Flower lovers are spoilt for choice these days when it comes to content. With all the websites that have beautiful pictures of flowers and all the information you could possibly want to know, you’re never more than a mouse click away from looking at all the flowers your heart desires.
And yet there’s something about a book; it might be because the quality of images is higher, or that you’re able to hold it in your hands, but regardless, if you love flowers then it’s probably safe to say that you love looking at flower books.
The problem with books is that they cost money and if you’re like most people, money is finite! So if you can’t have them all, you have to be very selective about which books you buy.
This can be a harder task than you may think. Not all the books published are of equal quality and not all will be your cup of tea.
So we’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you and have found some of the best books for flower lovers. All the below books are great, but they’re all a bit different, so no matter your taste, you’ll find something just for you.
Here are the best books for flower lovers in no particular order…
Flowers Every Day by Florence Kennedy
Florence Kennedy is most well known for running London florist Petalon Flowers, and for her popular Instagram account. However, since 2017 she has furthered her reputation with the publication of her book Flowers Every Day.
This is a wonderful book for those who not only enjoy looking at flowers, but also want to learn how to create arrangements themselves. You’ll find the book is broken up into four main sections (one section for each season), with each section full of projects for you to attempt.
Color Me Floral by Kiana Underwood
Kiana Underwood is the floral artist behind New York based Tulipina, a floral design studio that specialises in ultra-luxury weddings and events. She also runs one of the most popular floral Instagram accounts with close to 350,000 followers.
So it’s no surprise that her book Color Me Floral, is also fantastic. Where it differs from the other books in this list is that it focuses on monochromatic arrangements. You’ll learn how to create 40 arrangements that can be tackled by beginners and experts alike.
Seasonal Floral Arranging by Ariella Chezar
Ariella Chezar is a floral designer whose work has been featured at the White House and whose work involves weddings, events, farming and teaching. She also runs a popular Instagram account with close to 70,000 followers.
Her book Seasonal Flower Arranging provides step-by-step guides on how to create 39 different arrangements. Whether you’re looking to create something really bold or just something from the flowers you have at hand, this is another book to consider adding to your collection.
Peonies by Jane Eastoe
UK based Jane Eastoe is an author and journalist with over 30 years of experience and over a dozen books under her belt. It’s her most recent effort that we’re most concerned with here; Peonies.
Published in 2018, this book is a must have for peony lovers. It provides the reader with all you could ever want to know about the flower as well as featuring lots of beautiful photos by Georgianna Lane.
Paris in Bloom by Georgianna Lane
Author and photographer Georgianna Lane has been involved with 7 books (see how many of hers can be found in this list) and is particularly well known for her books featuring the flowers of London, New York and Paris.
While it was a hard choice, we’ve chosen her Paris in Bloom book for this list. Inside you’ll be taken on a floral tour of Paris; from the flower markets, to spectacular trees by the Seine as well as some of Paris’ beautiful public gardens. Anyone who appreciates flowers will enjoy this book, but for Paris lovers this is an absolute must see.
Visit Site: http://georgiannalane.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgiannalane/
The Posy Book by Teresa Sabankaya
Teresa Sabankaya is a California based floral designer who is happy to admit that she’s obsessed with floriography (the Victorian language of flowers).
In The Posy Book, you’ll get an in-depth look at the language of flowers and how to create your own small bouquets that convey hidden messages. Some people even think of them as “floral poems”, so if the idea of using flowers to send secret messages sounds fun to you, then you’ll love this book.
Visit site: https://teresasabankaya.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teresasabankaya/
The Art of Wearable Flowers by Susan McCleary
Michigan based floral designer Susan Mcleary discovered her passion for everything flowers when asked to handle the flowers at a friend’s wedding. Years later, she runs her own floral studio and recently published her first book; The Art of Wearable Flowers.
As the name suggests, this book is about designing floral accessories that you can wear. You’ll learn 40 ways to create your own accessories; from rings to headpieces. Each guide has all the steps and photos needed to make the creation process simple.
Visit site: https://susanmcleary.com/
The Flower Fix – Anna Potter
Anna Potter is the person behind Sheffield based florist Swallows & Damson. Boasting close to 200,000 followers on her Instagram account, it’s not surprising to learn that her book The Flower Fix, has also become popular too.
In this book you’ll find 26 modern arrangements that you can use to decorate your home. Whether you want to put together something simple or something a little more substantial, this book has something for you. And all arrangements come with plenty of step-by-step instructions so you can follow along even if you’re a novice.
Visit site: http://www.swallowsanddamsons.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swallowsanddamsons/
On Flowers by Amy Merrick
Amy Merrick is a floral designer from London with a large following on Instagram. Her book appears at first glance to be about flower arranging, but once you start to read the book it becomes apparent that there’s more going on here than meets the eye.
While learning how to turn supermarket flowers into beautiful arrangements or finding ways to use flowers found on your streets, you’ll also be taken on a journey around the world of flowers. If you like stories as much as you like flowers then On Flowers is a must have.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy_merrick/?hl=en
Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden by Erin Benzakein
Erin Benzakein, from Washington (state), is known as one of America’s leading “farmer-florists”; a term that describes someone who not only designs floral arrangements but also farms the flowers that make them up. She runs Floret Flowers and has a huge Instagram following.
While her book A Year in Flowers focuses on flower arranging, Cut Flower Garden focuses more on the farming side of things and provides a different perspective on flowers to many other books. They’re both great, however, so you can’t go wrong with either.
Visit site: https://www.floretflowers.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floretflower/
Handpicked by Ingrid Carozzi
Ingrid Carozzi runs the Brooklyn based floral design studio Tin Can Studios and is one of the leaders of the sustainable floral design movement.
Her book, Handpicked, provides really detailed instructions on how to make more than 35 sustainable arrangements yourself. If you are interested in the sustainable floral design movement then you can’t go past this book.
Visit site: https://tincanstudiosbk.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tincanstudios/?hl=en
Foraged Flora by Louesa Roebuck
Louesa Roebuck is a floral designer from California and the author of Foraged Flora, which is a slightly different take on flower arranging. The point of difference is that you’ll learn to make arrangements using local and foraged flowers.
As stated by the publisher: “Foraged Flora is an invitation to seek out the beauty of the natural world”. If that sounds like your thing then this is another excellent book for your home.
Visit site: http://www.louesaroebuck.com/
Design by Nature by Erica Tanov
Erica Tanov is a little unusual in this list of authors as she’s a clothing and textile designer rather than a floral designer. The eclectic range of products on her website demonstrate this; yet that makes her no less deserving of a place here.
Her book, Design by Nature, might not be strictly about flowers, but flowers do feature strongly in the book that will provide lots of inspiration for anyone wanting to incorporate nature into their home.
Visit site: https://shop.ericatanov.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericatanov/
Cultivated by Christin Geall
Christin Geall, while being an accomplished floral designer, prefers to think of herself as a writer who grows, designs and photographs flowers.
Cultivated does a great job of covering all areas of floral design; from selecting materials to use, using color and even how to go about selling arrangements. But stopping the description there would be selling the book short; what really sets this book apart is the way it draws on the fine arts to take the arrangements to another level.
Visit site: http://www.cultivatedbychristin.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cultivatedbychristin/?hl=en
Slow Flowers by Debra Prinzing
Debra Prinzing is a Seattle based writer who is a leading advocate for American grown flowers, as well as the slow flower movement. So it’s not a surprise to learn that her book is focused around slow flowers.
Most of us know what slow food is, but few know about slow flowers. Something Prinzing hopes to change with her book. In the book, you’ll get to follow along with 52 different tutorials all made from locally sourced flowers and other ingredients.
Visit site: https://www.debraprinzing.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dkprinzing/?hl=en
Everyday Water Colors by Jenna Rainey
Jenna Rainey is an artist, designer and entrepreneur who has as her goal to show you that you too can be creative.
Her book is a little different to many of the others in this list because it’s not just for flower lovers; it’s also for people who want to learn how to paint flowers. And while the focus might be on painting, any flower lover would get something out of this book, even if they can barely draw a circle.
Visit site: https://jennarainey.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennarainey/
Just Add Water by Cynthia Gaylin Bigony
Florida based Cynthia Gaylin Bigony is a self taught floral designer who published her first book Just Add Water in April 2020.
In it, you’ll learn some of her more fundamental techniques, as well as step-by-step instructions for more than 20 different arrangements that are as simple as they are eye catching.
Flowers Every Day by Paula Pryke
Paula Pryke is one of the UKs most well known florists. She is also a prolific author, having written 18 books in the field.
While we could have selected a number of her books for this list, we chose Everyday Flowers because it’s accessible to just about anyone and is a book that anyone interested in flower arranging would enjoy.
Visit site: http://www.paulapryke.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulapryke/?hl=en
A Tree in the House by Annabelle Hickson
Annabelle Hickson is a writer and photographer who lives near the border of NSW and Queensland. Her book, A Tree in the House, was published in 2019 and contains lots of information on flower arranging for beginners.
That said, there’s plenty of inspiration to be had from this book if you’re not a novice, so if you’re a lover of flowers or just all things pretty, this is another book that you’ll want to curl up with on the couch.
Visit site: https://www.annabellehickson.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabellehickson/?hl=en
Flowersmith by Jennifer Tran
Jennifer Tran is a flowersmith and founder of Papetal. What makes her book, Flowersmith, a bit different is that the focus isn’t on real flowers but instead on paper flowers. These aren’t the paper flowers you may have made in primary school; these are flowers that are much more realistic.
The book contains more than 30 tutorials, as well as templates that you can use to get started. Definitely very interesting and something that flower lovers will appreciate.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_papetal_/
Inspire – Willow Crossley
Willow Crossley is a floral designer and writer based in West Oxfordshire. She is also the author of four books, but the one we’ve decided to feature here is Inspire: The Art of Living with Nature.
In it, you’ll learn about how to create arrangements you can decorate your house with. Where it’s a little different is the focus on materials both from stores as well as beaches or flowers that are in your garden, which can be a lot of fun.
Visit site: https://willowcrossley.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willowcrossleycreates/?hl=en
The Complete Language of Flowers by S. Theresa Dietz
Floriography isn’t a strange subject to us; after all, we have our own guide on the topic. However, there’s only so much we can fit into an online guide. So if you’re after a more detailed look at the language of flowers, then The Complete Language of Flowers could be for you.
It’s considered a definitive guide on the topic, with definitions for over 1,000 different flowers. The book also goes into the historic meanings of the flowers, so you won’t be short on information either.
Flowerpedia by Cheralyn Darcey
Cheralyn Darcey calls herself The Magickal Gardener and a botanical alchemist from the Central Coast of NSW. Her book, Flowerpaedia, is like an encyclopedia of flowers. It has over 1,000 entries so whatever your favourite flower, you’re likely to find it here.
As well as images, the book goes into the correct botanical name, as well as the meaning of the flower so you can convey certain feelings with your flowers. It also goes into the spiritual side of flowers, so if you’re open to those kinds of ideas then this book could be for you.
Visit site: https://www.cheralyndarcey.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheralyn/
William Morris’ Flowers by Rowan Bain
William Morris was a leading figure of the arts and crafts movement in the 19th century. This isn’t a book by Morris, instead it’s a collection of his designs that incorporated flowers put together by Rowan Bain, senior curator at the William Morris Gallery in London.
So while this book might not be for lovers of “real” flowers, if you love flowers and artwork containing flowers, then you’ll probably love this book.
The Bauers by H. Walter Lack
The Bauer brothers were three botanical artists from Austria. While each found success as artists, the reason for adding this particular book to this list is that one of the brothers, Ferdinand, travelled around Australia and created the first detailed account of the natural history on this continent.
Put together by Professor H. Walter Lack of the Free University in Berlin, this book is chock full of illustrations of the flora & fauna of this land. This will particularly appeal to flower lovers who also have an appreciation for art and history. One quick look at the art work and you’ll know whether this is a book you need or not.
One Hundred Flowers by Harold Feinstein
Harold Feinstein was a renowned photographer from New York City who was most well known for capturing scenes from the streets of his city. His work capturing the people of New York is not the reason we’re listing this book, however.
In One Hundred Flowers, the focus is solely on flowers. The book offers what it says on the cover, with detailed images of exactly 100 flowers. If highly detailed pictures of flowers is what you desire then it’s hard to go past this book.
Visit site: https://www.haroldfeinstein.com/
Veranda: The Romance of Flowers by Clinton Smith
While editor at lifestyle and interior design magazine, Veranda, Clinton Smith created Veranda: The Romance of Flowers to highlight some of the most amazing floral designs ever featured in the magazine.
While there are some simple arrangements shown, the focus is on fancier designs in this book. If you’re someone who enjoys the best then you’ll definitely enjoy this book.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrclintsmith/?hl=en
The Flower Expert by Fleur McHarg
Fellow Melburnian and floral designer Fleur McHarg has over 25 years of experience in designing floral arrangements and focuses on weddings and other events. Her book The Flower Expert demonstrates how to create the type of arrangements she’s well known for.
In the book you’ll learn how to create different arrangements according to her own philosophy. One interesting point is that you’ll also learn why some arrangements work while others don’t; this can be obvious, yet hard to explain so I’m glad this topic is covered here.
Visit site: http://www.fleurs.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestudiobyfleur/?hl=en
Flowers by Carolyn Roehm
Carolyn Roehm is a designer based in New York with several decades of experience. While she is known for several things, in Flowers, Roehm focuses on photos of flowers from her own gardens.
This isn’t a book about arranging flowers or creating fancy floral designs; this is a book purely for flower lovers. If that’s you, then you’ll love the more than 300 images of flowers taken just at the right moment.
Visit site: https://carolyneroehm.com/
The Flower Recipe Book by Alethea Harampolis & Jill Rizzo
The two women from Studio Choo, a floral design studio based on both coasts in the US, have put together a book that shows off their unique style.
In The Flower Recipe Book, you’ll learn from 40 tutorials how to put together various arrangements; varying from simple to the ornate. Each tutorial has all the instructions you need if you’re a beginner, but some of them are challenging enough to interest the more advanced designer as well.
Visit site: https://studiochoo.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiochoo/?hl=en
Dahlias by Naomi Slade
Naomi Slade is a woman who wears several hats; journalist, author, designer and consultant. She also has four books under her belt, but the one we’ve decided to feature here is Dahlias: Beautiful Varieties for Home & Garden.
If you’re a fan of dahlias then this book will be hard to pass up. It contains plenty of information on dahlias in general, but where it really shines for enthusiasts is all the details on growing all sorts of different varieties, even if you live in a colder climate.
Visit site: http://www.naomislade.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naomisladegardening/
Final Thoughts
So that’s our complete list of the best books for flower lovers. I hope you’ll find something there that really tickles your fancy.
Did we leave out your favourite flower book?
Is there another book that deserves a place on the list?
If so, let us know in the comments!
Ludmila Fedorovitch
July 7, 2020 at 4:14 pmThere are so many wonderful books in this list. My favourite is The Flower Expert. Looks like I will need to update my library again!