§ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this novel. §
Once upon a time, I walked through my supermarket and as a special offer they had a tiny fern on display. So my newly born indoor plant lover's heart decided that I should buy it, love it, and treat it well. Things, however, turned out a bit different and it soon became a bit problematic. Thus, when my birthday arrived, I paraded around at work and proclaimed that I want a fern as the traditional "you'll get a plant for your birthday" gift. And thus, I got a fern, believing that this time things would be better. As it turned out, things were better but most of the credit goes to "The Complete Book Of Ferns" by Mobee Weinstein, which I was lucky enough to get as a review copy.
She describes all possible methods of cares, debunks some "old fern myths" - such as, that spraying your fern does little good in raising the humidity permanently - and offers tips. While other planting books only touch on these issues, Weinstein goes into great detail. There is a whole table explaining what could be wrong with your fern and what the sick leafs look like.
For example, I could never quite figure out if mine just suffered from being transported home or if I am doing something else wrong. Turns out that in fear of over-watering, I ended up not watering them enough. Not all hope was lost because Weinstein even explains how you can counteract any of these fern sicknesses. While "bath your fern in water" sounds simple, she goes a step further and explains in great detail how you can achieve the best result.
"The Complete Book Of Ferns" includes an extensive list on all types of ferns - both indoor and outdoor - explains what they look like, which temperatures they prefer, can they survive winter?, and even a little bit of history. Thus, you can easily browse through the book for inspiration.
Speaking of inspiration, there are nine creative ideas included on what you can do with ferns indoors aside from keeping them in pots. Some of them require more work - moss balls - while others seem rather simple - terrarium.
Each of those ideas is accompanied with a detailed "how to" guide, photos, as well as alternative options you can choose, alongside some recommendations on which ferns are ideal.
While this book contains a lot of information, it is often broken up with beautiful fern pictures. These are in colour - note that my eReader only has black and white colours.
In the end, I felt that Weinstein put a lot of effort and information in this book. It really is a complete book which spaces the information well and includes beautiful photos. For every fern lover or fern troubled person who wants their ferns to love them, this is the perfect book. It is one of the few, I wouldn't even hesitate to buy for myself now.
| The Complete Book Of Ferns | edited by Mobee Weinstein | |
|---|---|---|
| Published | 2020 | by Cool Springs Press |
| Pages: | 256 | |
| ISBN: | 9780760363942 | |
| Goodreads: | Add to shelf |
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