Tree fern and friend

Last year we bought a tree fern in a pot for the patio (they’re imported into the UK) – and they’re sold for anything between £20 to £40 “per foot”. I think we paid about £60 for ours. It had a happy summer until the fronds slowly died as it got colder towards the end of the year, until, after the first frost, we wrapped it in winter fleece and it stood looking forlorn and rather ghostly for months. We unwrapped it in late March this year and gave it a haircut (trimmed off the dead leaves). Before long, numerous tightly wrapped spirals re-appeared, that at first resemble little furry creatures curled up in hibernation (the spirals have soft brown hair on their backs). Right now, the fern is once again in full summer glory and casts a lovely shadow over the garden bench. We went on holiday to the Devon coast last May and pinched a shred of a plant that was growing in a crevice on a wall, and planted it in the same pot as the tree fern for company. They are contented companions – the little Devon plant (we have no idea what it is) became established and thrived and has this year rewarded us with a shower of yellow starry flowers.