Product Description

Gardeners who seek an up-to-date, authoritative guide to the wealth of garden-worthy ferns available today will find none better than Sue Olsen. Drawing from four decades of experience as a fern specialist, Olsen leads the reader through every genus with horticultural merit, focusing primarily on the temperate species but also including tropical ones. The remarkably comprehensive plant directory presents succinct descriptions for nearly 1000 ferns from Acrostichum to Woodwardia, with habitat information, cultural recommendations, and help on plant identification. Chapters on the history, cultivation, propagation, and structure of ferns; a series of appendices highlighting plants mostly likely to thrive in various locations throughout the world and in special conditions; and lists (with contact information) of fern societies, places to see ferns, and specialty nurseries provide readers with everything they need to know to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of ferns. This expansive, well-organized reference is enriched with anecdotal insight and lavishly illustrated with 700 photographs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #359351 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 440 pages

From Booklist
Olsen's comprehensive guide describes nearly 1,000 ferns, of which 692 are shown in color photographs. The author presents the fact that ferns grew 345 million years ago, when they were among the dominant plants on the earth. Among other topics, she offers instructions on cultivating ferns in woodland and rock gardens, in containers, on walls, in bogs, and indoors, giving details regarding colors, pests (watch out for aphids), and companion plants. Other chapters deal with propagation and structure. Included are two hardiness-zone maps, a list of award-winning ferns, and a glossary. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Sue Olsen has been studying, photographing, and writing about ferns for more than four decades. Her nursery, Foliage Gardens, has introduced numerous ferns to horticulture. A founding member and first president of the Hardy Fern Foundation, Sue is the editor of the HFF Quarterly. She is a graduate of Cornell University and lives in Bellevue, Washington.

Customer Reviews

Excellent book on garden ferns
Although not comprehensive Sue Olsen's encyclopedia of garden ferns certainly is one of the most complete volumes on this subject. Good descriptions, interesting background information, generally very clear and to the point photography enabling identification of species at first glance.

Excellent .
The photogrsphy is the best I've seen in books about ferns making it easy to use for identifying ferns. The descriptions are thorough and include necessary information for growing most of the ferns.

Good Buy! Best Buy! Must Buy!
Information on the individual ferns are detailed enough for fern selection consideration for your garden. Photos taken are fantastically clear. The only small defect is that commonly used ferns such as Angiopteris and Cyathea cannot be found in this book.