Flowers A to Z: A Practical Guide to Buying, Growing, Cutting, Arranging [Hardcover]

Cecelia Heffernan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001

In this volume, florist and garden designer Cecelia Heffernan, shares her practical knowledge of every aspect of buying, growing, cutting, and displaying flowers. In chart form, readers will find, for each flower: common names; varieties; description of colour and scent; and facts on vase life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Many people love the idea of a house full of fresh-cut flowers, but sadly, most have no idea how to select, care for, and arrange flowers, much less grow them. Flowers A to Z is a superb guide for anyone who enjoys flowers and wants to celebrate them in the home or garden. Author Cecelia Heffernan, a floral designer by trade, provides a wealth of information on how to cut, purchase, arrange, care for, and grow all types of flowers.

The book is divided into sections covering everything leading up to a beautiful flower arrangement sitting on your dining room table. It begins with a chapter on hardware, which details all the basic tools--from floral shears to floral wire and tape--that you'll need for cutting and arranging flowers, as well as advice on choosing and caring for vases and other containers. The "Handling Flowers" chapter explains the proper way to cut, condition, and care for flowers to ensure the most attractive and long-lasting arrangements. The author sprinkles valuable tidbits of advice throughout the book. She suggests, for instance, that it is better to use branches or thick foliage as arranging aids instead of floral foam, chicken wire, or other artificial aids, as those can shorten the vase life of flowers significantly. This section concludes with a concise and informative guide to growing flowers in your home garden.

The final section, which makes up the bulk of the book, is an alphabetically arranged guide to flowers from agapanthus to zinnia. Each flower is depicted in a gorgeous full-page photograph, while smaller images show the flowers in different stages of development, illustrating the difference between fresh and older flowers. The informative text is written in a handy reference style, detailing the specifics of each flower: its scientific name, available colors, scent, how long the blooms will last after being cut, relative cost, and other useful information.

The gorgeous photographs, accessible text, and handy cross-referencing will surely inspire many readers to fill their homes and gardens with blossoms. --Robin Donovan

From Booklist

Fresh flowers, whether from the florist or garden, do so much to enhance a home, and yet properly caring for them is almost as difficult as growing them in the first place. How fortunate, then, to have expert floral and garden designer Heffernan present professional advice about how to prepare cut flowers so that they'll last. Recommendations for the best tools and containers are followed by in-depth profiles of 55 of the most popular garden and hothouse flowers, in which Heffernan shares such trade secrets as the flower's vase life and its cost at different seasons. All instructional books should be this clear and concise. Straightforward directions are supported by close-up photographs, leaving no room for doubt as to what to do. But to describe this book as merely instructional is an oversimplification, for T. K. Hill's sumptuous photography, combined with its coffee-table format, makes it as much an art book as it is a how-to. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810933489
• ISBN-13: 978-0810933484
• Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 9.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally..A fabulous guide for cut flowers, March 28, 2001

By 

skytrader99 (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flowers A to Z: A Practical Guide to Buying, Growing, Cutting, Arranging (Hardcover)

For anyone who enjoys flowers, this book is a must! Full of artfully done full-page color photos, it contains a wealth of information on cut flowers. What I really liked was the types of flowers the author choose to include, hydrangea, fritillaria, peonies as well as many other unique varieties. Very upscale and cutting edge, this is not your run of the mill book on daisies. Each flower contains 2 full pages and includes growing and arranging tips, as well as care and handling. An indispensable reference.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Stunning, August 7, 2001

By 

Dominic Smith (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flowers A to Z: A Practical Guide to Buying, Growing, Cutting, Arranging (Hardcover)

Not only is this book packed with the most gorgeous photographs, but also it's also full of practical advice. As the title suggests, it is arranged in alphabetical order so that looking for the flower you are after is quick and easy. Each flower is presented with a double page spread, and includes tips on buying, growing, arranging and cutting. It's an extremely useful reference with information on important flower-related problems such as how to make each flower last longer in the vase, what's poisonous, etc. it even gives you the meaning of flower names. Even if you're not into the practical side of arranging flowers, this book is equally valuable as a stunning coffee table book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great For Your Reference Library or Your Coffee Table, July 7, 2001

By 

Dr. Stephen Rittner (Boston, Ma.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flowers A to Z: A Practical Guide to Buying, Growing, Cutting, Arranging (Hardcover)

"Flowers A to Z" is a wonderful resource that is definitely needed. Essentially it is a dictionary of flowers, containing information about names, colors, vase life, how to tell freshness, availability, designing tips and more!! But what a dictionary!!!! It is a very large and visually stunning book, lavishly illustrated with beautiful photographs. "Flowers A to Z" provides very practical information about floral product in a format that elevates the content to an art book! Pros and hobbyists alike will appreciate it for both its content and presentation. "Flowers A to Z" would be equally appropriate in your reference library or on your coffee table.