Surprising Survivors Part 6 -The Tree Fern

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Our tree ferns sit under a canopy of yews, which give them protection, much as the eucalyptus trees would protect tree ferns in their native New Zealand. We never wrap them in winter because the fronds look good all winter long and it would be a shame to make them ugly with wrapping, especially as they are close to the house and we see them every day. Last winter, for the first time, the fronds were hit by the frost and snow and turned brown long before any new fronds emerged. Some of the tree ferns were so battered that they didn’t get round to producing any new fronds until mid-July. It’s a good lesson never to give up on a plant. 

I remember hearing a questioner on Gardener’s Question Time asking what to do about a tree fern which hadn’t produced any fronds- and they were  told, with great authority, that if it was still dormant by the beginning of July they should throw it on the skip. Bad advice. Tree ferns can remain dormant for more than one season. I have a 12 foot tree fern in the Orangery which I bought for next to nothing as a dead log and after a little mollycoddling it sprang back into life.

The above picture was taken today; the one below on 20th December last.