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FOLIAGE GARDENS

Sue Olsen
2003 128th Ave. SE
Bellevue, WA 98005

2009

Hello friends and customers new and old and welcome to the 2009 catalog of ferns. As many of you know, I’ve been propagating ferns from spores for forty years now. I hope that from those selected over these years you’ll find plants for the pleasure, beauty and enrichment of your shade garden as well as enthusiasm for the shade garden experience and ferns in particular. They do indeed add interest, variety, texture and unity to the garden and a well-placed grouping, miniature or giant, can offer the elegance of a “finishing touch”, feathery or bold and sometimes colorful, in the garden’s shady community. Basically they’re all a well-mannered, low maintenance lot!

As many of you know 2008 was remarkable for its COLD weather. January, February and March brought lovely blankets of snow, but April broke an all time record for cold and there was nothing lovely about the unfurling fronds which froze and withered away. Some of the losses were permanent. I believe it is called “a learning experience”! December framed the year with more cold. We broke another record with temps of 15F here (and I realize and understand that those of you in Zones 4-6 who are experiencing minus 15 will not be impressed.) However, some of our ferns were also unimpressed although the fully exposed xerics surprised many of us with their stamina. Record snowfall followed the record cold by a day and all I can say is that it was magically beautiful and the ferns appreciated it as well.

Travels were once again an annual highlight and included two remarkable weeks in fern lush Costa Rica learning about ferns that were totally new to me. A whirlwind return visit to the UK reinforced my love of their gardens and friendly hosts. And finally a family excursion to New England enabled me to explore the youthful and lovely Coastal Maine Botanical Garden and enjoy its well maintained temperature tested fern display garden.

In conclusion, it was a very special 2008 highlight for me to have my book, Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns selected for the 2008 Horticultural Award presented by the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries. I am most honored.

And so now I welcome you to Foliage Gardens. I hope you enjoy your visit and I thank all of you for your business and friendships. I wish us all a happy, peaceful and rewarding year of great gardening and thriving ferns.

Fall 2009 Catalog of Ferns