Flower confidential : the good, the bad, and the beautiful in the business of flowers

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.

we Buy More Flowers A Year Than We Do Big Macs, Spending $6.2 Billion Annually. We Use Them To Mark Our Most Important Events, To Express Sentiments That Might Otherwise Go Unsaid. And We Demand Perfection. So It’s No Surprise That There Is A $40 Billion Global Industry Devoted To Making Flowers Flawless.

amy Stewart Takes Us Inside The Flower Trade—from The Hybridizers, Who Create New Varieties In The Laboratory, To The Growers, Who Produce Flowers By The Millions (often In A Factory-like Setting), To The Dutch Auctioneers, Who Set The Bar (and The Price), And Ultimately To The Neighborhood Florists Orchestrating The Mind-boggling Demands Of Valentine’s And Mother’s Day. There’s The Breeder Intent On Developing The First Blue Rose; An Eccentric Horticultural Legend Who Created The World’s Most Popular Lily; A Grower Of Gerberas Of Every Color Imaginable; And The Equivalent Of A Tiffany Diamond: The “ Forever Young” Rose.

stewart Explores The Relevance Of Flowers In Our Lives And In Our History, And In The Process She Reveals All That Has Been Gained—and Lost—by Tinkering With Nature.

the Washington Post - Adrian Higginss

stewart's Journey Takes Us Down Many Such Paths, All Connected By Her Own Curiosity And Highly Readable Prose. The Greatest Value Of Flower Confidential, However, Is That It Was Written At All. We Know So Little Of The Ways Simple Daily Items Are Brought To Us That Such A Book Helps Us Grasp Our Modern World. Who Knows? flower Confidential May Compel Us To Return To Something Purer, More Local. It May Send Us In Search Of Our Own Version Of Teresa Sabankaya's Flower Kiosk.

A globe-trotting, behind-the-scenes look at the dazzling world of flowers and the fascinating industry it has created. 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 horticultural 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. "For over a century hybridizers, geneticists, farmers, and florists around the world have worked to invent, manufacture, and sell flowers that are bigger, brighter, and sturdier than anything nature could provide. Almost any flower, in any color, is for sale at any time of year." "Amy Stewart travels the globe to take us inside this dazzling world. She tracks down scientists intent on developing the first genetically modified blue rose; an eccentric horticultural legend who created the world's most popular lily (the 'Star Gazer'); a breeder of gerberas of every color imaginable; and an Ecuadorean farmer growing exquisite, high-end organic roses that are the floral equivalent of a Tiffany diamond. She sees firstHand how flowers are grown and harvested on farms in Latin America, California, and Holland. (It isn't always pretty.)"--Jacket A behind-the-scenes look at the floriculture industry covers how cut flowers are bred, grown, and sold in the United States, discussing the historical roots of the industry and describing the attitudes of those involved in floriculture.