Dicksonia antarctica: buy a 1ft trunk or potted plant?

[seeyouyesterday]

Okay so I really want to purchase a Dicksonia Antarctica I have wanted one for so long. I have kind of tropical/Jungle theme garden (I claim there are not enough plants, DH says the opposite). While I have the money to buy one now, I’m unsure as to wether to get a trunk one, like a 1ft one (I can’t afford to go too big like 2, 3ft) or a pot one. I know there are very slow growing. Apparently they can take up to 10 years to get to 1ft trunk! I don’t think I will see it in its maturity if I get one in a pot.

If I get a 1ft trunk now, will it get fonds this year? I do want something to give instant impact or rather impact this year, iukwim? I know the ones in a pot will have fonds, it will just take ages to get a trunk on it.

I’ve seen ones on a 5ltr pot for about £79 roughly 80-100cm high, or a 1ft log / trunk for about £99. I would be keeping in in a pot as it grows. What do we think?

The ones in pots might be buried a bit deeper than you expect so could have more a trunk than it first appears. That's often the case with potted specimens of anything really.

Don't know anything about this particular species though.

I’d get a log - you don’t need to bury it - just give it some support, we drove stakes into the ground around it and used straps to hold it in place - it will root from there.

@remotecontrolledphone can a log one stay in a pot - like just get bigger pot as it grows? I don’t have much ground space left, unless I go into the lawn 🤣

I’ve just looked on website (gardening express) & they have a special offer on today only, a 2ft for £89, I’m so tempted. It’s a lot to spend on a plant though so I’m really torn. If I buy one of these I know DH will be like definitely no more plants & I am definitely thinking more plants!!

Sometimes they count the height of the fronds in the 2 ft and it's hard to tell what height the log will be. If it's a 2 ft log it's very cheap. I think they can stay in a pot - the biggest issue is the watering - I have mine on an automatic timer.

I would really advise you to do some research on Gardening Express before buying from them. I’m one of the many people who received the wrong plants, and diseased plants, from them. They are not a reputable outfit, their customer service is non existent, and they will just ignore any request for a refund.

There are so many good online nurseries, please do not give your business to those guys.

For instance you could buy from Big Plant Nursery, or join their waiting list for the size fern you want. https://www.bigplantnursery.co.uk/shop/plants/ferns-and-tree-ferns/dicksonia-antarctica/

To note, I don’t work for them! But I’ve been buying from them for a few years, they are very reliable and clearly care about their plants and customers. Very healthy plants, carefully packaged.

As an example, three years ago I bought three identical-sized palms (trachys) - two from GE, one from B&Q. The B&Q one was much cheaper, and is now fully twice the size and height of the GE ones. They are just a cowboy outfit who reel customers in with their constant web sales. But, I’m guessing, very few repeat customers.

Go as big as you can amd shop around. Big plant nurseryhave a good reputation. The smaller ones will take decades to grow and are not very hardy. Ours was a very bargain 3ft one, but the nursery went bust the same year, so I can't recommend them.

@Koulibiak - thank you for the tip reg GE, I’m glad now I haven’t placed an order! It will take me around a week or two - if I’m spending this amount of money on one plant, I have to be sure!

I’m sure I’ve ordered from Big Plant Nursery before, name rings a bell. The Palm Company also does them. Perhaps I’ll hang on for a bit & like @HarryVanderspeigle says, try & go as big as I can afford but not huge, the smaller ones look cute I think.

@seeyouyesterday I am not an expert on tree ferns but the advice I always see given is to buy the size you ultimately want (or nearest you can afford) as they take so long to grow.

Having said that, even the most modest of trunks looks fab and the juvenile ferns with no trunk still have very impressive fronds.

I bought a 1.5ft and a 2ft log last year, they arrived mid April. It was tense waiting for the fronds to emerge but they did and have stayed green over winter. I'm now looking forward to the next flush but no sign of that yet.

I also have a juvenile Dickinsonia Antarctica which looks great, no discernible trunk but distinct crowns (it's a double) and big fronds, I've had that a couple of years.

I would say get a log, even if its just small, in a pot it would look bigger. I haven't used GE and have heard lots of negatives, though some are lucky. I suspect I bought mine from the same place as a pp as they have now gone bust.

My juvenile was from hillside exotic gardening and it was great value and big, they also sell trunks, great company I would recommend. The palm tree company seem reasonable prices and will ship with fronds if they have them at time of purchase. I also second Big Plant Nursery as a fab seller, not had any tree ferns from them but lots of other stuff, all excellent.

My local B&M garden centre has small juveniles for £6.50 at the moment, might be worth grabbing one if you have a store nearby. I might have accidentally bought a couple myself!

I am expert at sneaking plants past my DH, we have similar views on quantity of plants. I find that if I can get them to the garden without him seeing, its a good few weeks before he notices and I can normally get away with saying that I've had it for ages. Might be more tricky with a tree fern, though.

I've a 5ft and a 3 ft - the juvenile didn't survive the summer!!! Seriously consider the watering situation - they need it daily and it's a hard thing to be consistent on.

Thank you all for your replies & tips.
had a look on the hillside exotic gardening website - could spend lots on there, in my dreams!

I look at my garden & it looks empty 😟 I hate winter! Can’t wait for the weather to get warmer, when things finally begin to happen, Hostas come through, their leaves shoot up, acers leaves come through. I did actually unwrap my banana plants the other day, I know it’s quite early - but they kind of started doing it themselves! I have re-wrapped them with some fleece though to give them a bit of protection for the next couple of weeks, seeing as it’s felt so cold lately.

I have been kicking myself though about my fatsia japonica. It was massive. And I destroyed it. I removed a large bulk of the leaves from the lower part towards the top. I was only intending to get rid of the bad leaves & just kept hacking. Ffs, I don’t know why I did it.

@PsychedlicSally yes I try to do that too, sneak in a plant & when DH asks a week or so later ‘what’s that?’ I say oh we’ve had it ages or I managed to split it 🤣 but yeah I won’t be able to sneak a fern tree in!

So I have my DA! There was no sneaking that past DH 🤣

Anyway, it’s in a big pot, I’m thinking it looks ok. I don’t know if I’m worrying prematurely here, but I can’t see any croziers or fizzleheads (if that’s what you call them) any wear in the crown, it has a few old fronds on but I can’t see anything new developing - it that worrying or completely normal? My other ferns in the garden are all starting to curl, albeit they aren’t DAs. I am watering it directly into the crown as advised. Add some pics, what do we think?