Black Flora

From now on, ‘floral hero’ is always going to be part of my vocabulary!

Each floral hero is highlighted in a unique, personal way that taught me much about myself and flowers. Individual creativity and vision was a lesson I learned over and over.

I found myself stopping several times, taking notes, looking something up, checking out someone’s website or social media. That is what I want a book to do, to inspire me to learn more.

I loved that not just floral designers were featured but farmer-florists and flower farmers were able to tell their story. This ‘documenting and preserving’ has a special place in telling the story of flowers and their impact.

Black Flora is a book that spotlights black florists and the many ways they express their creativity through their art. From floral designers and creative directors, from botanical artists and flower farmers- these individuals share their art in this book, along with their background, inspiration, and accomplishments.

I personally gravitated towards this book not only because of its beautiful cover, but because of my love for all things flora and botany! I have flower gardens, vegetable gardens, and over 300 houseplants, so I found this book very exciting and inspirational. This book is packed with several beautiful pictures of beautiful artists and their stunning work, my personal favorite being the floral arrangements (albeit all the images are magnificent!) I am looking forward to grabbing a copy of this book when it is published later this year!

Thank you NetGalley and Timber Press for such an inspirational and beautiful arc!

Gorgeous book. Beautiful artwork and stunning floral arrangements. I love the combination of floral artists, flower farmers, and other floral based businesses. Looking at the variety of Black artistry and talent in the flower industry, and the stories of how different people get into the field makes for a lovely read. If I have any complaints it is that I wish there were even more photos. This book would make a stunning addition to any flower lovers' coffee table. I was disappointed that the artists' social were not included in the book, but was happy to see mention of the book itself having a website where links to those socials would be kept current. I appreciate that detail, however at the time of this review I was unable to connect to that website.

The prologue and epilogue provide important points of the history of Black farmers and gardeners in America, and help to elevate the book beyond simply being pretty pictures with pleasant stories.

Black Flora - Inspiring Profiles of Floriculture’s New Vanguard by Teresa J. Speight is a stunning, stunning exploration of floristry and florists. Sounds simple? But no, it is enriching, fascinating, their stories inspiring and intriguing. Uplifting and heartwarming, I highly recommend it

Thank you to Netgalley, Timber Press, and the author Teresa J. Speight for this wonderful ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Black Flora is a gorgeous joyful book,I enjoyed meeting the florists their personal stories their amazing talent.The photography the pictures of flowers, table setting there was a bridal bouquet that I fell in love with beautiful white flowers with dark blue ribbon breathtaking.The most beautiful book to enjoy.#netgalley #blackflora

I absolutely loved reading every stories about these amazing black florists and floral designers! They are all so inspiring!!!

Gorgeous book, gorgeous pictures, this book introduced me to so many florists, flower artists and farmers I would otherwise have missed out on and for that I am so grateful!

I really enjoyed the profiles and the beautiful pictures. My Instagram feed is brighter, bolder and more fabulous due to all of the people I found through this book!!

As a Black agricultural major, I was too excited to see how Teresa Speight and others put together Black Flora: Inspiring Profiles of Floriculture’s New Vanguard. A wonderful book highlighting the African diaspora within the floral industry. We meet floral artists, activists, farmers, and more from all across the US from Hawaii to Washington D.C, learning about the power and beauty of plants through a lens many are not used to seeing. I will say learning about each individual behind the bouquets and vases was phenomenal, with each story being so unique but always coming back to the roots. Yet, the thing that took me aback the most was the breathtaking photography on almost every page. Each one just seemed to out do the next, it gave the feeling that this was a passion project from beginning to end. To me this is the perfect coffee table book and one I will be getting for my art studio when it comes out October 22, 2024.

The history of black people in the horticulture space was little known to me. Only recently in adulthood, owning a property for the first time did I consider the implications and design related to green space. Having found the likes of celebrity agriculturalists on Youtube I dived right in and found that diversity was lacking and it was not something the "algorithm" sought to correct.

I found this book as suggested by NetGalley and I'm so glad I did. It was a great historical introduction (for me) about the long and storied history of, as Speight calls it, "multigenerational floral education." Included in this education is the connection between the sharecropping roots and the modern day plant enthusiasts is a shared history that has survived the horrors of enslavement and have been cultivated into a legacy that inspires beautiful spaces, rich careers, and a wealth of information and knowledge.

What I loved most about this books was a spotlight on the artists who use floral and horticulture design in their artworks. All of the names were welcome introductions to the lexicon of my random knowledge and I will purposely seek out to expand my knowledge due to Black Flora.

"Our flowers are more than just a decoration: they are a mouthpiece, a narrator, a storyteller."

Sumptuous photos highlight a book that features profiles of floral designers who have turned their passions and pastimes into careers. I loved all the pictures of smiling people, happy to be in their gardens creating beauty. And, Speight asked everyone their favorite flower! I would seriously consider getting married again just so I could have some of these gorgeous arrangements and tablescapes featured in this book. What a sensuous feast this book was!