Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.
It’s the Spring equinox, marking equal hours of night and day and the start of longer, sunnier days.
As flowers start to bloom and everything gets a bit greener, we’ve picked a bunch of our brightest floral reads for you to enjoy.
Anthology of Flowers by Jane Field-Lewis [catalogue]
Inspired by classic illustrated botanical volumes, this is a modern celebration of wild, garden and exotic flowers.
A single photographic image captures the intricate detail, form, texture, and colour of each flower. The hauntingly beautiful photographs - as beautiful as the most captivating still-life painting - pay respect to classic Victorian botanical illustrations but they are paired, for a younger audience, with succinct, quirky text about the culture and historical interest of each variety of plant.
How to Draw Flowers and Plants by Mark Bergin [catalogue]
If you’re feeling inspired by the blooms of Spring, check out this botanical art book.
From sunflowers and daffodils to thistles and chrysanthemums, this simple guide is an excellent way to introduce the concepts, tools and materials of sketching different fauna and flora from different angles, both from still life and photographs, to any budding young artist or wildlife lovers with a passion for sketching.
Get Growing: Easy Tips for a Garden full of Fruit, Veg, Flowers and Wildlife by Joe Clark [catalogue]
Gardening expert and social media sensation Joe Clark of @joesgarden shares his useful and easy-to-follow guide on gardening to bring you joy, save you money and help the planet.
The Flower School: The Principles and Pleasures of Good Flowers by Joseph Massie [catalogue]
A modern take on floral design from one of the world's top florists.
A Petal Unfolds by Susan Beech [catalogue]
This book is brimming with easy-to-make DIY paper flowers to bring beauty and style to your home.
Susan gives step-by-step advice, discussing basic materials, tools and techniques as well as tips on flower parts, colouring and painting, before guiding you through each tutorial - so you can make something just as stunning as the real thing.
Black Flowers by Alex North [catalogue]
For those with darker tastes…
When Neil Dawson's father commits suicide, he is devastated by the loss. But even through his grief, Neil knows something isn't right. Among his father's possessions, he finds a copy of an old novel, The Black Flower.
Opening it will take Neil into an investigation full of danger, pain and subterfuge.
Detective Hannah Price is also mourning her father, having followed his footsteps into the police force. When she gets assigned to Neil's father's case, it will lead her on a journey into her own past and to the heart of a shattering secret.
The Secret Language of Flowers by DK [catalogue]
Discover the uses and symbolic meanings of flowers over the centuries and across the globe.
Flowers have been depicted as objects of beauty and wonder in countless paintings and poems, exchanged as tokens of love and affection, and displayed as symbols of both celebration and remembrance - 'saying it with flowers' is truly part of the human experience. But how does the significance of flowers vary across cultures and at different points in history? And what makes certain flowers special?
'The Secret Language of Flowers' explores the meaning of more than 80 flowers, tracing their history as symbols and charting their role in folklore and mythology around the world.
The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page [catalogue]
One year on from the death of her husband, Emma feels no closer to moving forward with her life. Seeking distraction, she quits her job and begins working at the local garden centre. Here, Emma begins to open up and finds herself attending boss Les' talk on the Titanic.
Intrigued, Emma sets out to research who would have arranged the flowers on-board. Alongside her story unfolds the tale of a stewardess on the Titanic, who Emma can't help but feel connected to.
Ode to Flowers by Samuel Carr [catalogue]
A rich collection of poetry which explores the beauty and symbolism of flowers, this volume features contributions from classical poets such as Shakespeare and Chaucer through to Coleridge, Tennyson, Thomas Hardy, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Seamus Heaney.
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Children’s picks
Eliza and the Flower Fairies by Megan McDonald [catalogue]
Stepping through a teeny-tiny door under the stairs, Eliza is transported to a world with a tangerine sun and lemon-pudding sky, a place where flower fairies perch on every bloom.
But when Eliza tries to pick a strangely beautiful flower from beyond the hedgerow, things soon go terribly awry. Eliza accidentally awakens the Demon Wind and a wicked witches' curse. With the fairies and their flowers in danger of fading, Eliza must go on a quest to save her friends. But can she make it in time?
What’s Inside a Flower? By Rachel Ignotofsky [catalogue]
From pollination and scattering seeds to labelled diagrams of roots, stamens and stems, discover everything there is to know about flowers.
Flowers live everywhere, but what are they made of? And how do they grow? Budding backyard scientists can find out with this picture book guide.
Watch me Bloom by Krina Pael-Sage [catalogue]
Mindful haiku poems to help us rediscover our natural surroundings, without travelling too far from home. Some flowers are the subject of nursery rhymes and childhood games while others help us celebrate love, remember our homelands or mark the passing seasons.
These mindful haiku poems invite us to explore twenty-four flower species growing close to home, from wildflower meadows to urban window boxes. The nature-themed follow up to 'My Mindful A to Zen', this collection of poems teaches us that treating ourselves and our planet mindfully can also be a treat for the senses.
