ‘fan out’ from the centre of the plant is very attractive. In future posts I will highlight some of my other favourites.

The following is an excerpt from my database and I’d welcome any comments or suggestions for new acquisitions:

Dryopteris	affinis ‘Polydactyla Dadds’	Behind pear tree
Cheilanthes	lanosa	On bank next to Box
Dryopteris	filix-mas (male fern)	Near fence by Fatsia
Matteuccia	struthiopteris (Shuttlecock Fern)	By pond / fence
Athyrium	niponicum ‘Pictum’	In front of bamboo by Cordyline Technorati Tags: Ferns
Blechnum	penna-marina	Under Cordyline
Dropteris	erythrorora	Between Cordyline and bamboo
Osmunda	regalis ‘Purpurascens’	Bottom bed front of Poplar
Polypodium	??	Corner of pond (house,fence)
Polystichum	proliferum	Right of Fatsia by bed edge.
Asplenium	trichomanes, (Maidenhair Spleenwort) x 2	Under sleeper near bench and near Gunnera
Adiantum	venustum, (Himalayan Maidenhair)	Front of pear tree & under tree fern
Polystichum	polyblepharum, (Tassel Fern)	Far side of pond, head of path
Asplenium	?? crested	Next pond
Asplenium	??	In wall crevices
Athyrium	otophorum ‘Okanum’	Behind tree fern & in front of bamboo by pond
Polystichum	tsussimense	Right of tree fern
Athyrium	‘Ghost’	Between black bamboo and tree fern
Dryopteris	affinis, ‘Cristata the King’	Behind black bamboo
Dryopteris	buschiana, (aka crassirhizoma)	Front right of ? bush
Onoclea	sensibilis	Near pond path, next P.Polyblepharum
Dryopteris	wallichiana	Front of ? bush
Athyrium	filix-femina ‘Frizelliae’ (tatting)	Right of Fatsia in front of D. filix-mas
Polystichum	setiferum ‘Plumodensum’
Gymnocarpium	dryopteris ‘Plumosum’	Between Fatsia and end of bed.
Athyrium	filix-femina var. angustatum ‘Lady in Red’	Behind Cordyline
Dicksonia	Antarctica x 2	Can’t miss them!
Polystichum	setiferum, ‘Dahlem’	By fence but presumed dead. Signs of life 27/5/07. Seems OK 4/6/07
Polypodium	vulgare
Adiantum	pedatum, ‘Japonicum’	Missing presumed lost
Cyrtomium	fortunei var. clivicola	Died (by Fatsia)

Technorati Tags: ferns

Tree ferns - Dicksonia antarctica

The photo above shows 2 tree ferns, Dicksonia antarctica, taken last summer. Today the fronds are frost burnt and dead but I'm hoping - no, I'm confident that they have survived and will make new fronds.

I think tree ferns make some of the best architectural features of the garden and do particularly well in shaded areas. They require little maintenance other than frequent watering into the top of the trunk in dry weather. Actually, the watering is quite a chore as on the tallest fern, it requires holding a watering can above your head and letting a slow trickle of water be absorbed into the trunk. A good daily spray of the trunk using a hosepipe is easier and I believe some people use automatic watering gadgets.

The tree ferns make an impressive sight through most of the year. Even now the dead fronds are quite attractive.

I have 2 tree ferns, one has a trunk about 1 metre (3 ft) above ground and the other 2 metres (6.5ft) above ground. Both play their part in the garden but my advice is to buy the length of trunk you want and try not to worry about the cost! My largest tree fern was given to me as a birthday present (by my wife) and probably cost about £150. It was delivered as an 8ft long trunk of about 12 inches diameter and it looked dead. However, once stuck in the ground (no easy task) and watered new fronds started to appear within 2 weeks and after a month had a 'full head' of fronds. Sounds expensive but what other plant gives that immediate impact for the money!! So, if you want a tall tree fern - go for it! It's a good time of year to order one for planting in the next couple of months in the UK.


By the way, there was a frost early this morning but it has been a lovely sunny day and is, I think, getting warmer. The frogs, ducks and other birds have been very active doing Spring-like things. And . . . It's Friday!!!