Fabulous Fronds - The start of our journey

Hillside Exotic Gardening is run by Nicky Fenton & Lewis Barrett in Oxfordshire. It is an exotic / jungle style plant nursery. - 21 August 2026

 

 

Example of a 4ft curved trunk

The start of our journey

We moved to Hillside in 2015 with a blank canvas for a garden. A triple-trunked cordyline was all that was standing, with the perimeter enclosed with leylandii.

The following year the leylandii were chopped to the ground and a 6ft Dicksonia antarctica became the prominent feature, along with several rather pernicious varieties of weeds that flourished with the introduction of light!

Several more tree ferns were added, along with tropical looking perennials, various species of Trachycarpus and a few types of Acer dotted around. We joined an online forum dedicated to growing hardy palms and we were completely hooked. Lewis went on to design the garden, creating beds and us filling them with more specialised palms and plants.

Our attention turned to that of a jungle / tropical theme with a mixture of other plants now being added, such as Hemerocallis (daylilies), Canna, bananas, Colocasia, ferns, Tetrapanax…I had been bitten by the ‘propagating plants’ bug, so we had plenty of stock for the following year. Sorted. Or so we thought…

In the winter of 2022, we experienced the worst possible winter we could have imagined and one we were totally unprepared for. Lows of around -13^oC hit us and 2 weeks of sub-zero temperatures wiped out many of our rarer palms and plants that were just beginning to get established. We were gutted to say the least.

Enter spring 2023. All our Dicksonia antarctica had survived with their additional protection – horticultural fleece in the crown and a good wrap around the top part of the trunk. Naturally, more tree ferns were added to fill the gaps left behind by the more tender palms. To date we now have nearly 40. That same year we decided to start selling these magnificent ferns. It is our passion after all! They werenow arriving by the truck load and plants in general were beginning to take hold of our life.

 

 

Triple trunk known as 'Beefy' 

A brief history of Dicksonia antarctica

Dicksonia antarctica aka Tree Fern / Man Fern / Soft fern is endemic to S.E. Australia and Tasmania. During the 19^th century they were originally used as ballast on UK bound ships, only then to be dumped on the quayside, where workers noticed new growth emerging. Thanks to the mild weather in the South West, tree ferns became quite fashionable, anyone who was anyone in the Victorian era just had to own them!

Dicksonia antarctica hardiness

These beautiful ferns make a great addition to any tropical / jungle garden, and their versatility enables them to be grown in full sun through to full shade and are surprisingly hardy if provided with the correct protection during winter and not allowed to dry out.

Living in rural Oxfordshire we experience relatively harsh winters, as we sit in a real frost pocket, located next to the River Thames. As noted above, our small forest of Dicksonia experienced lows of -13^oC during the winter of 2022/3 with our garden sitting at sub-zero for 2 weeks. We expected several losses, but were pleasantly surprised.

Our UK climate offers tree ferns something they love – humidity and water! The trunk is not a true trunk, but a vertical rhizome made up of roots and old leaf bases. In fact, they will take root wherever they are placed! The internal structure contains a caudex that requires moisture, as well as nutrients, and this must not be allowed to dry out. A lack of water is extremely detrimental to a Dicksonia antarctica and likely one of, if not, the main reasons people lose their fern or experience the crown gradually closing. The UK climate fortunately offers good levels of humidity, especially during winter, so require far less water, but during the warmer, drier months they must have access to adequate moisture and nutrients so watering is essential.

Many people successfully grow them in pots, but it is critical to use as large a pot as possible and always keep the compost moist. When planted in the ground they can draw up the water and nutrients they require (once they have properly rooted). During hot, drier spells it is prudent to water and feed regularly, if rainwater is not available. Water in the crown, to keep the caudex hydrated, as well as the trunk and around the base of the trunk to encourage root growth.

If looked after correctly tree ferns will grow between 2.5 - 5 cm per year on average and produce fronds of up to 2-3 m in length (they will grow longer in shade) and are deciduous to around -5^oC.

 

An example of a double trunk 

Planting out Dicksonia antarctica

Ensure you plant with the crown in a vertical position, else your tree fern will develop a curve in its trunk (think about how some more of the quirky ones have developed over the years).

Dig a hole and add a mix of compost and manure to give the developing roots a good start. If you’re not too concerned over short-term aesthetics, then bury as little of the tree fern as possible and provide it with a good strong stake. After 12-18 months it should have rooted (with adequate watering at the base) and the stake can then be removed. If you want to underplant with other ferns or the like then do so at the same time, else you’ll be unlikely to get a spade through the mass of matted roots that surround your fern!

Ecologically, they are a great host to many insects and spiders!

Here at Hillside we specialise in quirky trunks, as well as standard straight trunks. We stock a wide range of tree ferns from 5L potted, potters (trunks under 1ft), straight trunks, through to curved, double trunked and multi headers.

Happy Growing

Nicky Fenton & Lewis Barrett, Hillside Exotic Gardening stock a wide range of hardy exotics, specialising in tree ferns with a large collection of unique-shaped Dicksonia antarctica, Dicksonia squarrosa, Dicksonia fibrosa and Sphaeropteris (Cyathea) cooperi / cooperi ‘Highland Lace’.

Their growing collection of plants includes a range of ground ferns, Wollemi pine, Trachycarpus, bananas, Colocasia, Canna, Pseudopanax, Tetrapanax, bamboo and various other hardy, half-hardy and tender exotics.

 

Website: https://www.hillsideexoticgardening.co.uk