In the Company of Flowers (Hardcover)

~ Ron Morgan (Author), Keith Lewis (Photographer)
Key Phrases: flower arranging

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Ron Morgan is the most sought-after and well-recognized floral designer in the United States. He has dazzled lecture and garden club audiences for over 20 years with his wit, knowledge and unparalleled creative talents. Through his imaginative use of flowers, fruits, vegetables and unusual items, he transforms the ordinary into the exquisite, artfully arranging his striking materials into masterpieces. His tablescapes are legendary for their creativity, elegance and visual impact.

In the Company of Flowers is the much-anticipated sequel to Ron's best-selling first book, The Center of Attention. This beautiful publication contains over 180 exquisite photographs covering 60 separate table settings. Each tablescape is a triumph of inventiveness and artistic vision, and each one will charm and captivate guests at occasions of all kinds. A synopsis lists the materials and containers used for each table setting, and Ron also offers personal tips on caring for flowers.

In the Company of Flowers captures Ron's delight in finding ways to turn the art of creating centerpieces upside down. This time around, he has dug into the depths of his imagination and let his more playful side out. This book is a joyous celebration of flowers and all of the possibilities they offer. With these examples as a starting point, readers should feel inspired to create their own masterpieces.

About the Author

Ron Morgan's career in floral design began at age ten, when he won his first flower show competitions in San Joaquin County, California. Over the course of his extensive career, he has designed window displays for Harrod's and David Jones, opened retail floral and antique shops, consulted as an interior designer, conducted flower arranging classes and, most importantly, became a highly sought-after speaker at garden club events around the world. He now lives in Alameda, California, and devotes most of his creative energies to the garden club lecture circuit. He published his first book, The Center of Attention, in 2002.

Keith Lewis was born and raised in South Africa, where, as a young boy, he became captivated by the mystique of photography. He has pursued the art form ever since. Since immigrating to the United States in 1978, Keith has studied and practiced photography in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he continues to enhance his technical expertise and refine his skills. He uses both analog and digital technologies, and serves a diverse clientele that ranges from commercial enterprises to private customers. He is based in Berkeley, California, and his works have been displayed in solo and group exhibitions throughout the Bay Area.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Source Book Publishing, Half Full Press (December 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971955239
• ISBN-13: 978-0971955233
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 8.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #113,850 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #25 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Special Occasions > Tablesetting
  #26 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Flower Arranging
  #100 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Flowers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addressing Flowers, October 2, 2006

By	Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Ron Morgan is an artist, an assemblage artist, who substitutes paint brushes and oils and canvases with living flowers and the components of still life. In this magnificently illustrated book Morgan shares his famous skills in the most congenial way, allowing us as viewer to appreciate his artworks by sharing the materials with which he works.

Not that this art book is a 'how to do it' format: Morgan is far more sophisticated a writer than that! He simply shows us how containers and accoutrements blend with the vivid and inspiring colors, shapes and forms of his floral choices into making creations for the table, or mantle or any spot both explosions of celebration or contemplative altars.

The photography in this book is the other half of what makes it work so well, and that aspect is in the competent and sensitive hands (and eyes) of Keith Lewis. Together these two artists demonstrate how to create beauty from both mundane tools as well as from exotic containers. This is a feast for the eye as well as an addition to the library for those who have a special concern for presentation at the table! Grady Harp, October 06

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enthusiastically recommended source of inspiration, April 10, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

In the Company of Flowers presents masterpieces of floral arrangement and table setting by legendary floral designer Ron Morgan. Over 180 full-color photographs on every page, some of them two-page spreads, reveal 60 unique table settings that incorporate flowers, fine silverware, and centerpieces into breathtaking examples of transient beauty. The photographs speak for themselves; In the Company of Flowers has very little text, aside from a few words by Ron Morgan, a synopsis of the materials and containers used for each table setting, and a handful of tips about caring for flowers. An enthusiastically recommended source of inspiration, and a restful work of wonder that invites the reader to simply page through its contents. Also highly recommended is Morgan's previous volume of centerpieces, "The Center of Attention".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True floral magic, March 31, 2007

By	Rebecca Short (Macungie PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Because this book is so beautiful it is truly inspiring. Morgan is a true artist. The photographs are lovely depicting unusual, elegant and even a few quite simple designs. It's a must for floral arrangers.