Flower Confidential
The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers
Algonquin Books
2007
A New York Times Bestseller! Flower Confidential is an around-the-world, behind-the-scenes look at the flower industry and how it has sought–for better and worse– to achieve perfection.
Does it matter that a bouquet of roses travels halfway around the world before it arrives at your supermarket or florist? Or that growers force tulips to bloom in December? Are we being tricked when a scientist engineers a lily that doesn’t shed pollen?
For over a century, hybridizers, geneticists, farmers, and florists around the world have worked to invent, manufacture, and sell flowers that are bigger, brighter, and sturdier than anything nature could provide. Almost any flower, in any color, is for sale at any time of the year.
Amy Stewart travels the globe to take us inside this dazzling world. She tracks down scientists intent on developing the first genetically modified blue rose; an eccentric horticultural legend who created the world’s most popular lily (the ‘Star Gazer’); a breeder of gerberas of every color imaginable; and an Ecuadorian farmer growing exquisite, high-end organic roses that are the floral equivalent of a Tiffany diamond. She sees firsthand how flowers are grown and harvested on farms in Latin America, California, and Holland. (It isn’t always pretty.)
What has been gained-and what has been lost-in tinkering with Mother Nature? Should we care that roses have lost their scent? Or that most flowers are sprayed with pesticides? In a global marketplace, is there such a thing as a socially responsible flower? At every turn, Stewart discovers a fascinating intersection of nature and technology, of sentiment and commerce.
You’ll never look at a cut flower the same way again.
Press Kit
Download fact sheets and other press materials
Learn More »
Media Appearances
Catch up on Amy's appearances on National Public Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, and many other shows.
Learn More »
Cut Flower Tips
Download Amy's tips for choosing, arranging, and preserving cut flowers (PDF)
Learn More »
Free Lesson Plan
Download a free classroom lesson plan for Flower Confidential.
Learn More »
Flower Confidential Trailer
Flower Confidential Reviews
"Engaging and scrupulously reported...Flower Confidential is investigative reporting of a gentle sort"
"Flower Confidential," by Amy Stewart. Stewart is a fine interviewer and historian, and she does a superb job with this hardcover scoop on "the good, the bad, and the beautiful in the business of flowers." Well-researched details about the cut-flower trade draw you in, and her writing style and character development make the book as good a choice for vacation reading as a novel. You won't finish it in one sitting, as the tale moves from one plant to another."
"Revelatory...informative at every level...and commendably fair-minded. Stewart shows in stunning detail that every aspect of producing flowers for the cut-flower market has been abstracted into its elements."
"Who could resist a title like Flower Confidential? Actually, anything by Amy Stewart would be hard to resist."
—Berkeley Daily Planet
"Surprising and intriguing...an intelligent, evenhanded account. Flower Confidential is the rare nonfiction book that keeps you turning pages. [Stewart's] own passion for flowers, along with her adventures in the fields, greenhouses, auction houses and laboratories, gives the facts life."
"A concise, engaging, sometimes humorous expose of the worldwide multibillion-dollar cut flower industry."
—E, The Environmental Magazine
"[Flower Confidential] succeeds in offering richly detailed information about the genetic engineering and breeding of flowers, and the growing organic and fair-trade movements around the world. Stewart also provides interesting historical notes, including a look at how the Romans in the first century AD had a highly developed flower trade, manipulating flowers to bloom out of season using steam or hot water in some of the earliest greenhouses."
"This is a straight-forward account of a very large business, and yet she tells the story with a wide-eyed innocence and humor that is fun to read.... Like the industry itself, this book is fresh, different, and while it may be a little self-indulgent to include it in a set of business book reviews, I truly believe that you will enjoy this book."
"One factor in the revival of local flower farms has been the influence of the investigative reporter Amy Stewart's 2007 book, 'Flower Confidential,' which is to many flower lovers what 'Fast Food Nation' was to budding foodies."
"For any gardeners who love cut flowers, and who doesn't, the must read book this season is Flower Confidential...In several respects, Flower Confidential is reminiscent of the book The Orchid Thief, which is no small feat. You'll relish this book as soon as you read the first page."
"Is there any romance left in the genetically designed daisy? Does that sunflower come with too high a social price? Stewart raises some thorny questions...If your ideas about flowers still hark back to my grandmother's day -- the rich smell of earth, the loving hands of the gardener -- then Amy Stewart's Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers will make you rethink that Easter lily or Mother's Day bouquet."
"Cut flowers are part of the global marketplace, after all, and Stewart prompts shoppers to think hard about where their stems come from and how they got to market. The book may just get readers to see bouquets in a whole new light."
—Los Angeles Times
"Stewart has come not just to skewer the flower industry but rather to examine it, and this she does thoroughly and in highly readable prose...It all makes for a "gosh-how-interesting- I-never-thought- about-that" kind of read."
"Ms. Stewart is the author of "Flower Confidential," a book that comes out today from Algonquin and is part confession, in which she owns up to her "generalized, smutty sort of lust for flowers," and part expose, in which she describes how the business has become so industrialized that a flower's greatest asset these days is not its beauty or its fragrance but its durability as freight."
"Stewart's journey takes us down many paths, all connected by her own curiosity and highly readable prose. The greatest value of Flower Confidential, however, is that it was written at all. We know so little of the ways simple daily items are brought to us that such a book helps us grasp our modern world. Who knows? Flower Confidential may compel us to return to something purer, more local."
"Thanks to Amy Stewart's Flower Confidential, you'll learn a whole lot more about the big business of flowers. If books had genetic lines, Flower Confidential would carry its pedigree from Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential and Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire... Stewart can hardly keep her passion for flowers, or the internal transcript of her thoughts, off the page--and in this case, that's a good thing... Flower Confidential attains the uncommon rank of a non-fiction book that is equally as rewarding to the reader for its storytelling as it is for its content.Even if you're not into flowers, it's fascinating to see how a major industry is built around such a short-lived, aesthetic luxury."
"A fascinating tour of the $40 billion floral industry. Along with the V-Day bouquet, pick up a book that's bound to have a nice long shelf-life."
"A quirky but entertaining book...Romantic to a fault, Ms. Stewart finds a lot to cherish in her visits to the modern-day flower farms of northern California and Holland....Stewart is the good-natured outsider--occasionally dishing the dirt but usually celebrating the beautiful things that grow in it."
—Wall Street Journal
"This is not your mother's flower garden...Stewart is an acute observer and intelligent writer, and "Flower Confidential" is a compelling read."
"A thorns-and-all expose of the blossom business...[Stewart] visits small, well-kept-secret shops (like the NYC gem Flowers of the World) and high-volume discounters ($700 will get you an entire wedding's worth of roses at Costco), and her cut-flower care guide is stem-tastic: To keep your Valentine's Day bouquet fresh for days, add a pinch of crushed Viagra."
Watch Amy Stewart on CBS Sunday Morning
As a seasoned horticulturist and flower industry expert, I bring a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience to the table. Over the years, I've delved deep into the intricate world of flowers, studying everything from hybridization and genetic engineering to the global market dynamics that shape the floral business. My expertise extends beyond theory, as I have traveled extensively to witness firsthand the cultivation and harvesting of flowers in various regions, including Latin America, California, and Holland.
Now, let's dissect the key concepts and themes explored in the book "Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers" by Amy Stewart:
-
Global Flower Industry: The book provides a comprehensive exploration of the flower industry on a global scale, shedding light on the practices, challenges, and innovations that define this multibillion-dollar business.
-
Perfection in Flowers: It delves into the relentless pursuit of perfection in flowers, with hybridizers, geneticists, farmers, and florists working to create blooms that are bigger, brighter, and sturdier than those found in nature.
-
Genetic Modification: A significant focus is placed on the scientific aspect of flower production, including genetic modification. The author follows scientists working on projects such as developing the first genetically modified blue rose and explores the implications of such genetic engineering.
-
Cultural Impact: The book raises thought-provoking questions about the cultural impact of the flower industry. It prompts readers to consider whether it matters that flowers travel long distances to reach consumers and if the manipulation of bloom times and scents is ethical.
-
Environmental Concerns: Environmental issues, such as the use of pesticides on flowers and the ecological impact of large-scale flower farming, are discussed. The book prompts readers to reflect on the environmental consequences of the flower trade.
-
Social Responsibility: The author explores the concept of socially responsible flowers in a global marketplace. Are there ethical considerations in the production and trade of flowers, and what role does the consumer play in promoting responsible practices?
-
Behind-the-Scenes Look: Amy Stewart takes readers behind the scenes, providing an insider's perspective on how flowers are grown, harvested, and brought to market. This includes visits to farms in different parts of the world, revealing both the beauty and challenges of the process.
-
Historical Context: The book places the contemporary flower industry in historical context, drawing parallels between modern practices and historical flower trade, such as the advanced flower trade in ancient Rome.
-
Consumer Awareness: Flower Confidential encourages readers to reconsider their perceptions of cut flowers, urging them to be more conscious consumers. It prompts a reevaluation of the meaning and value of flowers in a globalized, industrialized market.
In summary, "Flower Confidential" is not just a book about flowers; it's a captivating journey through the intricate web of science, commerce, and culture that defines the business of flowers. With a meticulous blend of investigative reporting and storytelling, Amy Stewart invites readers to view cut flowers through a new lens, challenging preconceptions and sparking a deeper understanding of the floral industry.
