Flower Style: The FTD Guide to Flowers in Your Home - Hardcover

Pat Ross's multifaceted career has included working in the publishing industry; launching her own retail business, Sweet Nellie, in Manhattan; and writing 15 children's books and 30 adult books, most notably on home design, entertaining, and gardening. She lives in New York City and Virginia. FTD[trademark], the largest floral company in the world, was founded in 1910. FTD[trademark] connects approximately 19,000 North American retail florists with customers and supports an international floral delivery network of 50,000 affiliated FTD[trademark] Florists in 150 countries, creating floral arrangements for every occasion. FTD[trademark]'s logo - the classic gold Mercury Man, adopted in 1914 - is one of the most recognized logos in the world and the floral industry's emblem of quality

While overshadowed by the above presidential floridity, this guide in the name of the perennial nationwide retailer may have nearly the same brand recognition factor, if not the indirect endorsements. A bit too in thrall to Martha Stewart's aesthetic of handsome domestic backgrounds with objects perfectly centered in medium ground, this attractive and straightforward book will nevertheless help beginners distinguish an amaryllis from a zinnia. Ross has authored 15 children's books and 30 adult titles and seems to know what works, explanation-wise. Three sections cover the basics of choosing, arranging and placing flowers; the tone of the book is serious but not without moments of levity: "For too many years, flower arrangements and ladies' hairdos had one thing in common: both were forced into stiff shapes." An explanation of the significance of different flowers may invigorate their once well-known language: choosing among bouquet of thornless roses ("love at first sight"), pink carnations ("I'll never forget you") and primrose ("I can't live without you") can be a question of semantics. With more than 175 color photos and a clear command of current styles, this book should appeal to those seeking a guide for every detail, from choosing scissors and cleaning stems to bathroom arrangements and growing bamboo.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.