The Floral Dream by Olivia McCord

The Floral Dream by Olivia McCord is a guide to growing cut flowers in New Zealand. This beautifully bound hardback book is a practical and inspiring resource for those of us who may not have grown up with gardening parents or can tell the difference between an aster and a zinnia. If you’re new to soil preparation and plant varieties, and you dream of being able to pick enough home-grown flowers to fill a vase or create a bouquet, this book is for you.

Chapter one is all about getting started and gives the reader an in-depth list of things to think about before they rush into digging up the backyard. For example, what is your reason for wanting to grow flowers? How much time do you have to look after a garden? Your location, and what tools you may need. Chapter two is about making the magic happen. It provides information on where to source seeds or plant material, and it also gives detailed instructions on how to plant seeds and nurture them. The author also encourages the grower to collect and save seed from their garden to plant next season.

There is a chapter on designing a garden, layout, a yearly plan, making a growing calendar, and growing what blooms you might want to include in a floral arrangement. There is a generous section dedicated to specific plants, such as flowers that would be considered the stars of a bouquet, fillers, and some fun stems to grow that look good in an arrangement, plus recommended foliage and items that can be foraged for outside the backyard.

The last chapter, the final moment, helps the reader to select the blooms, condition them, how to choose a container and finally, how to arrange your blooms to get a professional look. Dried petals look so pretty on cakes and in summer salads and the author also includes a helpful section on drying, dehydrating and pressing flowers.

The Floral Dream is packed with colourful images and has a handy list of New Zealand suppliers at the back of the book. Olivia McCord is the founder of Crawford Road and is on a mission to empower people of all abilities to create flourishing gardens. She also writes articles for garden magazines. Make sure you check out her fabulous (non-edible) bulb lasagne!

Reviewer: Carole Brungar

Potton & Burton