"A great gift for the flower lover"

I hope my mother does not read this review, because I have found the perfect Christmas gift for her. Former White House chief floral decorator Dottie Temple, along with Stan Finegold, has provided in her new book FLOWERS, WHITE HOUSE STYLE, an illustrated history of White House flowers from 1960 to the present. I admit I am a somewhat biased reviewer here. I love flowers, and having lived in the Washington, DC area for several years now, I saw first hand the beautiful decorations before the White House was closed to the public.

In this book, the reader is taken on a tour through the White House and gains insight into the process of selecting designs for weddings, state dinners, and of course, the holidays. We learn that there is a lot more to selecting the arrangement than just finding pretty flowers. A lot of thought goes into them and comprehensive meetings are held before state visits, because the wrong flower choice can be disastrous. For example, did you know that in Japan all white flowers are only used in funerals? Along the same line, chrysanthemums would never be used during a state visit from an Italian dignitary because the same meaning is attached to that flower.

But this book isn't just an historical tour, although the history is rich indeed. Interspersed throughout are step- by-step instructions to create these designs yourself. I've tried a few of the ideas myself, and I'm still trying, even though the results were less than desirable! I believe you will have fun trying too.

Reviewed by Kelly Jones
Posted September 26, 2002