Great inspirational book for florists and gardeners! I loved the simple layout and detailed instructions.

A surprisingly thorough reference, Flower Philosophy is the comprehensive book you didn’t even know you needed. In a world that strives for perfection, the book fully embraces imperfections and takes the stress out of the subject. The author does a lovely job of explaining without dictating or being preachy. Her delightful demeanor and way with words are as comforting as the subject matter in which she speaks. In truth, the book more inspires than commands, allowing the reader to embrace their own wants and ideals, giving them the freedom to truly create a product of their choosing.

The photography also truly shines, making this book not only a delight to read but an absolute pleasure to look upon. The arrangements are breathtaking but are not the stereotypical, cliche arrangements typically found in the mainstream.

The only negative that can be said about this ebook is that its beauty cannot be fully appreciated on a phone. If you are going to purchase this, the physical copy or on a tablet would be best.

Beautiful book! I love the gorgeous photos and approach to floral artistry that is presented. It is great for those with a love & appreciation for botanical design!

This book is a beautiful reference book on flower arranging, designs and seasonal trends. I work in set decoration for film and feel this book would come in very handy. I love the modern approach to floral designing in this book. The florals are looked at more for their sculptural elements and arranged in ways to create movement in spaces. The photo series demonstrating how to build these arrangements was super insightful. I also was happy to see the florists tool kit and how to prepare flowers for arrangement included in the book. From a design perspective I would have liked to see more of the instructional photosets on building these arrangements. But I did feel that the book does a good job at providing inspiration and reference.

Wow! This is a stunning book. Full of beautiful photos and instructions to make such stunning designs, but also each project had a story to go with it. I loved this book. I appreciate Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read and review, but it's definitely one I will purchase.

Flower philosophy is a super fun and eclectic book that embraces respecting nature, color balance and personality. I truly enjoyed it. This book has so much more than I expected. There are not tons of designs yet I still feel it opened my eyes in so many ways. Definitely recommend this book it was great and the pictures are beautiful.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early look at this book. This was a gorgeous book full of beautiful photographs with an Instagram meets Old Masters still life painting approach. The text and instructions were clear and well thought out. It's obviously more a showcase than a practical guide, as the last section doesn't give enough instruction for an average person to learn how to make these arrangements. On the page listing tools, under Florist's pot tape, it says (see page 183), and it should be noted there are not that many pages in the book.

I was looking for a book like this, not an instruction manual, but a helpful yet loose set of principles with enough support to get around the basics. I found that ‘Flower Philosophy’ was much more than this, a book that directs but doesn’t prescribe, it inspires but doesn't preach.

While the author reflects on sometimes futile mechanics of our modern lives, she also provides intimate insights into her life and experience and binds it with reflections on nature, culture and philosophy.

Useful tips on how to make seasonal and sustainable flower arrangements are peppered with intriguing concepts like wabi-sabi, a sense of embracing imperfections. I loved how the flower’s character is included in the arrangements, along with a humble notion that there is no way to tame a tulip.

The clear sustainable thread that runs through the book is combined with a more spiritual note, encouraging the reader to look around and find beauty in times when it’s hidden, like in winter.

The beautiful inspirational prose and photos are paired with concrete suggestions on how to make flower arrangements, descriptions of basic equipment and tools as well as insights into specific flowers, their availability and what they combine with.

All in all, ‘Flower Philosophy’ is truly a magnificent book. Many thanks to White Lion Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.

Flower Philosophy by Anna Potter is a gorgeous book with twenty five seasonal arrangement ideas, dream-inducing photography and encouragement to utilize what is available, even parking lot weeds, stems and old twigs. But it is more than "just" arrangements...mindful foraging and picking contribute to therapeutic relaxation and being in tune with the seasons. And you needn't exactly replicate what is found here. You can use the "recipes" as a base for anything you imagine up and personalize. Potter also includes tools needed, prepping information and diagrams.

The spring wreath takes my breath away and the asymmetrical arrangements are artfully put together, looking cottage-y and unregimented which is my style, too. Her use of daffodils is wonderful. Even if you do not create the arrangements in this book (not all are realistic) gleaning information and inspiration is worth it. There is nothing like getting outside and seeing plants differently. As a forager, my mind automatically scours forests and meadows and I like that not every single arrangement here is only flowers. Why not acorns, mosses, nut shells and fungi?

Potter also links pagan concepts with nature which is not my thing but I am enamoured with everything else.

My sincere thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of of this lovely book.

Will I be adding this book to the curriculum? Yes! Flower Philosophy is a gem among floral design books. It has all the elements that make it outstanding, the format, the photographs, and the writing but even how outstanding all of that is the creativity runs strong with Anna Potter. It's absolutely a stunner! I'm left with the feeling after I read some of my favorites for the first time. It felt like an instant classic like when I read The Flower Recipe Book, an Ariella Chezar, or an Erin Benzakein classic.

But she's her own, her own style, her own nuance is very clear on every page. This will be a coffee table book for me and I book that I will recommend to all my students and fellow floral designers. Anna Potter feels very Lady Shallot, organic, in touch with nature in a very authentic way, and absolutely clearly understands the gift of juxtaposition I felt absolute joy after finishing her book. Flowers lift sports but she takes flowers and exalts them to bliss. She feels intuitive, and authentic and has a strong sense of color story. The Sunburst Mandala and the use of dried flowers throughout put her in my wheelhouse of why flowers are not a luxury they are a necessity.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Quarto Publishing (one of my absolute favorite publishers) for the opportunity to read and review this spectacular gem Flower Philosophy by Anna Potter.

What a gorgeous book! The photography is stunning and the project ideas are unique, though most of them are not your typical arrangements or capable for everyone to execute....... one can dream. The project idea I loved the most is titled, "Spring Wardrobe"...I will not spoil it by providing details but I definitely suggest you check it out - a very creative idea, indeed. My other favorite is titled, "Frozen In Time".

Each project is broken out by season with clear step-by-step instructions and large, beautiful photography. The instructions and details are easy to follow. At the end of the book, the author also includes sections explaining "A Florist's Tool Kit", "Choosing & Buying Flowers", "Preparing Flowers", "Basic Methods", "A Balanced Design" and "A Flower Thesaurus". Invaluable information for anyone wanting to give floral arranging a go.

I love flowers and I love floral arrangements, though I don't practice floral arranging myself. I am, however, an artist and I find the photography highly inspirational. This book is a joy to flip through and one I will definitely add to my collection. I highly recommend.

What a delightful, elegant book I stumbled upon! I am feeling completely inspired and wanting to create bouquets and wreaths that fill the eyes and heart with their unique, visual poetry. The photos in this book are truly lovely to behold. Each photo is an artwork, conveying that the author took the time create a thorough book that would delight her readers... and I can appreciate her efforts. As a reader, I DO feel appreciated. Her stories and descriptions are beautifully written and connected with me. I think as time moves forward, our hearts reach for, and hold on to, moments that give us serenity and pleasure and I feel this book washed over me in brilliant tones of soft colors that swirled in my mind with each turn of the page. As I stated earlier, I now want to open my own flower shop and spill the contents of my heart with each flower I touch and wistfully assemble into a thing of unique beauty.

A beautiful book!

Thank you, Anna Potter, for the Advanced Reviewer copy of your stunning book. Happy anticipated publication on Feb 7, 2023! (This review was published on Goodreads & Instagram.)

RATED: 5/5

Flower Philosophy by Anna Potter was strange and creative. The photography was breathtaking and gorgeous. I learned quickly that it was a Constance Spry model arrangement of sorts for the examples. The author gave me a lot to think about such as ; where will my flowers etc come from and how will that affect the world.
The whole thing to me was other worldly.
Thanks Quarto Publishing Group via NetGalley.

This book is beautifully done. The photography is whimsical and artistic and envokes the feelings of each season. The writing is so well done and the author is an artist with both florals and words. She gives examples of arrangements for each season and ways to enjoy each season as its own. I love the personas she gives to the flowers and plants and the reasons she chose them for her arrangements, as well as the almost poetic way that she shared her feelings on the seasons.

The only issue that I had with the book was the emphasis on pagan practices and language. This Is purely a worldview point and does not change the beautiful artistry of the book. Simply a warning for those that may not share the authors worldview.

An absolutely stunning guide for flower arranging. This book is elegantly written and the images are especially beautiful. The aesthetic imagery is incredibly inspiring for those who are looking for inspiration for their arrangements and for beginners who are wanting a new hobby.

This is a gorgeous coffee table sort of book for flower lovers far classier than I. The author creates stunning arrangements from flowers foraged, grown and sold in her quaint British flower shop. She has laughing gatherings at beautifully set tables with her girlfriends in fields of heather. She wears beautiful floral crowns while submerged in foggy lakes. She celebrates summer solstice, Beltane and other pagan holy days in gorgeous outfits surrounded by massive floating arrangements and giant ethereal wreaths in stunning forests. She also writes beautifully throughout, waxing about seasons and beauty and sustainability.

None of this is meant to mock. She is brilliant at what she does and all of it is beautiful. It’s not particularly relevant to me in my messy, chaotic, thrifted home and garden. But if it what inspires you, this will be a lovely fit.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Beautiful! It was an absolute delight going through the pages. She has it laid out by season. She nailed it with the flowers and aesthetics. She has great ideas and a keen eye for beauty!

Oh My Goodness!!! STUNNING!! Never underestimate the power of a well designed floral arrangement….WOW. Floral arrangement has always been something that seemed a hobby on the periphery. This book destroys that assumption. The seasonal format and little snippets of recipes (like elderberry syrup) and harvesting nature lends itself as a lifestyle book promoting simple living connected to the earth. AND I want to decorate my whole house in her gorgeous bouquets. The pictures are so beautiful that I would gladly display this as a coffee table book and flip through it whenever I had the chance. TulipMania is my favorite. This is definitely going to be a feature of my artistic library!

Thank you, NetGalley!

I didn't know what to expect because this was the first book I read about flower arranging. The photos were beautiful and the advice seemed pretty straightforward. The author shared her poetical thoughts about each season and I liked her artistry. Despite that, some of her floral arrangements were very impractical and I didn't finish the book feeling inspired. The consistent message was to use flowers and other bits that are in season and to be creative. I thought this was common sense so I didn't find this book was much help to me.

It is a lovely book. With a resolution to have more cut flowers in my life, the designs were not what I'd hoped for.

I worked for a florist years ago and am stuck in a more traditional mindset.

I would, however., consider this book as a gift for a gardening neighbour.