Book Description
Timber Press is proud to add John Mickel's classic Ferns for American Gardens to its catalog. Unusual in its specific focus on cold-hardy ferns, the volume is based on Mickel's personal experience as a scientist and curator of ferns at the New York Botanical Garden as well as his years as a home gardener. The bulk of the book is an encyclopedic treatment of more than 400 kinds of ferns with 360 color photos in addition to numerous black and white images. Useful appendices, including updated source lists, make it clear why the American Horticultural Society chose this book as one of its 75 Great American Garden Books.
Customer Reviews:
Ferns for American Gardens.......2007-09-11
This book has a tremendous amount of information concerning ferns in America.
It is certainly well worth the sixteen dollars I paid for it. It contains a guide for flowering plants that you can partner with ferns. It gives descriptions of the flowering plants as well as their periods of bloom.
Also, in the back of the book is a glossary of terms which is very helpful and an index of common names.
If you need to identify a type of fern, this is the book to use. The pictures are very good and the descriptions are concise. Scientific names as well as common names are given. Propagating ferns is discussed as well as pests and hardiness zones. A list of mail order sources for hardy ferns is listed at the back of the book. Lots of information is given throughout. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about or grow ferns.
"Fernishing" information.......2007-02-25
In this excellent book Mickel furnishes an enormous amount of information about ferns without becoming pedantic or over-bearing. It is reflective of the author's life passion and years of hands-on gardening experience with these plants. The book is nicely organized so that a neophyte such as myself can reference it easily yet it provides enough in-depth information to satisfy the more advanced "fern-aholic". There are great sections on each species detailing origin, ease of cultivation and habit. Although one can tell Mickel never met a fern he didn't like, he makes it engagingly obvious in some cases which are his favorites and why. There is a great section on Matteuccia struthiopteris(ostrich fern) which includes a recipe for preparing and cooking the fiddleheads. Differing from the cook's point of view, the gardener steps in to assure us that cutting the fiddleheads brings no lasting damage to the fern! In another section on the Himalayan maidenhair fern he shares his delight in the accidental discovery that this species is adaptable to indoor cultivation.
The general information on fern structure and reproduction is concise and easily understood. There are a host of new terms in Fern World to be grasped, such as crosier, sori and rachis but Mickel makes them all comprehensible. Gardening with ferns, their prefered habitats, companion plants and even propagation are addressed as this is far more than a field identification book. There are an assortment of good line drawings and small color photographs of the individual fern species, but if this book has a weakness I would say that the photos are undersized and there are not enough of them. However, this is not an opulent coffee-table book but a good solid reference book which is easy to use and full of helpful, practical information for the fern-garderner at what ever level. I still rate it as a solid five star garden book.
Review of Ferns for American Gardens.......2006-11-06
This book has excellent illustrations of a variety of ferns with an description of each. Well worth having for anyone interested in a fern garden.
In depth but not a field guide.......2005-11-14
This book contains descriptions of a very large number (over 500) of ferns organized by genera and focusing on North American species. The horticultural information goes fairly deep and appears to be very sound. Cultural information is provided for most species. If you are an amateur gardener, this is a good reference for ferns already in your garden and ones you are considering obtaining from local nurseries or from catalogs. Be advised, however, that the book is not a field guide. Although there are many color photos, not all ferns are illustrated. If you are seeking to identify ferns in the garden or the wild, there may be other books that would better serve this purpose.
ferns for everyone.......2004-06-18
I love ferns and this is a great book full of usful info on where the plant comes from and how to grow them. The intro sections of the ferns are great, giving general info on the genus. The Photos are just fantastic and not just few but tons of them. Most of the entries have a little cheat sheet that gives the basics on every plant before the description. I especially liked the availability entry. It was all good and it felt easy to read. If I saw a fern in a book or store I could look it up and see if I should get it. A great job.
Book Description
Longwood Gardens of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, enjoys a long and distinguished tradition of plant exploration and introduction, dating back to the foundation of its arboretum in 1798. Since the 1950s, 50 such plant-hunting expeditions have taken place on six continents and in some 50 countries. These quests are the subject of Plant Exploration for Longwood Gardens, which tells the stories of the people who participated in what were often arduous but always stimulating adventures and the plants they brought back. Illustrated with 500 photographs, this book provides a complete account of these journeys to the far corners of the world and is sure to be a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of plant exploration and introduction.
Book Description
A Natural History of Ferns is an entertaining and informative look at why ferns and their relatives are unique among plants. Ferns live in habitats from the tropics to polar latitudes, and unlike seed plants, which endow each seed with the resources to help their offspring, ferns reproduce by minute spores. There are floating ferns, ferns that climb or live on trees, and ferns that are trees. There are poisonous ferns, iridescent ferns, and resurrection ferns that survive desert heat and drought. The relations of ferns and people are equally varied. Moran sheds light on Robinson Crusoe's ferns, the role of ferns in movies, and how ferns get their names. A Natural History of Ferns provides just what is needed for those who wish to grow ferns or observe them in their habitats with greater understanding and appreciation. Awards for this book: Garden Writers Association Media Award: Silver Award
Customer Reviews:
Great Reference Book.......2007-01-11
This book is a great scientific reference book while weaving in the history of how people discovered what we know about ferns. It has wonderful illustrations which are very detailed. It is also an interesting read even if you don't need it for a research paper. It is the most comprehensive book on the topic of ferns which we could find and one of the few which can be used extensively for a botany class.
the fern book you've been waiting for.......2005-04-20
Robbin C. Moran's "A natural history of ferns" takes as its subject both the ferns and the lycophytes, a group which includes the club mosses as well as Selaginella and Isoetes. He fills us in on the details of fern reproductive strategies, the lastest breakthroughs in how ferns are classified, the fossil history of ferns, some fascinating physiological and structural adaptations of ferns, the surprising patterns of fern geographical distribution and the impact of ferns on human life. He never stints on important and interesting complexities but still succeeds in making everything clear to a reader who has had
first year biology. Mr. Moran has an almost uncanny knack for selecting topics that the reader already wants to know more about(or would be curious about if he had heard even a little about them) and knowing what extra information the reader would like to have. In places it is also a good travel book, good enough to make me nostalgic for the Danish countryside.
Book Description
Previously illustrated with black and white photographs, this reference now provides professionals with a colorful guide to the production of commercial foliage crops. Featuring updated and expanded information, including cultural changes, new technological advances, and eight new foliage crops, the guide now covers more than 70 species of foliage appropriate to commercial environments—anthuriums, bromeliads, ferns, bamboos, birds-of-paradise, and African violets. In addition to exploring each plant’s natural habitat, varieties, and propagation, this reference also counsels growers on uses, nutrition, pests, disorders, interior care, and the most common problems affecting these types of foliage. Tables also list leaf analysis rating standards for nutrients for many of the crops discussed.
Customer Reviews:
Best Houseplant Book Available.......2003-07-18
Books on houseplants normally give a nice picture a short description of the plant with some cultural hints. I've always been disappointed with the limited information available on these common plants. In my opinion, lack of proper information is why so many people think they have a "brown thumb." Recently, while scanning through the Ball Publishing Catalog, I discovered a wonderful book on houseplants.
Lynn P. Griffith, Jr. Tropical Foliage Plants: A Grower's Guide. Ball Publishing. 1998.
Lynn Griffith, the author, is President of the A&L Southern Agricultural Laboratories, Inc. that does agricultural testing and consulting work for clients in Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. He has written many articles for technical journals about growing plants based on his trial and error learning and results of the testing he does for clients. This book pulls together his knowledge on the most common foliage plants.
Tropical Foliage Plants: A Grower's Guide is actually written for the grower producing foliage plants for local greenhouses, florist shops, and other stores. Since it is written in easy to understand language, it is also suitable for the hobbyist grower. Griffith provides information on habitat (where the plant originated), uses, varieties, propagation, culture, nutrition, diseases, insect and mite pests, disorders, tricks, and interior care of each plant covered.
The book is organized using the scientific name with the common name given also in the titles. Here is a complete list of the plants discussed:
Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen)
Anthurium
Aphelandra (Zebra plant)
Aralia/Polyscias
Araucaria (Norfolk Island pine)
Asparagus
Bromeliads: Aechmea, Billbergia, Guzmania, Neoregelia, Nidularium, Tillandsia, Vriesa
Caladium
Calathea
Chamaedorea (Parlor/Bamboo Palms)
Chlorophytum (Spider plants)
Chrysalidocarpus (Areca palms)
Cissus (Grape Ivy)
Codiaeum (Croton)
Cordelier (Ti plant)
Dieffenbachia (Dumb cane)
Dizygotheca (False Aralia)
Dracaena deremensis (Janet Craig, Warneckii)
Dracaena fragrans (Corn plant)
Dracaena marginata (Dragon tree)
Epipremnum (Pothos)
Fatsia
Ferns: Adiantum, Asplenium, Davallia, Nephrolepis, Platycerium, Pteris
Ficus benjamina and Ficus retusa (weeping figs)
Ficus lyrata (Fiddle-leaf fig), Ficus elastica (Rubber plant), Ficus maclellandii (Alii)
Gardenia
Hedera (English ivy)
Heliconia
Hibiscus
Howea (Kentia palm)
Maranta (prayer plant)
Peperomia
Philodendron
Phoenix (Date palm)
Ravenea (Majesty palm)
Rhapis (Lady Palm)
Schefflera actinophylla (Umbrella tree)
Schefflera arboricola (Dwarf Schefflera)
Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily)
Succulents: Beaucarnea, Crassula, Euphorbia, Hoya, Sansevieria
Succulents: Cacti
Sygonium (Nephthytis)
Yucca
Other foliage varieties: Acalypha (Copper leaf and Chenille plants), Aeschynanthus (Lipstick plant), Ardisia, Aspidistra (Cast iron plant), Bambusa (Bamboo), Begonia, Caryota (Fishtail palm), Fittonia (Nerve plant), Homalomena (Emerald Gem), Pilea, Plectranthus (Swedish ivy), Radermachera (China doll), Saintpaulia (African Violet), Sinningia (Gloxinia), Strelitzia (Bird of paradise, Tolmiea (Piggyback plant), Zebrina (Wandering Jew).
Strengths
Information is presented in an easy-to-read and well organized format. If necessary, the information is presented in two ways. Example: Temperature is expressed both in Fahrenheit and Centigrade.
Growers will find the technical information needed to grow these plants in a greenhouse setting.
A photographic section shows common problems.
Information is presented on using the plants in interior settings so the hobbyist has enough information to grow them well. This includes giving fertilizer information in terms of "teaspoons per gallon" and light levels needed expressed as foot candles and klux.
References for each plant are included so the grower or hobbyist will have an easier time finding additional information.
Weaknesses
Colored pictures for each plant would eliminate the need of looking up the plant in other identification books.
This book would be even more valuable to the hobbyist grower if a page of abbreviations and their meaning had been provided.
I strongly feel the plants listed under Other Foliage Varieties should have been given more attention. These plants are common in my local florist shops and garden centers.
General Comments
This book will remain on my bookshelves for as long as I grow houseplants! I learned why my effort at growing so many foliage plants has left me less than satisfied with the results. I didn't realize how many plants were sensitive to fluoride in the water or that they were sensitive to alkaline water. As a result of reading this book, I will either select different plant species to grow inside or I will invest in a distilling system. I also learned that most common houseplants need an acidic (low Ph) potting media. Since my local water is very alkaline, all my plants wind up in media with a high Ph. This is something else I must address in order to do my best at growing many common foliage plants.
Those houseplant lovers who collect all the plant species possible will find this book an absolute necessity. It will be one of your most used houseplant books.
Average customer rating:
- LUSCIOUS BOOK
- What a gorgeous book!
|
Wildflowers for All Seasons
Anna Vojtech
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Flowers
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ASIN: 0517570076
Release Date: 1989-04-13 |
Customer Reviews:
LUSCIOUS BOOK.......2007-04-22
An absolute must for the naturalist and artist both. Comprehensive descriptions tell you everything germane about each of dozens of those "weeds" you think you know and will learn to love. The full color full page illustrations of every single plant are knockouts!
What a gorgeous book!.......2000-08-17
Having been totally enthralled by an exhibit of Anna Vojtech's paintings at an art gallery I visited back east, I was excited to learn that she had published this book of reproductions of her work. My husband is an amateur naturalist, and when I told him about the book he was eager to see it because of Ghillean Prance, a famous botanist and extremely interesting writer. So we ordered it.
This book is amazing! The reproductions are so beautiful and rich, and a few of the plants are portrayed in more than one season, so you can see the changes they go through as the seasons progress. The colors are perfect and you practically feel like you're sitting there in the woods with the artist while she paints a lily or trillium. The detail of the paintings (and even more so when you see them in person in a gallery!) is remarkable, intricate, highly skilled -- she's just a really gifted watercolor artist!
Ghillean Prance writes just the sort of text that makes these pictures feel so alive. He discusses some cultural or medicinal uses of the plants, or some folklore behind them, or something else really interesting that comes as a revelation. Dr. Prance is so knowledgable, he makes me want to become a naturalist.
Highly recommended for naturalists, gardeners, art enthusiasts, people interested in plant folklore, and anyone who just enjoys flowers.
Customer Reviews:
Handy guide to mosses, ferns, mushrooms and lichens.......2007-08-24
This pocket-sized guide proves useful when identifying mushrooms, lichens, mosses and ferns. The full color illustrations and a short written description aid in identification.
There are newer guides out there, but this gets you started. I wouldn't use this to select mushrooms for eating, but it helped me identify a lichen I found this week (Red Crest Lichen). Now I know the difference between lichens and mosses which I'd previously lumped together.
I've started a moss garden, so I found the diagram of a moss' life cycle interesting.
Book Description
The Plantfinder's Guide to Garden Ferns shows just how easily ferns can be grown in almost every garden. Martin Rickard's infectious enthusiasm shines through in his lucid text and will persuade every gardener that ferns are what their garden needs most.
Customer Reviews:
more than A-Z.......2004-06-18
ferns are some of my favorite plants. This is a great book and I have had it a while I use it every time I teach a class on ferns. I really like the comarison shots of the different selection. THose really help to Identify labeless plants. I would have like some of the info in a bullit points at the beging or end of each enrty. for height hardiness and the like the stuff that every entry should have this would have made the book easier to use. BUt that doesn't mean I wouldn't get it I love this book. It is a must have.
the book is usefull.......2001-05-25
I am a gardener (for research) in China,these days I thought of using ferns on landscafe,I have know few about how to grow the ferns before.By a chance,I read the book at a professor's home,'Oh,it is very usefull for me!',I thought at the same time.But...but I dont know how to get the book. I think the book is very usefull for all the people who like the ferns,or the people who want to grow the ferns.
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