BOOK REVIEWS

The Language of Flowers

Shane Connolly
Photography by Jan Baldwin
Distributed by Reed Books
$NZ59.95

Flowers have, over the centuries, acquired symbolic meanings. At various times this unspoken code has carried more weight than words. Whereas the spoken language of emotion is often ambivalent, the clear message carried by flowers can be unequivocal.

The Language of Flowers uncovers, pictorially and textually, the flower's rich history and presents it anew.

Florist Shane Connolly matches flower with emotions, giving the relevant history of what varieties have meant over the ages.

There are intriguing titbits. Did you know, for instance, that the name foxglove came from a Norse legend that had foxes wearing the flowers on their paws? Or that the Aztecs flavoured chocolate with the tuberose?

Perhaps the real strength of the book is in its evocative photographs and the excellent flower arranging tips.

A great present for a close gardening friend.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH