8a considering tree fern

[ZPalms]

 

I've been thinking about getting a tree fern, I've seen that Dicksonia Antarctica is the best choice for "cold hardiness," even though I've heard that they can be slow-growing. But that's not really an issue for me; I'd be open to any other tree fern suggestions that may offer faster growth or equivalent cold hardiness. I would protect one regardless. I'm not sure if I need to keep heat tolerance in mind when selecting, but I'd never plant one in full sun in my location anyway.

[John2468]

I think this website should help.

https://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/treeferns/

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

If you want a cold hardy treefern for N.C. Dicksonia A.  is slow but will be your best bet if protected.  It would probably need a winter enclosure or wrap though. They are hard to find. I have seen them for sale one time here.  Cyathea cooperi is faster and easier to find but not cold hardy. It would also need an enclosure or wrap. . Both need moist conditions. I'm not sure if they would like a wrap. If you want a big fern, but it is not a tree fern, then try Matteuccia struthiopteris 'The King'. The King version is supposed to be bigger than the regular type.

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

22 minutes ago, John2468 said:

I think this website should help.

https://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/treeferns/

According to the site you posted a link to, then Cyathea australis is cold hardy here in N.C. I have never seen anyone claim that before but I guess I will order some spores and try it.

[ZPalms]

I had no idea about "The King," but I'd definitely try that along with a tree fern. I wanted a tree fern because of how cool they are, and they're very different from anything anyone could normally see around here. "Cyathea australis" looks very nice. That may be the one I might get if that website is telling the truth! I live on the edge of a swamp with good tree coverage, so moisture wouldn't be a problem, and I think it would work so well down there.

If you buy spores or a plant let me know the seller, I'll try it too!

[ZPalms]

I saw on that website that Cyathea dregei is the most cold hardy but how would you even know if you bought one from any of these sellers that your going to authentically get what you purchased because the website always mentions that most sold in the US are sold as Cyathea cooperi

[Meangreen94z]

Wow, angelfire, that brings back memories. The “last modified” for that page was 2002.😆

[Rivera]

I would take these numbers with a grain of salt. 

I live in San Francisco's fog belt, a pretty ideal environment for many tree ferns aside from the odd gale, and my Sphaeropteris (Cyathea) cooperi was badly bronzed and semi-defoliated following a couple light frosts. Nowhere near killing the plant, but I would consider it somewhat tender. 

Dicksonia antarctica was unharmed.

We're in a 10b zone here with a relatively low day/night temp differential. The rare cold, clear, and still winter night can result in a "super-chilled" layer of air pooling in the lowest part of our backyard, where there really isn't any opportunity for cold air "drainage." 

[ZPalms]

On 11/5/2023 at 11:13 AM, Rivera said:

I would take these numbers with a grain of salt. 

I live in San Francisco's fog belt, a pretty ideal environment for many tree ferns aside from the odd gale, and my Sphaeropteris (Cyathea) cooperi was badly bronzed and semi-defoliated following a couple light frosts. Nowhere near killing the plant, but I would consider it somewhat tender. 

Dicksonia antarctica was unharmed.

We're in a 10b zone here with a relatively low day/night temp differential. The rare cold, clear, and still winter night can result in a "super-chilled" layer of air pooling in the lowest part of our backyard, where there really isn't any opportunity for cold air "drainage." 

Dicksonia antarctica is my best bet I suppose, as long as its forgiving?

[Rivera]

10 hours ago, ZPalms said:

Dicksonia antarctica is my best bet I suppose, as long as its forgiving?

There are some hardy mountain Cyathea (not sure if they're amongst those that have been reassigned to the Sphaeropteris genus), but they'll be harder to find than Dicksonia antarctica.

I'm not really experienced with cold, but you may find this informative:

https://www.desertnorthwest.com/articles/tree_ferns.html

I've often heard Dicksonia antarctica referred to as a slow grower. That hasn't been my experience here, but I suspect it really depends on climate and growing conditions. Slower to put on height isn't bad if you need to protect it anyway, as exposure to temps below mid twenties fahrenheit could be fatal.

Dicksonia antarctica on the right, planted from a 5g about three years ago.

If I were in your shoes, I'd start with Dicksonia antarctica because it's reasonably hardy and easy to find.