This book is tops! I am trying to find another book on flower arranging as a gift for my mother-in-law who loves the subject, but I keep coming back to this one. Creativly inspired and visually stunning, just browsing through it is amazing.

This book is just great. If you love flowers, I think you will absolutely love this book. The pictures are remarkable. Just buy!

Malcolm Hillier is an acclaimed flower stylist who combines his passion for flowers with elegant design. I have never seen such a lavishly illustrated book on flower arranging. Over 2,000 photographs will inspire you to arrange your own flowers.

There are hundreds of ideas for using fresh and dried flowers. The step-by-step sequences make the techniques clear and simple. When you start arranging flowers, you quickly find out you need an "essential kit" in order to complete even a basic flower arrangement. This is where "Practical Techniques" comes into play.

You will want to buy a glue gun, floral wires, pruning knife, florist's scissors, etc. All the essential supplies are listed with pictures. This book is filled with pictures! The first chapter discusses Flowers In Civilization and shows flowers in history and art.

Elements of Design is a visual guide to flower colors and the pages are filled with piles of wonderful petals in every color. I loved the Container Shapes section. There are two sections, with one further into the book.

This book is SO INCREDIBLE! .....Shall I continue..?

Then, we get to Inspiration. You will find page after page after page of mini-floral displays with the page number so you can learn how to make the arrangement with precise instructions. There are arrangements in this book you would not even imagine in your wildest floral dreams.

For instance, on page 96 there is an underwater floral arrangement. There are upside down glasses, with flowers in them, floating in the water and facing outwards in a huge vase. Then, OH MY..I happen upon page 212 and there is a hanging upside down Christmas Tree dangling dangerously from the ceiling. I am not sure I approve! Decorating the tree looked a bit dangerous, but it sure was creative.

A Floral Ice Bowl on page 248 is one of my favorite ideas as the flowers are suspended in their original beauty in ice. Then, in the summer...how about a "watermelon vase?" The Floral Place Setting is a way to beautifully decorate each place setting is a wonderful summer idea or dried herbs could be used in the winter. The mini-christmas trees are an idea even children could help make.

An A-Z plant guide is a huge section. This visual guide will introduce you to just about every flower you would ever want to use in an arrangement. Some useful addresses complete with Web site addresses gives you even more information. An easy-to-use Index helps you locate your favorite flowers.

If you want inspiration and information, this is the book for you!

Very good use natural material (flowers, leaves, branches, etc.) to illustrate color combinations that go well in the landscape. Much better representation of color with photographic swatches of real material instead of printed color representation. From a gardener or horticultural view a real plus. Fun just to leaf through.

This book really helped me to design flower gardens well. It has color theory and practical uses for all seasons. It uses both flowers and foliage and has some gorgeous combinations I would n't have tried. It is most useful for someone who knows the flowers that grow in their area and can create a working scheme with those flowers mimicking the color scheme in the book.