This is a book about flowers & about painters. The author has chosen forty of her favourite flower paintings & as she is both expert gardener & art historian she has all manner of fascinating things to say about the flowers the artists & the contexts of the paintings. Manets mysterious Still Life with Rose & Brioche records the arrival of the new hybrid tea rose in all its perfection. Vanessa Bells Red Hot Pokers & Artichoke came in the wake of Roger Frys Post-Impressionist exhibitions in London & at a time when Bell had found refuge & creative energy with Duncan Grant at Charleston. The paintings are not always the most obvious
- Van Gogh is here represented by a ravishing branch of almond blossom. But Monet has his waterlilies & Rennie Mackintosh his delicate fritillaries & there is a feast of glorious Dutch bouquets. There is old & new known & unknown in this wonderful collection. Each painting has been chosen both to delight the eye & to offer a source of lively stories & intriguing facts.