Australian tree fern

I'm thinking of getting a tree fern, just wondering if anyone as experience of them.
How do you over winter them ?
Is it better to buy a small one or a established one ?

 

Thanks for the advice, I was thinking of getting one as part of my wife's Christmas present, we were in a local garden centre and they had a few for sale, she said she liked them, so I thought thats something different.

 

Careful! I've seen them in garden centres and they were basically unrooted (I've pulled them out of the pots to check). Far better to buy from a specialist (IMO).

 

Could anyone recommend a specialist grower, been looking on ebay at some theres a grower of ferns in Wexford growing them, would sooner select it myself

 

@ARMANDII and @stephenprudence are in your area(ish) and will probably have a better idea.

 

Thanks for the advice, will give them a ring, been to Bridgemere Nurseries a couple of years ago not what I expected.
Was thinking of spending about £50.

 

I got my tree ferns from Seagraves. They have had sales during the winter in previous years, so might be worth waiting until closer to Xmas. I expect it will have to be an IOU though, as they usually are forward selling for new stock that arrives in February - ready for the Spring. You will thus get a "log" that is just off the boat from New Zealand and has the best chance of making a great spectacle in its first year and getting settled in promptly.

http://www.seagravenurseries.co.uk/home/tree-ferns

Note that if you buy one in-stock they will cut its ferns off for shipping (unless you collect it) so that twice it will have had that done - to ship to UK and again to ship to you. personally, I think that's a lot of stress on the plant

 

Tree ferns need a bit on minding in the winter months
To protect from the frosty weather you should:
keep the old fronds in place over the winter
Pack old newspaper into the top of the stem
And if you live anywhere north of London, wrap it up in a frost fleece

In spring you can remove the old frond in time for new shoots to appear.

 

I would not remove them until they are "dead" (or at the very least "dying" if their going yellow offends). Reason being that as they die, and new fronds appear, they will move outwards; whereas if you cut them off earlier they will harden and then not move out of the crown so easily / at all, that then crowds the crown making it more difficult for new fronds to unfurl and can cause the plant to put out fewer fronds as a consequence.

For the same reason it is worth trying to "dome cut" the top of a new "log" that you receive. They will come straight-cut at the top, as that is how they are prepared for export, but that too restricts the space in the crown.

 

Just done mine , I don`t cut my fronds untill May , when the new founds will appear
the secret is to protect the center of the crown with old fronds , palms leaves and so on ....water need to get inside and the plant need water even in winter .....dry plant =dead plant



protect the crown with old cycad and mulching leaves