A passionate and informed look behind the scenes of the floral industry to discover the amazing and often draining journey flowers now make from seeds and bulbs to our shops, tables and vases.
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PRODUCT INFORMATION
Summary
A passionate and informed look behind the scenes of the floral industry to discover the amazing and often draining journey flowers now make from seeds and bulbs to our shops, tables and vases.
Description
A green-fingered gardener, Amy Stewart has always delighted in the sight of freshly cut flowers, but she grew increasingly curious and uneasy about the journey those flowers take to reach her bouquet. In Gilding the Lily Stewart introduces us to the people, places and plants that make up this multi-million pound industry, from a lily grower in the American Northwest, to the rose fields of Ecuador and the tulip greenhouses in Holland. Gilding the Lily is a page-turning enquiry into the controversial practices that lie behind each bloom, including the treatment of the workers in the fields and greenhouses, the issue of patenting and the use of pesticides, and the financial forces that drive the quest for the 'perfect' flower. It is also a wonderful story about the romance and the reality of growing and cultivating flowers.
Critic Reviews
Revealing on how your supermarket roses get to you, why they don't smell anymore, and other controversial practices Bookseller
Stewart does an admirable job ... some first- rate reportage -- Charles Elliott Literary Review
I also heartily recommend Amy Stewart's very readable book, Gilding the Lily, wherein she inquires extensively into the world of commercial flower growing: including matters such as worker conditions, air miles, plant breeding, patenting, pesticides, and the reason why flowers don't smell any more -- Jane Powers Irish Times
It is interesting to learn of ancient concerns about the distorting effects of flower production -- Geoff Simons Morning Star
An informative guide to the global cut flower trade Amateur Gardening
Amy Stewart goes inside the cut flower business ... and reveals the stories behind the world's favourite lily and the search for a blue rose Choice Magazine
One of the quirkiest books of the last quarter Oldie
About the Author
Amy Stewart is a garden columnist who lives in California, where she writes for Organic Gardening, the San Francisco Chronicle, and others.
A green-fingered gardener, Amy Stewart has always delighted in the sight of freshly cut flowers, but she grew increasingly curious and uneasy about the journey those flowers take to reach her bouquet. In Gilding the Lily Stewart introduces us to the people, places and plants that make up this multi-million pound industry, from a lily grower in the American Northwest, to the rose fields of Ecuador and the tulip greenhouses in Holland. Gilding the Lily is a page-turning enquiry into the controversial practices that lie behind each bloom, including the treatment of the workers in the fields and greenhouses, the issue of patenting and the use of pesticides, and the financial forces that drive the quest for the 'perfect' flower. It is also a wonderful story about the romance and the reality of growing and cultivating flowers.
Product Details
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