New pet...sorta

No, it's not a dog! But it was my wish to have a tree fern once we came to New Zealand and we're not letting our tiny apartment patio stop us. So here it is, our new pet tree fern...more properly known as Dicksonia squarrosa.


We bought the plant at the supermarket (Pak-N-Save) for $18. I'm sure many people were amused as the thing took up our entire shopping cart. And, it's kinda goofy because as exotic as they seem to Americans, the things grow all over New Zealand and are quite common. Stacey still makes fun of me for taking so many photos of tree ferns (see below) but I just love them and can't get enough. When you are in the bush surrounded by these things it's like being in a primeval, prehistoric world. If / when we buy a home, I am going to plant them all over! For those of you planning a trip here, be warned that I will take you to see tree ferns and probably talk about them at length. When you are tired of hearing about them, please don't hesitate to tell me to shut up.

Talking about tree ferns

Its maori name is Wheki (pronounced "feckie") and the species is Dicksonia squarrosa. The label says the plant can grow to 8 metres tall at a rate of about 10 cm. per year (which is good, because if it grows too fast we are going to have a problem with that patio...). Supposedly it likes shade and moist conditions, so I think the hardest part for us will be remembering to water it.

A handout I did for a Welly Rocks walking tour of
Otari Wilton's Bush Reserve, for those of you who
want to get started learning your NZ native species