The Flower Arranging Expert [Paperback]

D.G. Hessayon (Author)

Book Description

Series: Expert | Publication Date: December 31, 1994

128 pages (all in color), 7 1/4 x 9 3/8.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr David Hessayon initiated a major innovation in gardening publications in 1959 with the first of his Gardening Expert guides. These best-selling guides have had an unparalleled influence on gardening over the past 50 years. There are over 51 million copies in print. He was awarded the 1993 Gardening Book of the Year Award from the Garden Writers Guild and received the first-ever Lifetime Achievement 'Oscar' at the National British Book Awards. In 1999 he received a Guinness World Record Award as 'Britain's best-selling living author of the 1990s'. He lives in Essex, and has two daughters and four grandchildren.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Expert; 1st edition (December 31, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 090350541X
• ISBN-13: 978-0903505413
• Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 7.2 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #760,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MISLEADING BRITISH TITLE MASKS HELPFUL BEGINNERS' WORK, January 21, 2006

By 

Allen Smalling "Constant Reader," (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Flower Arranging Expert (Paperback)

To begin with, THE FLOWER ARRANGING EXPERT is NOT a book for flower-arranging experts! It's a part of an 18-volume softcover series that covers all aspects of gardening and home agriculture, with volumes bearing names like "The Rock & Water Garden Expert," "The House Plant Expert," and "The Evergreen Expert." Perhaps in their native UK these works are not confused as how-to's for experts only; instead, they take a neophyte and turn him/her into a relatively sophisticated practitioner of the craft, up to the threshold of expertise, as it were.

I used "craft" in the above sentence to distinguish it from "art." The author, D.G. Hessayon, makes it clear in Chapter One that he is offering a set of useful empirical skills. In good blunt English English he differentiates craft from art: "[B]y following the step-by-step instructions you should be able to make attractive displays which your family and friends will admire. Artistry, however, is a talent within you and is not to be found in a book."

So expressionists need not apply, but the interested who wish to establish, draw upon and build upon their skills should find this tome quite useful, and at a good price. The author does a good job of introducing the "mechanics," by which he means tools of the trade like floral foam and the glue gun-while realizing that some people may not make use of these items at all. Hessayon plumps for the innocent freshness of one's own home-grown flowers, but is sophisticated enough to give tips as to how to find a reliable florist with reliably hardy blooms or soon-to-be blooms. He also touches on silks, and includes a glossary for preparation and preservation of dried flowers along with the arranging tips.

Further chapters introduce the classic modes of arranging: the "line," the "mass," the hybrid "line-mass" and "miscellaneous," which can include anything from avant-garde to wreaths and Japanese style-ikebana. This is a relatively short work (128 pp.) so don't expect masses of floral "ideas"; however, the new reader will encounter good illustrated demonstrations about the construction and show of the various types of flower arrangements, and a fair amount of insider "goodies" along the way. I for one especially appreciated the Latin-to-common-name glossary of relevant plants (I never knew that "Limonium" was just plain old purple Stattice!).

For this reason, even an expert will be happy to keep THE FLOWER ARRANGING EXPERT on the garden bookshelf, but it's really best for the assume-no-knowledge newbie. Because of the wealth of information and its helpful, straightforward way in teaching skills, I can recommend it highly.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Overview, May 18, 2009

By 

The Gardener "the gardener" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Flower Arranging Expert (Paperback)

I have a half dozen flower arranging books and this one is the most direct, informative and useful as far as the basic vocabulary and styles of arranging. Excellent.