The Flower Expert: Ideas and Inspiration for a Life With Flowers

by Fleur McHarg

Celebrity florist Fleur McHarg showcases how to create floral designs for every occasion and provides inspiration for a life with flowers.  Fleur McHarg has cultivated a lifelong obsession with flowers, their colors, shapes and, uses. Guided by the wisdom of Constance Spry, the trailblazing twentieth- century florist, McHarg believes in letting flowers be the stars of the show by working with the natural shape of a flower or branch. With more than twenty-five years of experience in creating unique floral arrangements for every kind of event imaginable, McHarg demonstrates how breathtaking floral displays are created. Her astute flower philosophy reveals her unique synesthetic take on color and the personalities of each flower. She explains why certain arrangements work while others don’t, offers tips on color selection and color blending, and reveals her favorite flowers to use for each occasion. Through McHarg’s guidance and color inspiration readers learn how to showcase flowers for startling impact. The Flower Expert is a stunning celebration of color and the artistry behind contemporary and classic floral arrangement styles. Color illustrations throughout

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2019

Reviews

[Hannah Millen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good intro to floristry and the world of flowers. Little bit humble brag -y but as informative as you would expect from a book like this. Beautiful photographs and imagery!

[Samantha Gossard Dykstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great inspiration for florists and flower-lovers. The different arrangements and Fleur McHarg’s style is singular. It’s a bit braggy, but hey, when you’re one of the best…

One thing that stuck with me, and is a huge theme of the book, is her take on color. She (strongly) employs traditional color theory but actually writes off completely some usual conventions of it. There is a lot of wisdom, but take her absolutist tone with a grain of salt. She discusses in her introduction that she has synesthesia - which has given her an incredible gift in color and perspective on life. But that neurospicy-ness she has means her brain will literally not allow her to “accept” certain color combinations. Which is awesome! But, it doesn’t mean it has to be a rule for everyone, like she implies. I’d more follow her frequent advice to take your cue from nature - where flowers grow together in a wild meadow in all sorts of colors.

I’m a hobby florist, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt, too. I learned quite a bit from this book and certainly drew inspiration from the gorgeous photos.

[Jade · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to laugh at how appalling this book was.

The author is up herself in the most hilarious way (an adult bragging about her school results, she has all these famous clients she’s chosen not to name, she’s in most of the photos, etc) but some of the images are nice.

I don’t understand why there wasn’t a single botanical name in the whole book, though.

[Annie Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book it was the cover that caught my eye. The images are beautiful and Fleur has a definite style to her work. A very talented lady. I would have liked for the paper of the book to be of a glossier type but I still thoroughly enjoyed all the hints and tips Fleur included.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such beautiful pictures and flowers...always amazed and happy for people who are able to have this be their profession and passion..

[Sarah Alston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is how I imagine learning about flower arrangements! So many beautiful pictures and useful, short pieces of advice.

[Jackie Cesanek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautifully presented and well written. It is so visually appealing that I loved it. It was less technical than I expected but still a good read.

[Marianne Mersereau · Rating 4 out of 5]

How fun to read a book about flowers written by someone named Fleur! The author explains that this naming was not intentional, but that the influence may have been a subconscious one as she did fall in love with flowers at a very young age and they've been her life-long obsession. It is her obsession with them that makes this book so delightful!