FLOWERSTYLE: The FTD Guide to Flowers in Your Home

While overshadowed by the above presidential floridity, this guide in the name of the perennial nationwide retailer may have nearly the same brand recognition factor, if not the indirect endorsements. A bit too in thrall to Martha Stewart's aesthetic of handsome domestic backgrounds with objects perfectly centered in medium ground, this attractive and straightforward book will nevertheless help beginners distinguish an amaryllis from a zinnia. Ross has authored 15 children's books and 30 adult titles and seems to know what works, explanation-wise. Three sections cover the basics of choosing, arranging and placing flowers; the tone of the book is serious but not without moments of levity: "For too many years, flower arrangements and ladies' hairdos had one thing in common: both were forced into stiff shapes." An explanation of the significance of different flowers may invigorate their once well-known language: choosing among bouquet of thornless roses ("love at first sight"), pink carnations ("I'll never forget you") and primrose ("I can't live without you") can be a question of semantics. With more than 175 color photos and a clear command of current styles, this book should appeal to those seeking a guide for every detail, from choosing scissors and cleaning stems to bathroom arrangements and growing bamboo. Author tour. (Oct.)