Okay I've decided, my tree fern is going in the ground!

It appears that growing Dicksonia antarctica—a tree fern native to Australia and Tasmania, which is hardy to USDA Zones 9-10, 8 with winter protection—has reached a sort of critical mass here in Portland. If you've visited the BigJohn/Hicks garden either during last June's Study Weekend or online then you know there are some pretty substantial tree ferns growing there.

In fact back when I first visited in 2020 they were already way ahead of the pack, with sizeable trunks and several years growth already behind them.

Pretty fabulous, right? 

Summer of 2024 I visited Jeff Fairchild's garden in NW Portland, and was in awe of his tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) collection, this being the tallest.

To stand under a tree fern is a most magical thing.

Back in 2022 I visited Harry Lander's garden in a suburb of Portland. There were tree ferns...

Also of the Dicksonia antarctica persuasion.

Last summer my friend Heather (who geographically is closer to me than any of these other examples) took the plunge. While you might think the subject of this photo is her dog Bee, it's actually the large Dicksonia antarctica on the left, and a smaller one on the right. They're now planted out in her garden but I haven't been invited over to see them IRL yet (hint).

Thanks to Heather for letting me use her photo

Heather is also where I learned of this method of protecting a tree fern, she picked it up from Jeff Fairchild (whom I mentioned above). You cut up the side of a plastic nursery pot and open it to fit around the trunk of your tree fern, obviously the size of the pot depends on the size of your plant. As your plant's trunk grows taller you'll need to stack the pots. You then fill it will grass clippings, straw, leaves, etc., to act as insulation. Make sure to work in plenty of material at the top of the trunk to keep it from freezing. Simple, right?

Thanks to Heather for letting me use her photo

I bought my first tree fern (also a Dicksonia antarctica) back in 2009, it was our Christmas tree that year. 

The poor thing has been growing on in the same pot ever since. There it is as it currently exists, staged along the fence just behind a stock tank.

It has developed a decent trunk.

I bought a second (much much smaller) Dicksonia antarctica last summer, this one was kind of a rescue as the plant and its roots were falling out of the pot it was in at the nursery. I brought it home and replanted it deeper, then slipped it into a conical metal pot that would hold it upright and let it's roots grow strong. 

I also cut back several misshapen fronds, which was hard to do! It seems to be recovering though. 

So anyway... this has turned into a long and rambling post to simply say that next spring I've decided to put this Dicksonia antarctica, and my older one in the ground. Everyone else is doing it, so why can't I?

Roughly something like where those orange ovals are, photo taken at the end of November, not prime garden viewing time.

Here's the same area in the summertime, much better! I *almost* planted both Dicksonia antarctica in the ground last summer, but things were a little unsettled here at the homestead and there was talk of moving. That talk has been shelved for at least a couple years, so now (or well, spring) seems like the right time to act!

The Bit at the End

Protecting things in the garden is the subject here. Each year I relish the deadpan manner in which  Martha (yes, that Martha) shares how she directs her staff to wrap her boxwood alle in burlap. Now she's back with a post about wrapping her empty containers err, ornamental vessels. Enjoy... Covering Planters with Burlap.

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