I rarely buy flowers, but I loved reading Flower Confidential, a new book all about the history, fantasy, folklore, economics, etc. of flowers.

In this book, Amy Stewart examines the $40 billion cut flower industry in pretty detail. Read about the bittersweet history of the Star Gazer Lily and the ongoing quest for the blue rose - and learn why many flowers have lost their scent, or why it's not a good idea to keep a fruit bowl near your vase of flowers.

There's the sad side of flowers too: Roses dumped in fungicide to pass border inspections, all sorts of health hazards for people working in big flower companies, the runoff from pesticide and fertilizers used on flowers….

In a New York Times article not too long ago, Amy picked out some best choices for flower buyers. Try Organic Bouquet or Bonny Doon Garden Company in Santa Cruz. You can also try looking for the VeriFlora certification label, which makes sure flowers come from farms that meet a minimum level of sustainable agriculture and labor practices. Of course, fair trade certified flowers are coming around too - though I have to say I haven't actually seen any for sale in the LA area.

Amy will be in SoCal on a book tour in March, though the closest event to LA on the current tour schedule is at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, which is a bit far for me.

In any case - all flower lovers and regular flower buyers - or anyone who wants a fascinating look at why flowers are the way they are today - will be riveted by this book.