I know it isn't hardly as cute as a puppy, but last Christmas time I bought a few things from suncatchers of hilo in hawaii. The tree ferns and coffee seedlings are still alive but the macadamia seedling bit the dust! I bought tree fern crowns that had no fronds, and both of them survived; one I sold to someone at work who really likes unusual plants (though they technically haven't paid me yet) : /
I had interest in tree ferns starting a few years ago when I had seen an australian tree fern somewhere and got the idea of growing one and trying to get a small orchid to grow on the trunk! After reading around about how irritating the scales and fronds can be, I strongly decided against an australian tree fern and started looking for a hawaiian one. They are not irritating and I believe people do eat the heart of hawaiian tree ferns. People did import australian ones in hawaii for landscape purposes but they have escaped and are taking over large areas of hawaii. Maybe the coqui tree frogs will adapt and learn to eat them! The plant is pretty cool with the fern-like fronds, but they can't dry out at all. They are described as growing in the moss in the wettest parts of hawaii which I think is pretty wet!
new frond
I have it in one of my orchid growing spaces that has a humidifier, but it is rapidly getting too large for that space. I have read that people grow tree ferns outdoors in san francisco; I definitely don't have that option here in central ny unless for a few months in the spring/summer. Likely the neighborhood cats and other critters would chew on it anyhow.
I had interest in tree ferns starting a few years ago when I had seen an australian tree fern somewhere and got the idea of growing one and trying to get a small orchid to grow on the trunk! After reading around about how irritating the scales and fronds can be, I strongly decided against an australian tree fern and started looking for a hawaiian one. They are not irritating and I believe people do eat the heart of hawaiian tree ferns. People did import australian ones in hawaii for landscape purposes but they have escaped and are taking over large areas of hawaii. Maybe the coqui tree frogs will adapt and learn to eat them! The plant is pretty cool with the fern-like fronds, but they can't dry out at all. They are described as growing in the moss in the wettest parts of hawaii which I think is pretty wet!
new frond
I have it in one of my orchid growing spaces that has a humidifier, but it is rapidly getting too large for that space. I have read that people grow tree ferns outdoors in san francisco; I definitely don't have that option here in central ny unless for a few months in the spring/summer. Likely the neighborhood cats and other critters would chew on it anyhow.