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 most 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.

Sue Olsen has been studying, photographing, and writing about ferns for more than four decades. She is author of the award-winning Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns and through her nursery, Foliage Gardens, has introduced numerous ferns to horticulture. A founding member and first president of the Hardy Fern Foundation, Sue is editor of the Hardy Fern Foundation Quarterly. She is a graduate of Cornell University and lives in Bellevue, Washington.