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29th out of 135 books
—
19 voters
Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers
by
Amy Stewart (Goodreads Author)
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,...more
Amy Stewart takes us inside the flower trade--from the hybridizers,...more
Hardcover, 306 pages
Published
February 9th 2007
by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
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This review has been updated and can now be seen at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud!
Wonderful boook detailing the development of commercial breeding from its earliest days in America to the 'factory' farms of South America producing the biggest, most beautiful blooms available at only the most exclusive florists. There is a long diversion into the mind-bogglingly mixture of dirt&plants and computerised bidding in the famous flower market of Amsterdam.
The book is written in a very easy, though informative, style and would interest people who generally like non-fiction, you d...more
The book is written in a very easy, though informative, style and would interest people who generally like non-fiction, you d...more
2 likes · like · see review
Everything you ever wanted to know about the cut flower industry! She's an excellent writer. She starts out with the story of the man who developed the star gazer lily - how he did it and how he marketed it (or actually failed to market it,) and what happened to him later in life. She goes to visit Guatemala where there are many flower farms from which flowers are imported to this country, and ends up in Holland where the international flower markets take place. Kind of like Wall street, but for...more
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Very interesting and enjoyably written.
But this isn't how most American consumers get their flowers. Instead, our blooms are more likely to have been raised in high-altitude flower factories in Ecuador or Colombia, dunked in chemicals, flown to Miami and distributed to wholesale markets around the country. A rose cut on a Monday morning in the shadow of a snow-capped volcano might find its way to a Manhattan florist the following Friday, and then be good for a week or more with a little care. In...more
But this isn't how most American consumers get their flowers. Instead, our blooms are more likely to have been raised in high-altitude flower factories in Ecuador or Colombia, dunked in chemicals, flown to Miami and distributed to wholesale markets around the country. A rose cut on a Monday morning in the shadow of a snow-capped volcano might find its way to a Manhattan florist the following Friday, and then be good for a week or more with a little care. In...more
Well written.
A lot of interesting stuff about about the background of the cut flower industry — growers in Californian, Ecuador, Holland, distribution networks, the retail flower business.
I had already read in different contexts about some of the iniquities of the industry — overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, the displacement of local farmers, exploitive labour practices — so I had stopped buying cut flowers. There are growers and marketers out there now —according to his book — that are mov...more
A lot of interesting stuff about about the background of the cut flower industry — growers in Californian, Ecuador, Holland, distribution networks, the retail flower business.
I had already read in different contexts about some of the iniquities of the industry — overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, the displacement of local farmers, exploitive labour practices — so I had stopped buying cut flowers. There are growers and marketers out there now —according to his book — that are mov...more
A few years ago, while writing an article for Chicagoland Gardening magazine about how annuals make their way from vast commercial greenhouses to our local garden centers, I reluctantly learned to view flowers as commodities. Amy Stewart's book offers much the same perspective, though obviously in greater depth, for the cut flower industry. Her descriptions of walking through greenhouses and shipping facilities and auction houses sounded eerily similar to what I had seen and heard about plants g...more
Stewart has a highly conversational style, which works for the subject of cut flowers. It often feels like she's just telling you about her travels and her passion over cocktails, which is nice for those wary of the possibility of heavy botany or biology. Not that she doesn't, eventually, cover most of the important topics in relation to the cut flower industry in three sections: Breeding, Growing, and Selling. Overall, it's a good read if you're curious about the story behind your Valentine's r...more
Feb 05, 2009
Bookmarks Magazine
added it
Amy Stewart's previous books, the award-winning The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms and From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden (see below), testify to the author's fascination with dirtying her hands. The well-researched and exuberantly written Flower Confidential reveals her passion and her eye for the interesting statistic (Americans buy some 10 million cut flowers a day). Stewart does an admirable job of making sense of a complicated business, even if a lack
...more
This was a fascinating look at the "industry" of cut flowers--used for decoration in the house, for weddings, funerals, hospitals, etc. Stewart went around the world seeing how flowers are developed for the cut flower market, how they are grown, and how they are sold. She found people who cared deeply about their product and about the people who worked for them. I thought this could be one of those scary, depressing studies of how water is being polluted and and diverted from other sectors, pest...more
Let me state that I do not garden, will never garden and plants go into fear seizures if I come too close. However, I'm surrounded by women who garden, so I end up absorbing things though osmosis I guess and have come to enjoy a few garden writers out there. Amy Stewart is the best of the lot. She's funny, and she never forgets that about half the people reading her are not, and never will be, botonists. Anyone can pick up her books, read them, learn stuff and also be utterly entertained.
I never...more
I never...more
I loved this book. Not only did I get to indulge myself in reading about my favorite subject, flowers, the author presents a fascinating look at the science and culture behind the big business of flowers. Ever wondered why some of the flowers you purchase at the store don't have much fragrance? She offers an intelligent discussion on how globalization has improved access to non-local or out of season varieties, but with the cost of dwindling availability of heirloom quality plants. The flowers w...more
This was a fascinating look at the business of flowers. I read this book in anticipation of attending a lecture Ms. Stewart was scheduled to give here in Richmond, but I was unable to attend due to a family emergency. A friend who was able to attend the lecture said Ms. Stewart was engaging, informative, and entertaining. No surprise! I would describe her book the same way. From growers to auctions to air cargo and the drug trade, this book reveals more than one side of the flower industry. One...more
The history of flower development, changes in flowers, the growing, distribution and sale of flowers, and her visits to the sites of these issues is most interesting. I felt she had a relationship to Michael Pollan in his coverage of changes in plants to suit the changing popularion.
As a florist, I was hesitant to read the dirt on the industries behind what happens in my shop; I didn't want to feel wracked with guilt every time I handed off an arrangement, sure I was killing kittens in Colombia. Happily, Stewart presents the industry very even-handedly: the good, the bad, the interesting, the merely necessary are all present. In such a problematic industry, it was nice to see all these different sides, and how the end goal--flowers, and the joy and quality of life they brin...more
Interesting look at the modern floral industry. Stewart is a fan of organic and natural farming methods, but approaches the changing industrial nature of flower growing from a neutral vantage point. She's more interested in what's being done, than being a scold about what is terrible about those roses being sold on the side of the road. The book gives a very interesting -- and hopeful -- overview of how flowers are developed, grown, marketed and sold with a solid look at effort to improve things...more
I picked this book up for one dollar because the blurb on the flap sounded interesting. I read through the entire thing in about a week because it was so bloody interesting I couldn't put it down until I was too sleepy to see straight. I didn't think I would get much out of a book about the history and politics of the cut-flower industry, but Amy Stewart does a brilliant job of turning a seemingly inconsequential sector of world business into a compelling read. She talks about the eccentric fell...more
Got this book from a coworker to give to my mom. Had nothing else to read so I learned about the business end of cut flowers. Actually pretty interesting. I also learned that I like "how things really work" kind of books based on this one and "The Omnivore's Dilemna". I might want to explore this realization in my next book selection. But I digress. Overall the book does a good job of going from the ground to the story in the travels of the flower. It's part garden book, part economics. If you p...more
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I really liked this book. I don't usually do a lot of reviews on books unless I'm asked to and I wasn't asked to review this one so that tells you how much I liked it. I also wasn't really planning to write anything, but now that I am here I just wanted to say something about the book if only because I really enjoyed it that much. It doesn't read like some random textbook. Stewart doesn't just list a bunch of facts. Instead she tells the story of her travels through the flower industry. I found...more
good book if you are interested in flowers and how thy get to market. I think it should have color pictures so everone can picture the flowers.
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This was fairly presented with a good look at the many aspects of the cut flower marketing system. From ground or greenhouse to auction house to markets of various types the flowers are followed. I was led to read this by the early part covering a bit of the biology of reproduction then the genetic tinkering to determine the biochemical pathways of sent and color. I would have preferred much more of the biology of angiosperm's pollination syndromes but the author focuses most of the book after t...more
A flower is all-natural, right? I'll admit I haven't thought much about where cut flowers come from and how they are grown. I pay more attention to where my food comes from and whether it is in season or not. Now I'm more aware of where that bouquet in the grocery store came from (probably Latin America), how long it took to get here (about 5 days), and how many chemicals it took to grow (a lot or a little, depending on the grower).
I found this book fairly even-handed in it's coverage of the cut...more
I found this book fairly even-handed in it's coverage of the cut...more
If you want to learn about the cut flower market in the U.S.A. and where these flowers come from then you'll enjoy this book. Stewart tackles the issues of economy, environment, scientific endeavour and people surrounding the business.
Biological detail was lacking, so too was a global perspective. I would have enjoyed this book immensely if readers were taken to the more obscure corners of the flower trade and environmental issues delved into a bit more. The book did touch on many important issu...more
Biological detail was lacking, so too was a global perspective. I would have enjoyed this book immensely if readers were taken to the more obscure corners of the flower trade and environmental issues delved into a bit more. The book did touch on many important issu...more
Who would have thought the flower business could be so interesting? Amy Stewart begins with some history, the tulip craze in Europe in the 1600's, the development of breeding specialized flowers, the growing of flowers for the market, and selling them, both wholesale and retail. She visits bulb and flower growers in California, Netherlands, and Ecuador, then describes their operations. She ruminates on the future of the floral industry and the effects of cheap supermarket flowers on florist shop...more
A really good book for people who like flowers and wonder where cut flowers come from.
A combination of botany, history and personal stories, very well done. I thought this would be sort of a Fast Food nation for flowers, and while Stewart does get into topics like working conditions in the Latin American flower farms and the chemicals your roses are dipped in, it isn't all about that. She takes you to Northern California, Miami airport, Ecuador, and Amsterdam and shows you the good and the bad....more
A combination of botany, history and personal stories, very well done. I thought this would be sort of a Fast Food nation for flowers, and while Stewart does get into topics like working conditions in the Latin American flower farms and the chemicals your roses are dipped in, it isn't all about that. She takes you to Northern California, Miami airport, Ecuador, and Amsterdam and shows you the good and the bad....more
Stewart writes attractively, keeps my attention. This is a journalistic look at the worldwide business of flowers - who knew that it is standard practice to tote cut flowers from Ecuador or Colombia to Holland or Miami for sale and hence to final retail sites worldwide. Roses are tough indeed to take this! People are concerned about local food, but global agriculture has other dimensions. Having read this it dawns on me why supermarket flowers look the same everywhere,no regional variation.
I ac...more
I ac...more
Flower Confidential was a well-written and informative story about the flower industry. This story is an in-depth investigation/study about the flowers we see today, why we see what we see, and their survival in an ever-changing global economy.
From the plentiful carnations at the grocery stores, the formal bouquets from the local florists, or the roses in the kiosk at Costco, every flower is unique... unique in its creation, design, and mere existence.
I will never look at a flower the same way...more
From the plentiful carnations at the grocery stores, the formal bouquets from the local florists, or the roses in the kiosk at Costco, every flower is unique... unique in its creation, design, and mere existence.
I will never look at a flower the same way...more
Amy Stewart made this whole new world of the cut flower industry surprisingly accessible to one uninitiated, uninformed-about-flowers reader -- me. The dialogue in my head went rather like this: "oh, I didn't know that, or that, or that either!" and "how fascinating" and "really?"
Stewart takes herself and her curiosity and travels all over --Ecuador, Holland, Miami, California-- sharing what she sees and experiences and learns about such things as flower growing, tulips, the Star Gazer lily,...more
Stewart takes herself and her curiosity and travels all over --Ecuador, Holland, Miami, California-- sharing what she sees and experiences and learns about such things as flower growing, tulips, the Star Gazer lily,...more
I read this for my neighborhood book club. I have a wonderful friend who is a master gardener and used to work for an upscale florist, and she read it as well and enjoyed it.
This book is along the same lines as books like "Fast Food Nation" and "Candyfreak". It's vastly educational in an entertaining way, and it makes you think hard about things you take for granted. I learned about the genetics of breeding lilies. I learned about the rose farms in Ecuador where the roses we take for granted an...more
This book is along the same lines as books like "Fast Food Nation" and "Candyfreak". It's vastly educational in an entertaining way, and it makes you think hard about things you take for granted. I learned about the genetics of breeding lilies. I learned about the rose farms in Ecuador where the roses we take for granted an...more
Having just read a book which ripped the reddish-green face off the tomato industry, I was anticipating the same treatment for flowers, after which I could go in search of an exploration of the human suffering that goes into every bottle of spray starch, or perhaps a brutal exposé on the machinations of Big Carrot. But Amy Stewart isn't going there, even if she observes and documents a normal amount of, uh, garden-variety exploitation while documenting a flower's path to the marketplace. She is...more
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This was a very interesting book and a very quick read. I learned a lot about the flower industry-- things I had NEVER even thought to wonder about. It's interesting that this industry, which sells a beautiful product that is supposed to cheer people up, make them feel happy and loved, really hides a lot of yuck behind it-- polluting our water and soil with pesticides, exploiting workers and exposing them to toxic chemicals, blocking bees, birds, butterflies, etc., from accessing their food sour...more
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Amy Stewart lives in northern California. Her essays and commentaries have appeared in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Garden Design, Organic Gardening, and elsewhere. She's been featured on NPR, Good Morning America and CBS Sunday Morning.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) granted her a Creative Writing Fellowship for 2006, and she's the winner of the California Horticultural...more
More about Amy Stewart...
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) granted her a Creative Writing Fellowship for 2006, and she's the winner of the California Horticultural...more
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