CONTENTS

Dedication

Preface

PART I

Sexuality and Origins

1. Attracting Attention

2. Flowers and Their Ancestors

3. The Pollinators

PART II

Growing, Breeding, and Selling

4. Pleasure Gardens Ancient and Modern

5. Flowers for Eternity

6. Best of Show

7. Arriving by Jumbo Jet

PART III

Foods, Flavors, Scents

8. Eating Flowers

9. A Little Dab behind the Ear

PART IV

Flowers in Literature, Art, and Myth

10. The Secret Language of Flowers

11. Flowers on the Page

12. Flower Power: The Meaning of Flowers in Art

PART V

Flowers in the Service of Science and Medicine

13. The Flower and the Scientist

14. Good for What Ails Us: Healing Our Bodies and Minds

Acknowledgments

Appendix 1: Flower Statistics

Appendix 2: Cooking with Flowers: Selected Recipes

Appendix 3: After Bringing Them Home: Caring for Your Cut Flowers

Appendix 4: Online Resources for Wildflower and Pollinator Conservation Organizations

About Stephen Buchmann

Notes and Sources

Index

Photo and Art Credits

Copyright