Monty Don's tree ferns are a clever way to transform a tricky shady garden – and the lush foliage creates a natural privacy screen

Monty Don’s Instagram page is always teeming with gardening inspiration, and this week, I was blown away by his tree fern corner.

Monty’s snap is captioned ‘Dicksonia corner’, showcasing the huge, feathery fronds of tree ferns in what appears to be a shadier area of his garden. Tree ferns, or Dicksonia, are hardy, architectural plants – and although they feel most at home in the shade, they look like they belong in a tropical jungle. They aren't the lowest-maintenance ferns out there, but with enough water, they look after themselves perfectly well in a garden border.

If you’re hoping to fill a darker corner of the garden with abundant foliage, tree ferns might be the way forward. Here’s a little bit more about them.

If you’re looking for shade-loving perennials, you don’t have to settle for smaller varieties. Tree ferns can grow as huge as they sound, but those huge fronds have their merits in the garden – especially if you’re hoping to curate a lush planting scheme.

‘Tree ferns bring a lushness and scale that few other plants can match, especially in shadier corners where most flowering plants struggle,’ says Gary Farrell, designer and founder of luxury outdoor furniture brand Nth Degree.

‘Their broad, architectural fronds create a sense of drama and depth, and because they thrive in the dappled light that many UK gardens have, they tend to outperform sun-loving alternatives.’

You can order a Tree Fern ‘Dicksonia Antarctica’ Log from YouGarden, which comes with a specialist tree fern feed. According to YouGarden, new fronds will unfurl within weeks!

Monty’s Dicksonia corner features tree ferns of varying heights, creating layered planting and plenty of texture. I’ll be taking a leaf out of his book if I ever decide to create a 3D effect in a shady garden border.

Gardeners often use tree ferns as part of their garden screening ideas, thanks to their fan-like foliage. Plus, they’re hardy down to -5 degrees Celsius, which means they’re evergreen in milder parts of the UK. That way, they’ll retain their foliage (and screening ability) all year round.

The only downside? Tree ferns prefer soil that's consistently moist – so they’re best suited to borders, and it’s worth mulching around the base of the plant to conserve as much soil moisture as possible.

Try something like RocketGro Peat Free Organic Magic Mulch from Amazon, which suppresses weeds and enriches the soil with nutrients at the same time.

What you'll need

Monty Don's tree ferns have inspired me to go bigger and bolder with shady garden borders and corners. They're ideal for UK gardens that need uplifting.