All I have to look at is my plastic bouquet. [Cultivated by Christin Geall]

I'm always wary about books on flowers. Only in my adulthood have I come around to truly appreciating their beauty. Overcoming my childhood association of roses with death, my practiced avoidance of pollen for fear of allergy induced suffering (my asthma was very much a struggle in my single digit years), and finally learning to appreciate their key role in my life and their objective beauty, I can say now that I appreciate flowers. Save the lilies I grew indoors (don't ask) last year, I still tend away from flowering plants. I love foliage, in deep greens, the feeling of all-encompassing verdure my end goal; my houseplant collection is a spectrum of purple and green shades.

Still, I requested (and my was eventually approved for) Christin Geall's Cultivated: The Elements of Floral Style. As I expected the book is replete with great floral photography. From the first images I could smell the fragrance of flowers and bouquets leaping off the pages. Thick blooms and luminous petals in expertly crafted arrangements, and beauty is a fact.

From the description, the reader would understand that they're in for a deep-dive into art and historical styles of flower arrangement:

Cultivated: The Elements of Floral Style elevates floral design to fine art in this richly informative work on the principles of floral style. A charming and intelligent mentor, Christin Geall emboldens designers, gardeners, and entrepreneurs to think differently and deeply about their work with flowers as she draws upon the fine arts and historical sources, exploring Baroque music, the paintings of the Impressionists, or the work of floral innovators like Gertrude Jekyll and Constance Spry. Covering all aspects of floral design, including choosing plants to grow and arrange, selecting tools and vessels, balancing color and form, and even photographing and selling arrangements, Cultivated offers universal lessons for all levels of practitioners, budgets, and materials. Geall's stunning photographs of her own lush designs illustrate techniques for creating brilliant arrangements that spark the imagination."

So I can't fault the obvious niche audience the book was geared for. But I will say that the accessibility, the ease of entry into the world of floristry, as presented in the book, was not as open as I would have hoped. Technical terms were sometimes confusing and respective sections felt tailored to a more expert or experienced audience.

I enjoyed my read. I learned some new terminology and generally more about floristry. Because my read was that of an initiate I can't say how well it reflects floristry or not. What I do know now is that flowers and their respective industries involve money. MUH-KNEE. I do have lingering desire to grow flowers though. 4 stars.