Ferns for American Gardens

by John T. Mickel

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0881925985
• ISBN13: 9780881925982
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Timber Press (OR)
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

ferns for everyone

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.

Authoritative and comprehensive

This book should never have been allowed to go out of print. It is a wonderful, well-illustrated reference and is by far the best I have found so far with regard to growing ferns outdoors. The book is comprehensive enough to satisfy the fern fancier (particularly in the listing of genera and species), but has enough basic information (particularly regarding culture and propagation) to be useful to the gardener who just wants to incorporate some ferns in his or her garden.

A must for shade gardeners.

Mickel's book is a treasure for fern-lovers. The opening chapters cover technical aspects of fern biology and propagation - but only to the extent necessary to familiarize the gardener. This is not a book written for botanists. The rest of the book is a description of fern species suitable for temperate gardens of North America. The information and advice is sound and the descriptions are strewn with gorgeous color photographs.There is some good bibliographical information in the back and some contact information that might be dated, but is useful nonetheless.

This is a well written and comprehensive study of ferns.

This book has excellent photographs and drawings, and describes in great detail the may species of ferns. The beginning of the book is technical, and defines the structural differences between fern types, how to recoginize the parts of a fern, etc. Anyone interested in growing wild or nursery-grown ferns should have this book in their collection. It will allow you to identify the ferns you have, or see in the forests.

The very best book on fern gardening.

John Mickel writes on ferns of the world that can be grown in American gardens. He writes first and foremost on how to grow any and all of the many ferns he describes and illustrates. This is not only accurate, it is almost a necessity for the fern or shade gardener.