The Plant Lover’s Guide to Ferns

Contributors

By Richie Steffen

By Sue Olsen

On Sale
Apr 8, 2015
Page Count
252 pages
Publisher
Timber Press
ISBN-13
9781604694741

Ferns are easy to grow and readily available in big box stores, garden centers, and mail-order nurseries, making them a popular ornamental among new and advanced gardeners. Perfect for containers, borders, layered gardens, foliage accents, and shady areas, ferns come in a range of colors and varieties. The Plant Lover’s Guide to Ferns, by fern enthusiasts Richie Steffen and Sue Olsen, is packed with information on these reliable plants. The book includes profiles for 134 plants, with information on growth and propagation, advice on using ferns in garden design, and lists of where to buy the plants and where to view them in public gardens.

  • “Sure to get you down on your hands and knees.” I>New York Times Book Review  

    “Their abundant expertise is evident in the detailed descriptions…visually, the book is stunning.” I>Garden Design

    “All the knowledge these two fern fanciers accumulated over their years of study are beautifully presented in The Plant Lover’s Guide to Ferns.” I>Seattle Times 

    “This slim volume offers the pteridomaniac just the right amount of inspiration and information to keep them on track.” I>Pacific Horticulture

    “If you live in Western Washington and you like plants, you need this book. . . . I am so inspired that I intend to fill a single large container with my favorite fern—as soon as I can decide which fern in this book is my favorite.” I>The Daily News

    “Don’t dare open this book unless you are ready to fall in love…Steffen and Olsen have produced a lush, user-friendly book, replete with obvious expertise and a shared love for their subject.” I>Hardy Fern Foundation Quarterly

    “This is a book that is not just for fern lovers, but also for those who want to use the rich tapestry of foliage, color, and texture of ferns to great effect in the garden.”
    Pteridologist Review 

Formats and Prices

Price

$30.00

Price

$39.00 CAD

Format

Hardcover

Format:

Hardcover $30.00 $39.00 CAD

Richie Steffen

About the Author

Richie Steffen is curator of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle, Washington where he oversees development, manages the special collections, and oversees greatplantpicks.org. He travels extensively to collect plants and visit gardens, and regularly lectures and writes. Steffen also serves as president of the Northwest Horticultural Society and the Hardy Fern Foundation.

Sue Olsen developed a love of ferns in the late 1960s and has been studying, propagating, and writing about them ever since. Her fern nursery, Foliage Gardens, has introduced numerous ferns to North American horticulture and is the oldest mail-order nursery in the United States for spore-grown temperate ferns. Sue was a founding member and first president of the Hardy Fern Foundation, and has served since then as editor of Hardy Fern? Quarterly. Her interest and joy in photography date back to childhood and the gift of a simple box camera. She has shared her photos and plant knowledge in lectures in England and throughout North America. Sue is a graduate of Cornell University.

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Sue Olsen

About the Author

Sue Olsen developed a love of ferns in the late 1960s and has been studying, propagating, and writing about them ever since. Her fern nursery, Foliage Gardens, has introduced numerous ferns to North American horticulture and is the oldest mail-order nursery in the United States for spore-grown temperate ferns. Sue was a founding member and first president of the Hardy Fern Foundation, and has served since then as editor of Hardy Fern? Quarterly. Her interest and joy in photography date back to childhood and the gift of a simple box camera. She has shared her photos and plant knowledge in lectures in England and throughout North America. Sue is a graduate of Cornell University.

Learn more about this author