Hardy Tropicals UK

Hi I come from Scotland and I am a keen gardener who grows Antartica Dicksonia in my garden and I also recently bought a Chineese fig which I grow as a house plant. I like tropical plants and have liked exotic plants since visiting our capitals Botanical garden in Edinburgh. Our climate in Scotland during the winter months aren't kind to Dicksonia as very cold temperatures in our gardens kill the tree off so I usually pack the crown with lots of straw, wrap the fronds up and also wrap the plant in fleece then finally it's put into a jute sack and tied securely. It seems a lot of trouble to overwinting these trees which I grow in pots but doing this helps the trees go into dormancy and come late spring come back to life. These trees were around during the Jurassic period and this is why I like growing them in my garden, they add a little exoticness to my mixed flower bed.

Hi Molly, and welcome to the forum.

It sounds like you are away from the west coast. I'm on the Thames Estuary, in Kent, and although nowhere near as cold generally as in Scotland, my proximity to the continent means we can get freezes down to -10C, such as in the 'Beast' last year.

My method of protecting Dicksonia antarctica is different. Mine are planted out, as roots are far less likely to get frozen in the ground than in pots. I don't wrap, but instead drape old duvets and fleece over the top. Draping creates an igloo, and traps ground warmth around the Dicksonia antarctica.If it snows it traps even more warmth. Also draping can just be lifted off when the freeze it over. Pic is from 2010 freeze showing Dicksonia antarctica mounds with the ferns safely protected under the snow

Welcome to HTUK, Mollymindy

It might be said exotic plant growers in Scotland are either brave or foolhardy. Well just trawl though the older posts and see how many bravehearts we have on the forum. Their successes are benchmarks for us timid sassenachs in the south

If you can grow it, so can we