About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherAlgonquin Books of Chapel Hill

ISBN-101565126033

ISBN-139781565126039

eBay Product ID (ePID)63093950

Product Key Features

Book TitleFlower Confidential : the Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful

Number of Pages320 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicPlants / Flowers, Life Sciences / Botany, Flowers / General, Essays & Narratives

Publication Year2008

IllustratorYes

GenreNature, Science, Gardening

AuthorAmy Stewart

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.8 in

Item Weight9.5 Oz

Item Length8.2 in

Item Width5.5 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

Dewey Edition22

ReviewsIf books had genetic lines, Flower Confidential would carry its pedigree from Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential and Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire. . . . Flower Confidential attains the uncommon rank of a non-fiction book that is equally as rewarding to the reader for its storytelling as it is for its content., "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." --the Washington Post, A book every flower lover should read...[Stewart] gives lessons in botany and big business, history and horticulture. She enlightens and entertains; she poses questions and offers opinions. And she does it with style., Utterly fascinating....She has the soul of an unrestrained flower lover, the moxie of an investigative journalist....Enthralls but also opens eyes.|9781565126039|, "A new book every flower lover should read. . . . Amy is one of my favorite garden writers and not just because we're in sync about our craft. . . . She gives lessons in botany and big business, history and horticulture. She enlightens and entertains; she poses questions and offers opinions. And she does it with style." 2;Newsday

Dewey Decimal338.1/759660973

Table Of ContentContents Introduction 1 Part 1 Breeding 1 The Birds, the Bees, and a Camel Hair Brush 15 2 Engineered to Perfection 40 Part 2 Growing 3 Italian Violets and Japanese Chrysanthemums 61 4 Acres under Glass 77 5 How the Dutch Conquered the World 106 6 Flowers on the Equator 137 Part 3 Selling 7 Forbidden Flowers 173 8 The Dutch Auction 209 9 Florists, Supermarkets, and the Next Big Thing 237 Epilogue: Valentine's Day 271 The Care and Feeding of Cut Flowers 283 Visiting Markets and Growers 285 Statistics 289 Notes 293 Selected Bibliography 303

SynopsisA 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., 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.