“Simply Beautiful Flowers” by Dorothy McDaniel from Crane Hill Publishers is the best all-around guide to floral design. This is especially suitable for novices.

The author takes the guesswork out of design, and provides all the basic instruction one needs.

Lushly illustrated in full color, this hard cover with a hidden inner spiral binding features various kinds of designs from topiaries and tabletop arrangements to ideas for flowering bulbs.

In the introduction, the author explains about the various tools, equipment, and supplies that are needed. In addition, she provides details on all the techniques you need to know. A whole chapter is devoted to arrangements for the various holidays, including Easter. I especially like the mini-topiary tree for fall that uses mini pumpkins. There are also delightful designs for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah.

Throughout the book, there are quick tips and secrets the author has learned in her career as a floral designer.

At the end of the book, there is a helpful question and answer section covering all the basics of floral design.

The appendix contains an easy to use chart that lists the different kinds of flowers. For each kind, the author gives a description, the flower colors, their average vase life, their meaning in the language of flowers, the type of plant, and when the flowers are available. There is also a handy color chart depicting nearly 25 of the most commonly used cut flowers.

This book includes an instructional video on DVD.

The author has been a floral designer for over 25 years. She owns Dorothy McDaniel’s Flower Market in Birmingham, Alabama. She frequently gives workshops and demonstrations. Her work has appeared in leading magazines.