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Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful | 
| Author: Amy Stewart
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $2.91
You Save: $11.04 (79%)
New (33) Used (24) Collectible (1) from $1.70
Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 360639
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 1565126033
Dewey Decimal Number: 582
EAN: 9781565126039
Publication Date: March 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW BOOK!!! WE SHIP 6 DAYS A WEEK!!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Award-winning author Amy Stewart takes readers on an around-the-world, behind-the-scenes look at the flower industry and how it has sought—for better or worse—to achieve perfection. She tracks down the hybridizers, geneticists, farmers, and florists working to invent, manufacture, and sell flowers that are bigger, brighter, and sturdier than anything nature can provide. There's a scientist intent on developing the first genetically modified blue rose; an eccentric horitcultural legend who created the most popular lily; a breeder of gerberas of every color imaginable; and an Ecuadorean farmer growing exquisite roses, the floral equivalent of a Tiffany diamond. And, at every turn she discovers the startling intersection of nature and technology, of sentiment and commerce.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Flower Power August 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Most of us have purchased flowers; either in random bunches at the grocery store, or in expensive bouquets for weddings or funerals. So, what makes a grocery store rose cost $1.00, but one from a florist cost 10 times that? How the heck do all those out-of-season roses end up blossoming beautifully for a mid-February holiday celebrated from Miami to Fairbanks? Why do we swoon over pictures of exotic arrangements in upscale magazines, but when we visit our local florist, we see the same old carnations and mums? The author follows the journey of the flowers that we love from cradle to grave, and what an interesting and varied journey it is. Just consider the topic of flowers; why is it customary to gift them? where did they grow? who developed and harvested them? how do some of them get from the steamy tropics to our dining room tables, and arrive with enough vase-life left in them to delight us for days? You'll find the answers to these questions, and more, in this delightful book. Ms. Stewart takes a common-sense approach to understanding the entire process. She views each stage of flower growing not with the jaded eye of a scientist, but with the wonder of someone who simply loves flowers. She thinks the kinds of thoughts you or I might think, and asks the same kinds of questions. Thankfully, this book does not veer into detailed botanical explanations, it speaks in a clear, even voice. One thing I did miss though, was photos. The author frequently speaks of taking photos on her journeys into the hidden world of flowers, and her descriptions made me ache to see them. The few diagrams are helpful, but they don't hold a candle to what Ms. Stewart saw. A fun, and easily digestible educational read.
Great service! July 2, 2008
This book was delivered quickly and arrived in excellent condition. I highy recommend the vendor.
You'll Never Look At Flowers the Same Way Again June 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Did you ever read Anthony Bourdain's book "Kitchen Confidential" which is a sort of tell-all and autobiographical book of what goes on behind the swinging doors in restaurants. It's hilarious, sarcastic, etc. In its own way, Flower Confidential achieves the same greatness, just by its thoroughness in showing us what 'really' goes on. In a way, this is even more relevant, because we all have an idea of how a restaurant works, but no one thinks about how that bouquet came to be.
In addition to being able to spew off tons of facts about flowers to people (I can't tell if they're impressed or just think I'm crazy), this book has made me more conscious of the practices that go on and how to support ethical labor and fertilizating companies. I can't tell you how excited I was one day when I was in Sam's Club looking at their flowers, and yes, the Fair Trade sticker was there! I was happy to see it, and I was also glad that I knew what that sticker symbolized.
The book came out at an interesting time-right when Columbia and Ecuador (two major growers) were fighting each other. Every time I heard about the war, I always wondered what happened to the flower farms.
This book is honest, captivating, and is a great look at a very interesting industry. I'm amazed how much effort is put in to such a simple, cheap thing that we don'e even really think about. For me, whenever I get flowers, I'll ALWAYS be thinking about where they came from.
Who knew flowers were so interesting? January 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is a fascinating look at the flower industry. I've looked at especially beautiful cut flowers before and wondered where they came from and how they got them quite so perfect, but I had no idea how complex the answer would be.
This was a real page-turner from beginning to end, and it had me wishing that I lived near Miami, glad I live near San Francisco and its Flower Mart, planning a trip to Arcata, CA in July, reminding my boyfriend to get me that Costco membership and wanting to buy myself some flowers every week (and feeling much more knowledgeable about doing so.) She starts out at the San Francisco Flower Mart and it sounds so impressive...60 vendors, wow! But, by the end of the book, when she gets to the Dutch Flower Auction, the Flower Mart seems downright puny and probably lacking in the more high end flowers from the international market.
The one thing that disappointed me a bit about this book was the pictures. Ms. Stewart talks about taking photos several times in the book and I wanted to see them. There are some interesting line drawings in the book, and each section has a grainy black and white photo at the beginning (for a total of four photos) but I wanted more. Well, it turns out her website, amystewart.com, has all the big color pictures that were missing from the book, so I suggest checking it out after or during reading the book.
I am in the middle of planting/planning a vegetable garden right now, but this book had me wishing a little bit that I was planting a rose garden instead. I can see how one could never grow flowers at home that were as "perfect" as what a commercial grower can do, but Amy Stewart just got me so excited about flowers. I think now I'll read her book "From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden", and hopefully get as excited about the vegetable garden.
If you enjoy the part of the book that talks about the history of the Dutch and their "world domination via the tulip", then you may want to also check out the book "The Botany of Desire" by Michael Pollan.
I almost wrote to the author! January 4, 2008
I loved this book so much. I am not a gardener but was an aspiring florist when I ran across this at my library. Read it quickly and thought it was fascinating and well written. I am also impressed with the amount of research she did to get all of the information and the amount of travel she endured to find out first hand how things worked.
When I finally did happen across a florist job in the shop I had always wanted to work in, I came in knowing little about design, but alot about the industry. I am always able to tell someone something that they didn't know. And it was even more exciting to actually open up a flower delivery and know about the company that they came from and how things are done there.
I almost wrote to the author to tell her how much I loved the book, but of course never got around to it. So if she reads this, Thank You Amy! In fact, I received the hardback book this past Christmas as a gift (I wonder how my MIL knew I wanted it! Hee, Hee.)
I highly recommend this book to anyone who runs or works in a shop, and also to those people who just like to know how things work. There really is much more involved than I think most people realize. Great Job Amy!
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