Native Ferns, Moss, and Grasses: From Emerald Carpet to Amber Wave, Serene and Sensuous Plants for theGarden

With this new book, William Cullina completes his three-book series on native plants. Like Wildflowers and Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines, Native Ferns, Moss and Grasses combines encyclopedic information about North American species with specific instructions on how to grow and propagate them, all written in a fresh and entertaining style.

Cullina compares a garden made up of nothing but bright flowers to the detergent shelves in a supermarket, where every package screams for attention. What makes a true garden out of a collection of flowering plants are the ferns, moss, and grasses that are the verdant canvas on which nature paints its portraits -- dark green, medium green, forest green, light green, lime green, yellow-green, blue-green, gray-green, chartreuse, emerald, teal, puce, and every shade of green in between. These plants, Cullina says, bring to the garden a level of refinement and sophistication unmatched by any flower.

On the practical side, Native Ferns, Moss and Grasses contains a thorough discussion, with several maps, of what plant hardiness means in the light of global warming. For each species, he also gives the natural range, type of soil, and habitat in which the plant thrives. In the back he provides complete information on where to buy these plants and list of the best species for various uses.