Erin Benzakein

This beautifully designed and beautifully produced volume is a combination of things: a textbook (on how to start your own cutting garden for commercial purposes), a project book (with Martha Stewart–like step-by-step instructions for creating [also Martha Stewart–like] lavish bouquets, wreaths, garlands, and even a spring flower crown), a coffee table–worthy tome (with its lush photography), a nostalgic reminiscence of elders for whom flowers were important fixtures in their lives, show more and a bit of a life lesson on how things should be. (On the latter note, I'd not have thought of organic flower gardening as a moral issue. For food, yes; organic is key. But for nonconsumables? But I suppose the earth is the earth, and we should be just as conscious of what we put into it as we put into our bodies.) How you use and engage with this book, then, is based on your motivations and goals.

I'll never have a cutting garden on the scale of Erin Benzakein's in Washington State. But the book is inspiring--to the tune of encouraging me to try my hand at some flowers that I'd previously avoided or ignored. Sweet peas? Dahlias? Organized by the season, with a primer of basics at the outset, the book includes tasks and projects for each season as well as in-depth profiles of a half-dozen to dozen key "bloomers" or foliage plants. Completely making this volume worth the price--though I was lucky to be indulged with a hardcopy via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program--are the "vase life tricks" for the cut flowers and foliage profiled in the book. Benzakein details at what budding stage to harvest florals (and even at what time of day) and then how to preserve their beauty once arranged. Yes, I knew about adding sugar or flower preservative to the water. But I never would have known that some flowers benefit from this treatment (as described for "wimpy drinkers" that are a challenge to get hydrated after picking): "dip their stem ends into boiling water, or hold the stem ends over an open flame, for 7 to 10 seconds, at which point you will notice the stems changing color and texture. Then place them in a vase of cool water. This treatment works well for basil, cerinthe, Iceland poppies, mint, and scented geranium, but can also be tried on anything that's prone to wilting" (p. 39). Brilliant!

Now, the book doesn't include all the florals I'd have expected: carnations, gladiolus, hydrangea, iris, and lavender--for just five examples--are not mentioned. But what the book does include makes it a most worthwhile reference and source of inspiration.

A final note: THANK YOU to Chronicle Books--I was already a fan--for sending an honest-to-goodness book, not a flimsy paperback "advance uncorrected proof" or "advance uncorrected copy" (ARC) on newsprint and sans images (or image captions), accurate pagination, or an index. I am not a professional reviewer; and I offer to review books via LibraryThing because I actually would like to add the books I identify to my collection. To me, an ARC is not very useful. Assessing the contributions of a physical volume necessitates knowing how it will be produced and how it will feel in the hand--and being able to see the maps and images--and being able to assess the usefulness of the index. I would rather not have ARCs in my collection. So I'd be delighted if LibraryThing would identify which books on offer are "real" copies and which books are but stand-ins for the real thing. ARCs are not meant to be kept or cherished--but real books, like Benazkein's Cut Flower Garden--should be. show less

WHOA. If you have even the smallest interest in flowers, or you are like me and just go gaga when you see amazing arrangements, this book is a real delight. I want to rush out to my closest local flower farm right now and just buy armfuls! It's also VERY cool that she takes us behind the curtain and shows how to actually make those out-of-this-world arrangements, complete with lists of tools, tips and flower instruction. Do yourself a favor and take a moment to stop and smell the FLOWERS(ha show more ha!) in this gorgeous book! show less

From Floret Farms in Washington state, this is a big book that tells you everything you need to know about growing dahlias, including planting tubers and growing from seed, how to make cuttings, dividing tubers and storage, all with photos. But the flower photos are glorious. Going by color variety, each section if filled with photos of each variety and their characteristics and preferences. It's like a beauty pageant because all of them are gorgeous. And more variety than I expected, as I show more would have thought some dahlias were chrysanthemums or peonies or weird daisies.
This would make a great gift for a gardener or just someone who likes pretty books. show less

Cut Flower Garden is a wonderfully unique book. It functions as a reference book but is beautiful enough to be displayed on a coffee table. The content is presented with attractive typography, gorgeous photography and clear organization by seasons.

I marveled at all the different ways to prepare a cut stem for a vase and I was amazed at the huge variety of bountiful blooms -- both unusual and common -- featured throughout the book.

I would have appreciated a few more technical details -- a map show more of the garden’s specific location, labels for the more unusual tools and captions for some of the unlabeled photographs. But aside from that, I found this to be a lovely book and I am inspired to be more bold and creative in my own gardens. show less