Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers

The cut flowers that people purchase every day as tokens of affection and gratitude have more often than not traveled a long road to reach the consumer. Not only have they been shipped over hundreds of miles, but some have also been genetically engineered to bloom out of season or to display colors more vivid than those found in nature. Stewart reveals the workings of the floral industry and the intensive efforts being put into breeding, growing, and selling flowers that look beautiful in a vase and remain so for long periods. Stewart, an author and a journalist, recounts how the flower trade evolved from a cottage industry involving only growers and their local customers to a big business importing flowers from South America and Africa for U.S. consumers. The author explains the science behind blooming and how breeders have made winter bloomers out of flowers that normally bloom in summer. In an epilogue, she takes a look at the floral frenzy of valentine's Day, the industry's busiest day of the year. Algonquin Books, 2007, 306 p., hardcover, $23.95. [Via]