8 tree ferns to grow in a pot or in the garden

The tree ferns They are one of the most surprising plants in the world: their trunk is more or less thin, but their leaves can easily exceed two meters in length. From a distance, they look like palm trees, although there is nothing to be confused about as they have nothing in common (palms are angiosperm plants, and ferns are gymnosperms).

These plants are also much older; moreover, fossils of about 420 million years have been found. They do not produce flowers, but that has not stopped them from being one of the most beloved plant beings in gardens, patios and terraces. Next I will introduce you to the most popular species.

What are ferns?

A fern is a gymnosperm plant characterized by having large fronds (leaves), usually pinnate, usually greenish in color. They may or may not have a stem that serves as a trunk, which is formed by a rhizome of roots. They reproduce by spores, which are produced in the sporophylls, and these are found on the underside of the pinnae, and they look like this:

Where they live?

The ferns they live in shady and humid regions of the world. However, the vast majority of tree ferns only grow in those that are temperate or warm (including tropical).

Types of tree ferns for the garden or pot

Blechnum humps

Known as blecno or strong fern, it is a fern native to New Caledonia characterized by having a very dense crown, composed of 3-4 meter long green fronds. Its trunk is short, up to 1 meter high for about 20 centimeters thick.

Its cultivation is quite simple: it requires a fertile, humid soil (do not let it dry out completely in summer), and as if that were not enough, it resists both weak frosts (down to -3ºC) and high temperatures (38ºC).

Cyathea Australis

Known as a rough tree fern, it is a plant native to southeastern Queensland, New South Wales, and southern Victoria in Australia. It can reach 12 meters in heightrarely 20 meters, with a trunk thickness of about 30cm. The leaves are long, 4 to 6 meters long, the upper surface is dark green and the underside pale green.

It is grown both in gardens and in pots, with fertile and well-drained soils. The frequency of irrigation must be high, since it does not withstand drought. On the other hand, it does bear weak frosts down to -3ºC if they are punctual and of short duration.

Cyathea arborea

Known as giant fern or shrimp stick, it is a fern native to the Antilles that can reach 9 meters in heightwith a thin trunk between 7 and 13cm thick. The fronds reach a length of up to 4 meters, and are green.

Due to its origin, its cultivation is delicate. Live outdoors only in humid tropical climates, without frost. It can also be kept indoors, for example in an interior patio, protected from the sun. It requires very frequent waterings.

cyathea cooperi

Known as Queensland Tree Fern, Australian Tree Fern, Lace Tree Fern, Scaly Tree Fern, or Cooper Tree Fern, it is a native Australian plant. It grows up to 15 meters in heightwith a trunk thickness of up to 30cm. Its fronds are green, with a length of 4-6 meters long.

It can be grown in semi-shade both in gardens with fertile soil and in large pots in temperate climates. It resists frosts of up to -4ºC if they are punctual and of short duration. Keep in mind that at these temperatures it can lose foliage, but it recovers well in spring. High temperatures (30, 35 or even 38ºC) do not affect you if you have humid soil.

Cyathea dealbata

Known as the silver fern tree, silver fern, kaponga, or pong, it is an endemic plant to New Zealand. It can exceed 10 meters in heightwith a dense crown composed of fronds 4 meters long, white or silver on the underside. Its trunk does not exceed 30 centimeters.

The care he requires is similar to that of his sister c. cooper: fertile soil or substrate, frequent watering, and being in an area where the climate is temperate. It resists weak frosts down to -2ºC, although it prefers not to drop below 0º.

Cyathea medullaris

Known as the black fern tree, it is endemic to New Zealand. Grows to a height of 6-7 meterswith a totally black trunk that does not thicken more than 35cm. Its fronds or leaves measure up to 5 meters.

It is a relatively easy plant to care for, which requires warm-temperate climates, frequent waterings, and a soil rich in organic matter.

dicksonia antarctica (now Antarctic Balantium)

Known as Dicksonia, it is a fern native to Australia, specifically New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria. It can reach 15 meters in heightalthough the normal thing is that they do not exceed 5 meters. Its trunk thickens about 30cm, and is crowned with very long fronds of 4 to 6 meters.

It is common to find it in temperate gardens, with mild climates (with maximums of up to 30ºC) and humid. It requires a soil rich in organic matter, and frequent watering. Its cultivation in the Mediterranean is not recommended due to the low tolerance to extreme temperatures (of a minimum of 35-38ºC) that it has. Otherwise, it resists frosts down to -5ºC.

Fibrous dicksonia

Known as the golden fern, it is a fern native to New Zealand that reaches 6 meters in heightwith a trunk thickness of 30cm. The fronds or leaves are 3 to 4 meters long, so it is undoubtedly one of the smallest tree ferns.

Its cultivation consists of having it in fertile, well-drained, and humid lands. Irrigation must be frequent. It resists weak and occasional frosts of up to -2ºC.

How to grow tree ferns?

Tree ferns are plants that, although there are many different species, all require more or less the same care. This means that if you buy for example a Blechnum and later get a Cyathea, I am almost 100% sure that both will be precious if you take care of them in this way:

• Location:
  • Outside: place it in a bright area, but protected from direct sun. Ideally, put it in the shade of a large tree – and with a wide crown – or under a shading net.
  • Interior: the room must be bright, without drafts.
• Irrigation: frequent, especially in summer. You have to keep the soil moist except in winter or if you have it indoors, when it is better to let it dry out a bit. Use lime-free water if possible, and don’t wet the leaves.
• Subscriber: in spring and summer with organic fertilizers, such as guano (on sale here!).
• Planting or transplanting time: in spring, when the minimum temperature rises above 15ºC.
• Plagues and diseases: they are very resistant. But you have to control the risks, and if the environment is very dry and hot, at mealybugs.
• Multiplication: by spores in spring, which have to be kept in a seedbed near a heat source.

Where to buy tree ferns?

These plants are usually sold in nurseries, but from my own experience I recommend that you search the Internet for nurseries or online stores that are producers and that are dedicated to selling.

Be very careful when buying large specimens, as they may have been illegally stolen from their respective habitats. To avoid taking risks, always look for small specimens, without a trunk, since this way you make sure that these seedlings have been obtained by spores.

And with this we are done. Which of the tree ferns you have seen did you like the most?