The Soft Tree Fern, Dicksonia antarctica, is an excellent plant for Australian gardens, especially in shaded and moist gullies.
It is a tall fern that can grow to 10m. It has a think trunk covered with brown aerial rootlets, the crown and top of the trunk are covered with fine dark brown slightly ginger hairs.
The slender fronds with wonderful glossy green, leathery leaflets grow from the top of trunk creating a shady canopy.
The emerging fronds are one of nature's pure delights, reminding us just how ancient these tree ferns are.
This plant makes a great host for epiphytic orchids and other ferns and can also grow well in larger pots or tubs on shady patios to provide a soft green backdrop where other larger plants cannot grow.