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Martha's Flowers, Deluxe Edition: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering, and Enjoying
The essential resource from Martha Stewart, with expert advice and lessons on gardening and making the most of your spectacular blooms
Martha Stewart's lifelong love of flowers began at a young age, as she dug in and planted alongside her father in their family garden, growing healthy, beautiful blooms, every year. The indispensable lessons she learned then--and those she has since picked up from master gardeners--form the best practices she applies to her voluminous flower gardens today. For the first time, she compiles the wisdom of a lifetime spent gardening into a practical yet inspired book. Learn how and when to plant, nurture, and at the perfect time, cut from your garden. With lush blooms in hand, discover how to build stunning arrangements. Accompanied by beautiful photographs of displays in Martha's home, bursting with ideas, and covering every step from seed to vase, Martha's Flowers is a must-have handbook for flower gardeners and enthusiasts of all skill levels.
Martha Stewart's lifelong love of flowers began at a young age, as she dug in and planted alongside her father in their family garden, growing healthy, beautiful blooms, every year. The indispensable lessons she learned then--and those she has since picked up from master gardeners--form the best practices she applies to her voluminous flower gardens today. For the first time, she compiles the wisdom of a lifetime spent gardening into a practical yet inspired book. Learn how and when to plant, nurture, and at the perfect time, cut from your garden. With lush blooms in hand, discover how to build stunning arrangements. Accompanied by beautiful photographs of displays in Martha's home, bursting with ideas, and covering every step from seed to vase, Martha's Flowers is a must-have handbook for flower gardeners and enthusiasts of all skill levels.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 9, 2018
67 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Martha Stewart
456 books572 followersMartha Helen Stewart is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, merchandising and e-commerce. She has written numerous bestselling books, was the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine and hosted two syndicated television programs: Martha Stewart Living, which ran from 1993 to 2004, and The Martha Stewart Show, which ran from 2005 to 2012.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the incident would effectively end her media empire, but in 2005 Stewart began a comeback campaign and her company returned to profitability in 2006. Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011 and became chairwoman of her namesake company again in 2012. The company was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015. Sequential Brands Group agreed in April 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked additional payments.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the incident would effectively end her media empire, but in 2005 Stewart began a comeback campaign and her company returned to profitability in 2006. Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011 and became chairwoman of her namesake company again in 2012. The company was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015. Sequential Brands Group agreed in April 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked additional payments.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 12, 2018
This book came to me on a dreary winter day, and it sure brought a smile to my face, and the more I perused the pages the happier I became. The book is cocked full of beautiful pictures of flowers, and I sure can’t wait for spring.
While Martha is planning her seventh garden, she has inspired me to try a few different plants, with all the information she has provided, such as the zones that the plants thrive in, and the soil needed to have success.
Even if you never want to plant and garden this book is chocked full of beautiful photos that will captivate you, and I find myself going back for more, and having it my coffee table captures the eyes of my friends.
I received this book through Blogging For Books, and was not required to give a positive review.
While Martha is planning her seventh garden, she has inspired me to try a few different plants, with all the information she has provided, such as the zones that the plants thrive in, and the soil needed to have success.
Even if you never want to plant and garden this book is chocked full of beautiful photos that will captivate you, and I find myself going back for more, and having it my coffee table captures the eyes of my friends.
I received this book through Blogging For Books, and was not required to give a positive review.
April 8, 2018
From Martha Stewart comes "Martha's Flowers: Growing and Arranging My Favorite Blooms"--an exquisite and expansive exploration of the floral world. Along with fabulous photos, growing and gardening tips, and the perfect tools to use, Martha shares personal insights into her love of flowers. Contributor Kevin Sharkey offers valuable advice for creating uniquely lovely floral arrangements that range from supremely simple to stunningly spectacular. Decorate your home and garden and add color and beauty to your own world with "Martha's Flowers".
Book Copy Gratis Clarkson Potter Publishers via Blogging for Books
Book Copy Gratis Clarkson Potter Publishers via Blogging for Books
March 4, 2018
Exquisite pictures and very useful information on plant care. Truly a beautiful book!
March 9, 2025
A fun tour through Martha's gardening history and love of flowers. Love all the pictures and variety.
February 26, 2022
Doesn’t matter what you think of Martha, the celebrity. This is one gorgeous coffee-table book, and one that is just as practical as it is inspiring. Even if you are the average Northeast gardener who can’t get reliable bloom out of a Hydrangea macrophylla or Azalea - two of the species-focused chapters - there are lots of other woody shrubs and herbaceous perennials featured here that deliver the most vase-worthy of cut flowers. And what she (actually her designer Kevin) does with them in the many flower arrangements pictured is to die for. Garden Porn of the highest order. And that’s a good thing.
October 24, 2020
Heavenly.
March 27, 2018
About the Book:
A rare glimpse into Martha Stewart's personal gardens, this book features her very favorite blooms and will include everything you need to know, from cultivation to display, with instructions for successfully growing flowers and arranging them, along with practical tips, foolproof techniques, and plenty of inspiration from Martha's own homes.
Gardening has long been a favorite pasttime of Martha Stewart. Having grown up working in the yard with her father, a master gardener, she relished the moment when she would be able to have her very own garden--and has since owned, loved, and developed six additional gardens, one of which is also a farm. In Martha's Flowers, she brings you into her personal gardens, walking you through rows and rows of tulips, daffodils, peonies, poppies, hydrangeas, dahlias, and more, while sharing stories of what these flowers mean to her.
She also invites Kevin Sharkey, a longtime Martha Stewart Living editor and dear friend, to teach how to beautifully arrange these flowers yourself. In the back of the book, she includes a helpful, hardworking list of tools and vessels that are good to have, information on how to plan a cutting garden, and a tutorial on forcing branches. Martha's Flowers is one of Martha's most intimate books ever, and the authoritative advice included will make this a must-have for every gardener and flower enthusiast.
My Review:
I absolutely love flowers. They are the best creation since sliced bread to me. I think they are beautiful and if they smell heavenly than that is just icing on the cake. I love having a bouquet of fresh cut flowers to look at, every day. They just make me smile.
The beloved Martha Stewart has come to our homes for years and brought us numerous things in the way of decorating or providing food for our homes. She is the ultimate entertainer, so I knew that this book would be nothing short of fabulous.
With fantastic full color pictures, she takes us on a very upscale vision of flowers and gardening. She tells us how to grow some of the most beautiful bouquets known to man. I loved the rich display and the tons of information she provides. This book is rather large so I will definitely use it as a coffee table book. It is perfection!
**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
A rare glimpse into Martha Stewart's personal gardens, this book features her very favorite blooms and will include everything you need to know, from cultivation to display, with instructions for successfully growing flowers and arranging them, along with practical tips, foolproof techniques, and plenty of inspiration from Martha's own homes.
Gardening has long been a favorite pasttime of Martha Stewart. Having grown up working in the yard with her father, a master gardener, she relished the moment when she would be able to have her very own garden--and has since owned, loved, and developed six additional gardens, one of which is also a farm. In Martha's Flowers, she brings you into her personal gardens, walking you through rows and rows of tulips, daffodils, peonies, poppies, hydrangeas, dahlias, and more, while sharing stories of what these flowers mean to her.
She also invites Kevin Sharkey, a longtime Martha Stewart Living editor and dear friend, to teach how to beautifully arrange these flowers yourself. In the back of the book, she includes a helpful, hardworking list of tools and vessels that are good to have, information on how to plan a cutting garden, and a tutorial on forcing branches. Martha's Flowers is one of Martha's most intimate books ever, and the authoritative advice included will make this a must-have for every gardener and flower enthusiast.
My Review:
I absolutely love flowers. They are the best creation since sliced bread to me. I think they are beautiful and if they smell heavenly than that is just icing on the cake. I love having a bouquet of fresh cut flowers to look at, every day. They just make me smile.
The beloved Martha Stewart has come to our homes for years and brought us numerous things in the way of decorating or providing food for our homes. She is the ultimate entertainer, so I knew that this book would be nothing short of fabulous.
With fantastic full color pictures, she takes us on a very upscale vision of flowers and gardening. She tells us how to grow some of the most beautiful bouquets known to man. I loved the rich display and the tons of information she provides. This book is rather large so I will definitely use it as a coffee table book. It is perfection!
**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
September 4, 2018
An excellent read. I have love for Martha as an educator, and respect for her as an entrepreneur, and she does not disappoint here. This book is gorgeous and informative.
I found Stewart's book appealing and interesting to read about how her perspective on gardening has changed as she's grown older. It was also interesting to see how she adapted what she could and could not successfully grow at each of her homes (obviously, this is not something most can do!)
While beautifully photographed, the real perk of this book are the sections on growing and arranging. The techniques she shares, like the "no dig" method are certainly worth trying. She organizes the book by season and flower. There aren't a lot of flowers covered, but the ones she does do, she does in-depth.
I would've liked more advice on the gardener's common conundrum: how to cut enough to make a beautiful, full arrangement, while leaving enough so that your outdoor garden doesn't look bare. Her solution is to simply plant more, but for the gardener with a more modest garden, that's not really an option!
Overall, a really enjoyable read, and I may have to spring for a non-library version of the book!
I found Stewart's book appealing and interesting to read about how her perspective on gardening has changed as she's grown older. It was also interesting to see how she adapted what she could and could not successfully grow at each of her homes (obviously, this is not something most can do!)
While beautifully photographed, the real perk of this book are the sections on growing and arranging. The techniques she shares, like the "no dig" method are certainly worth trying. She organizes the book by season and flower. There aren't a lot of flowers covered, but the ones she does do, she does in-depth.
I would've liked more advice on the gardener's common conundrum: how to cut enough to make a beautiful, full arrangement, while leaving enough so that your outdoor garden doesn't look bare. Her solution is to simply plant more, but for the gardener with a more modest garden, that's not really an option!
Overall, a really enjoyable read, and I may have to spring for a non-library version of the book!
April 8, 2018
I intended to simply take pleasure gazing at the photographs of the gorgeous floral arrangements of Martha's flowers, but I actually read this book cover to cover! Perusing the chapter titles, I am reminded of all of the flowers I would like to add to my garden (especially if we add protective fencing) having read about Martha's gardens: more tulips, more lilacs, giant alliums (Michael's favorite), more clematis, more hydrangea, more lilies, more sunflowers. But I would also like to add some of the "supporting cast" flowers featured in this lovely book: more bleeding hearts, more viburnum, some sweet william, hellebore, wood hyacinths, smoke bush, snapdragons, columbine, more foxglove, lupine, zinnias and dahlias, paper lanterns, etc. This book discusses all aspects of growing, harvesting, and arranging flowers from the garden. It includes beautiful photographs of some inspiring arrangements; for example, giant alliums posed in candlesticks! Much to emulate! Eager to get started, though we are still having snow flurries here in Ohio on April 8!
June 15, 2018
Horti-porn at its finest! This is a beautifully produced coffee table book of flower arrangements. The flowers were all grown on one of Stewart's many rural properties and arranged by her flower-arranging guru Kevin Sharkey. The flowers are fabulous as are the arrangements but knowing a bit about flower arranging myself it's obvious that many of the arrangements would wilt within a few hours. I also found myself wondering where all these many arrangements are displayed. Stewart owns several properties but these thousands and thousands of flowers deserve to be appreciated. What does she do with all those flowers? As usual, her collections of vases and flower arranging equipment is mind-boggling. Comparable to beautiful sandcastles but requiring a great deal more real estate, fertilizer and water.
June 14, 2018
A beautifully printed book focusing on seasonal flower arrangements using flowers grown in Martha Stewart's garden. With advice on growing, gathering and displaying (or as she says "enjoying.") Kevin Sharkey seems to be her head gardener, but picture "staff" just for the acreage. When you plant bulbs they are by the thousands. I thought the information on the plants and the needs of basic flowers like roses, peonies, and dahlias. She skips over hostas even though they do flower. There is a large section on delphiniums, a notoriously difficult flower to work with on a yearly basis. It was fascinating to see the varied vases, mostly vintage, and I think that Sharkey, who does the arrangements, has a good eye for the total effect.
March 12, 2018
Just in time for Spring, this book arrived at my door. True to any publication Martha Stewart has put out, this is a grade A book with thick, silky pages and glossy photos. Separated into seasonal sections, she shares tips for planting, growing, cutting and arranging flowers and includes stunning, full-page photographs that would make this book worthy of sitting on the finest coffee tables. This is a beautiful resource to add to your collection if you enjoy flowers.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
April 1, 2018
Would that I could have my own personal floral arranger. As well as the acreage for growing the most beautiful and bountiful flowers imaginable. I am also enthralled with her collection of vessels for displaying the arrangements. This is a gorgeous book that I could page through daily to improve my mood and wash away any stress from my mind and muscles. Martha offers all the advice and direction you will need for preparing beds, fertilizing, harvesting and displaying your blooms. Enjoy this book or give it to your best friend as a gift.
July 28, 2018
Since I already have an abundance of gardening books I borrowed this title first from my library to see if it was worth owning and making space for on my shelves. It provides two critical elements - actual practical advice and visual delight - to justify purchasing. As a result, the copy I have in hand is being returned to the library and I have ordered one. This practice, which I began later in life than I should have, has saved me countless disappointments both with gardening books and cookbooks and has happily left me with shelf space for those “must own” titles.
June 7, 2021
I received this book a few years ago and waited all this time to "read" it. The photography is amazing and I have learned quite a few tips about growing most of the flowers in my garden. I'm looking forward to continuing to use it and experimenting with other types of flowers as the Summer continues. My only complaint is that the book is so large and heavy I can't see myself using it as my go-to reference book but it makes a beautiful coffee table book.
July 5, 2018
Martha Stewart runs through the growing season chronologically, talking about her favorite flowers to grow and to use in arrangements, from daffodils to dahlias. She also gives details on various ways to hold flowers in place, vases and other objects that can be used as vases...all illustrated with really gorgeous photos of arrangements. I'm glad I treated myself to this one.
August 30, 2018
It looks like a gorgeous coffee table book, and it is, but it's also filled with expert advice on caring for roses, peonies, lilies, dahlias, bulbs et al. No, I'll never grow delphiniums in humid Virginia, and my flower arranging consists of thrusting flowers into a jam jar, but it's still lovely to dream. And I've made notes on when and what to feed, which I often neglect.
April 6, 2018
Beautiful with interesting arrangements. Great info on the flowers.
I really could have done without Martha’s comments. Sheesh...
I really could have done without Martha’s comments. Sheesh...
May 9, 2018
If you love flowers, you'll drool all over this book! Fantastic flower combinations, gorgeous colours and arrangements, photographed to perfection. A feast for the eyes.
May 10, 2018
Gorgeous photos and interesting arrangements. The text is average, a lovely coffee table book.
July 1, 2018
Visually stunning and rich with information.
July 11, 2018
Stunning photography and good cultural and care guide for someone looking to start a cutting garden or use their existing plants for cutting.
September 14, 2018
I learned so much about growing my favorite flowers. The photography and writing were very relaxing.
November 30, 2018
The photography’s so strong you can practically smell the flowers! Gorgeous plants, great tips, gorgeous layout. A pleasure for the senses.
December 6, 2018
Lovely photos and ideas/tips!
July 15, 2021
I need this book for my future home. Martha is lit.
July 20, 2021
I preferred Floret Farms’ A Year In Flowers.
June 1, 2022
Beautiful. Creative. Luxurious.
August 11, 2022
Some really great ideas and info about gardening, arranging, etc.
March 21, 2023
Lovely book with gorgeous arrangement pictures..
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews