How to grow tree ferns

Tree ferns are dramatic architectural plants, making striking plants for a sheltered, shady garden. At home in the ground or as part of a container display, they just take a little care to get them through the winter and some watering to prevent them drying out.

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Quick facts

Plant in a sheltered north or east position in spring
Plant in soil improved with garden compost, ideally neutral to acidic
Keep the trunk and crown well watered throughout growing season
In winter, protect the crown with straw, bracken, or its own fronds

All you need to know

Before you get started

Make sure you can provide the right conditions for a tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica AGM):

Tree ferns thrive in a humid and shaded position
They will not tolerate temperatures below -5°C
Allow room for your tree fern to spread. Fronds on mature specimens may reach 2m (6ft) or more in length
Plant in a humus-rich, neutral to slightly acidic soil
Choose a fern with a length of trunk that suits your planting scheme from the start; tree ferns only grow about 2.5cm (1in) a year
If you are buying a young tree fern without a trunk, make sure you are able to overwinter it in frost-free conditions

Buying a tree fern

Tree ferns are available in a couple of different forms:

As a frondless trunk (overwinter in frost-free conditions)
In full leaf with a trunk
As a young plant with no trunk

Go for instant impact from the start

If you want a plant for immediate effect, choose a fern with a length of trunk that suits your planting scheme. Tree ferns are only grow by about 2.5cm (1in) a year.

Where to buy

You can visit specimen nurseries found online, use our Plant Finder tool, or consider choosing one at an RHS flower show e.g. Hampton Court.

Planting

Prepare the planting area by digging in plenty of well-rotted manure. Plant your tree fern at the same level as it was in the container.

Planting a tree fern ‘log’

Soak the base, and plant just enough of the trunk to ensure that the plant remains stable.

After planting, water frondless tree ferns every day (unless there is high rainfall) until the foliage starts to emerge.

Growing tree ferns in containers

Plant in peat-free ericaceous compost and place in bright, filtered light. You can grow tree ferns in a large greenhouse or conservatory as long as they are shaded, humid and well ventilated. Avoid indoor temperatures greater than 32°C (90°F).

You can stand young plants outside in the summer, but keep them out of direct sunlight.

Container maintenance

Ongoing care

Top-dress container-grown plants or pot on annually in spring.
Young tree ferns may be stood outside in the summer, but keep them out of direct sunlight.

Watering and feeding

Water tree ferns regularly to ensure the trunk remains damp, and spray the trunk with water during hot weather (and during dry conditions in winter).

After the first year of planting, apply a liquid feed (diluted as directed by the manufacturer) 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 at the rate recommended by the manufacturer.

Fertilisers

Winter protection

Tree ferns are not fully hardy, so be ready to take steps to protect them. Hardiness tends to increase with the height of the growing point above the ground. 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.

Place container-grown plants in a sheltered position and bring into a conservatory or greenhouse.

Overwintering plants in conservatories

Overwintering tender plants: wrapping

Propagating

You can try to propagate tree ferns from spores found on the underside of their leaves. However, they do not always produce these in the UK climate.

The easiest way to propagate tree ferns is from offsets. These are young plants that develop from the roots or trunk. Offsets develop slowly, so leave them to grow on until they can be easily handled. Then do the following:

Sever the offsets cleanly from the parent trunk or roots
Pot them up in loam-based peat-free ericaceous compost, just deep enough so that they sit upright
Water them in, and place the pot in a propagator at 15-20°C (59-68°F) in bright but filtered light
Once new growth shows, start to harden them off to outdoor conditions

Hardening off tender plants

Problems

Tree ferns are usually trouble-free, but may be affected by cold weather and frost damage, woodlice living off decaying organic matter in the stems, and red spider mite, which can be a particular problem for plants kept under cover in glasshouses and conservatories.

While we think all this information will be helpful to you, we always recommend to read the instruction labels on your plants.

More about tree ferns

Information on the genus Dicksonia

More about tree ferns

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