Tree Ferns (including Dicksonia antarctica) are ferns that have the leaves held away from the ground by a stem. Their architectural beauty made them the plant to have in the 1990's (I wonder how many are still thriving?) despite their elevated price tags.
Tree ferns grow very slowly, about 2cm in height each year, and prefer warm, humid shade conditions.
The trunk of a tree fern is in fact a compressed mass of roots, so it is bendeficial to the plant if this is watered regularly during the summer - the easiest way to do this is by filling the crown until water flows down the trunk.
Most tree ferns originate from tropical forests in New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia, but can be successfully grown outside these climates. They do need winter protection in regions subject to frost - hay in the crown provides the best protection for the emerging fronds.
The success rate when transplanting tree ferns is not always high, and plants should be bought only from reputable suppliers. Many tree ferns sold are in reality the tops of existing tree ferns - these will re-root for certain varieties if they are kept moist.
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