Flower Confidential : The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful

Science News,  March 22, 2008  

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FLOWER CONFIDENTIAL: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful AMY STEWART

The delicate roses delivered by a loved one might have been bred in a laboratory, grown in a factory-like greenhouse, packed into a box, and shipped great distances before reaching you. Is it then any wonder that after a night on the mantle those lovely blooms begin to droop? Stewart sensed something was wrong during a visit to the San Francisco flower market because the air was free of fragrance. Having been bred for color, size, and durability, the flowers lost their scent, she writes. As with other businesses, the U.S. flower trade has largely moved overseas, where costs are lower. In researching the story, Stewart interviewed growers in Ecuador, the Netherlands, and California. A journalist and award-winning nonfiction author, Stewart knows how to tell an engaging investigative tale. Algonquin Books, 2008, 306 p., paperback, $13.95.

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