Because one can never have too many flower books (or books at all really), I thought I’d have a look at two recently published books about flowers for your home. While they are both beautiful and inspirational, the authors have very different approaches to the art of floral design and decorating with flowers. I like them both, and depending on the person, they each would make a nice gift for a new bride or a graduate or a new homeowner or even a new mom or dad who don’t have time to arrange flowers but might love to have the book to look through while they catch their breath.

Living Floral: Entertaining and Decorating with Flowers by Margot Shaw

Margot Shaw, founder and editor-in-chief of Flower Magazine takes a traditional approach with her book Living Floral: Entertaining and Decorating with Flowers. She is passionate about all things floral and her book is a compilation of features from her magazine. Organized seasonally, she includes chapters about designers, artists, florists, and tastemakers, showing how they incorporate flowers in their homes and in their lives. Gorgeous photographs are accompanied by brief essays that end with each person’s “Picks for Living Floral” whether it be gardening, entertaining, arranging, or decorating. The final chapter is a “How-To” section by florist Mimi Brown with five lovely arrangements and a list of materials. There is a nice mix of styles here. This is a thoughtfully curated collection of ideas and inspiration for looking at and living life “through a botanical lens.”

A Tree in the House: Flowers for your home, special occasions and every day by Annabelle Hickson

Writer, photographer, self-taught floral arranger, and lover of wild and chaotic things that grow, Annabelle Hickson takes a more unconventional approach in her book A Tree in the House: Flowers for your home, special occasions and everyday , which focuses on creating what the author calls “living vignettes.” Hickson lives on a pecan farm in Australia with her family, and relies on the natural landscape that surrounds her for inspiration, as well as for materials for her “wild, asymmetrical, whimsical, and enormous whenever possible” creations. Beginning with the basics, in six chapters she shares how-to instructions, decorating suggestions, and her lively opinions about bringing flowers into your life. It’s beautifully written, and photographed by the author as well.