Hardy exotic

Dicksonia antarctica | Tree Fern

Name: Dicksonia antarctica | Tree Fern
Brand: GrowTropicals
SKU: DICKSONANTAR12
Price: 12.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

£12.99

Hardy in the UKShade-tolerantEvergreenRHS award winner

Pot size

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

Complete the set up

The perfect soil Fern Premium Potting Mix · 2.5L · £4.99

Description

Few plants bring instant drama to a shady corner like the tree fern. Dicksonia antarctica is the hardiest and most popular tree fern in cultivation, prized for its sturdy fibrous trunk and magnificent crown of arching, deeply divided green fronds. A living link to the age of the dinosaurs, it lends a lush, prehistoric, almost rainforest atmosphere to gardens, courtyards and city plots across the UK. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit, a reliable mark of garden-worthiness, and is a cornerstone of any hardy exotic planting scheme.

Why gardeners love it

Bold architectural silhouette that anchors a tropical or jungle-style border
Evergreen fronds up to 2m long radiating from a single woody trunk
Genuinely hardy, thriving outdoors in most of Britain with minimal winter protection
Equally at home in the ground or in a large container

When you buy a tree fern, remember the trunk is the plant's lifeline: it is actually a mass of old leaf bases and roots that drinks in moisture, so water down the trunk as well as into the soil. Choose a sheltered, lightly shaded position away from harsh sun and cold drying winds. Dicksonia antarctica is happy in any reasonable soil, including chalk, clay, loam and sand, as long as it stays moist but well-drained and rich in leaf mould. It tolerates acid, neutral and alkaline conditions alike.

Growth is famously slow, often just a few centimetres of trunk a year, so the specimen you receive will hold its stature for a long time. In cold spells protect the central crown by packing the top with dry straw or horticultural fleece, and wrap the trunk in the harshest winters; gardeners in milder, coastal areas often leave plants unprotected. Established plants shrug off frost down to around -5 to -8C, making this one of the most dependable tree ferns for sale in the UK.

Every tree fern we send out is a healthy, well-rooted specimen, carefully selected and packed to arrive ready to settle straight into your garden or favourite pot.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

Find out more

What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

Best quality plants guaranteed

7 day live arrival guarantee

Delivered to your door with care

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How to care for Dicksonia antarctica | Tree Fern

Give me sun with a little shade and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.

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About Dicksonia antarctica | Tree Fern

Dicksonia antarctica | Tree Fern needs partial shade or full shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −10°C, standing an average UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Shade

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H4): down to around −10°C. Hardy through an average UK winter.

Hardy to around −7 to −10 °C (RHS H4). Protect the crown with straw or fleece in hard winters; in colder gardens grow in a large pot so it can be moved under cover. Read moreShow less

Hardy to around −7 to −10 °C (RHS H4). Protect the crown with straw or fleece in hard winters; in colder gardens grow in a large pot so it can be moved under cover.

Position

Partial shadeFull shadeNorth-facingEast-facingWest-facingSheltered

Partial to full shade, sheltered from cold, drying winds. Read moreShow less

Partial to full shade, sheltered from cold, drying winds.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

Moist, humus-rich, free-draining soil; never let the trunk or crown dry out. Read moreShow less

Moist, humus-rich, free-draining soil; never let the trunk or crown dry out.

Watering

Water the crown and down the trunk regularly in dry spells — tree ferns drink through the trunk. Keep consistently moist while establishing. Read moreShow less

Water the crown and down the trunk regularly in dry spells — tree ferns drink through the trunk. Keep consistently moist while establishing.

Mature size

HeightUp to 3–4 m (slow-growing)

Spread2–4 m

Reaches full size in 20-50 years

Growth habit

Clump-forming

Seasonal colour

SpringSummerAutumnWinterFlowerFoliageBerriesStem

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

Remove fronds only once they have fully browned in spring, leaving the crown untouched. Pack the growing point with straw or fleece for winter.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity to people or pets.

Native range

SE Australia, Tasmania

Family

Dicksoniaceae

Genus

Dicksonia

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dicksonia antarctica hardy enough to survive a UK winter?

Yes, it is one of the hardiest tree ferns and survives most UK winters outdoors once established, tolerating roughly -5 to -8C. In colder or exposed gardens, protect the crown over winter by stuffing the top of the trunk with dry straw or fleece and wrapping the trunk.

Does a tree fern need sun or shade?

It grows best in partial or full shade, ideally in a sheltered spot out of strong sun and drying winds. Deep shade is fine; scorching midday sun can brown the fronds, especially in dry conditions.

How big does Dicksonia antarctica get and how fast?

It is very slow-growing, adding only a few centimetres of trunk height each year, so the size you buy is largely the size you keep for years. Over many decades it can reach 3-5m or more, with a spreading crown of fronds up to 2m across.

Can I grow a tree fern in a pot?

Yes, it does well in a large container of loam-based, free-draining compost, which also makes it easier to move to shelter for winter. Keep the trunk and crown reliably moist in summer and never let a potted plant dry out.

How do I water and care for a tree fern?

Water the trunk itself, not just the soil, as the plant absorbs moisture through the fibrous trunk and crown; keep both damp through the growing season. Remove old or frost-damaged fronds in spring and feed lightly as new fronds unfurl.

Does my plant come with a pot?

Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.

How big will my plant be when it arrives?

Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.

What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?

There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.

What should I do when my plant arrives?

First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.

Will my plant survive being shipped?

Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.

Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Dicksonia antarctica | Tree Fern

£12.99