Triggered by a timely comment on an earlier post I've decided to do an update on my tree fern growth saga. In previous postings I've catalogued the growth rate of a Dicksonia antarctica tree fern. Bought as a baby fern - no trunk, just a few fronds - in an end of season sale at a local garden centre, it cost me the princely sum of £2 in 2002.
Twenty years on it's grown a little:
It now stands at 60.5in / 154cm of trunk from ground level to the point where the new fronds sprout. I feel that growth is slowing down a little bit as it is now in almost full sun with the attendant risk of drying of the root mass that forms the trunk. Even so, it's added another 7in / 18 cm in three years. It gets no special attention other than watering the trunk in the driest times of the year and removing excess growth of ivy which I allow to provide some insulation against dessication. Using a wide angle lens may exaggerate the perspective a little but it still dominates my little pool garden.
All in all, a good investment!.
A fine specimen. Thank you for the update and I hope you'll post more gardening tidbits. I do wonder whether here in the Midlands DA growth may not be quite as fast as on the milder south coast. I'll let you know in 2042!
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