'Flower Shop' is a quick cure for winter blues

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'Flower Shop' is a quick cure for winter blues

by Jacqueline

January 11, 2008

Yesterday I was blathering away about winter blahs and wanting to curl up with a cup of tea and a good book. Apparently, flower blog has some sort of speed-dial link to the Universe because today it’s sunny and warm, (supposed to be in the 70s over the weekend) and I came across a very cool book that every flower lover should own.

It’s called “The Flower Shop: A Year in the Life of a Country Flower Shop” ($34.95, 1-800-841-0873, halffullpress.com) by Sally Page and it’s exactly that – a window into the everyday goings-on in a small shop in England.

I’ve really fallen in love with this book. The photos are great, and Sally’s writing style is charming and chatty. She describes customers and co-workers (even what kind of tea and cake they like) and you almost feel like you’re part of the team as they buy flowers, create arrangements and work on holiday and seasonal projects.

For each month, Sally shares flower-shop secrets. This is January’s: When you trim the bottom of a hyacinth leave as much of the bulbous stem attached as you can, something within this part of the plant helps the hyacinth stay strong and straight. And as the fragrance of the hyacinth gets stronger the older it gets be careful not to throw them away too soon.

Also: Hyacinths are poisonous and it is quite common to end up with a rash on your hands and face if you are not careful when handling them.

So, now I have my weekend reading material, but it looks like my tea will be iced and I’ll be sitting on my balcony, soaking up the rays. (Don’t kill me if you just came in from scraping ice off your car!)

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Comments

Shirley | Reply
January 15, 2008

The book sounds delightful. Will have to check it out--thank you !

Sally Page | Reply
January 17, 2008

It was lovely to read your comments about my book on your US blog. It really cheered me up on a wet and rainy day in January! I am now off to visit the flower shop (and stop for a cup of tea) as I need to pick up flowers for a weekend get together we are holding for a number of florists from all over england. They are to be featured in my next book 'Friends and Flower Shops' which records a year's journey around 12 gorgeous english flower shops. I would be really interested to hear whether you think this would also appeal to US readers. kind regards Sally Page