How a Book Changed the Way I See Flowers – And My Life

Hi! I’m Jessica Twining, and if you told me years ago that I’d be running a flower farm in Friendsville, PA, I might not have believed you. I used to buy fresh flowers—grocery store flowers. But that changed, and so did my career. And it all started with a book.

My husband Nick and I spent years dreaming of farm life while living in two-bedroom apartments, waiting for the right land to come our way. At first, we planned to start a Veggie CSA, so I volunteered on vegetable farms and devoured every farming book I could find. I read memoirs, gardening guides, and books on raising livestock. But one book stood out: “The Flower Farmer” by Lynn Byczynski.

I had always loved flowers, but I had never considered flower farming as a business. I was captivated as I learned about blooms I’d never grown before—Geum, Monarda, Yarrow. And while this book sparked something in me, it wasn’t quite enough to send me running toward flowers. That moment came later, with another book: “Flower Confidential” by Amy Stewart.

“While I was quite focused on local food, I had honestly never thought that much about where my flowers came from—or what the implications were.”

Reading Flower Confidential was eye-opening. The book dives deep into the global flower industry—how grocery store bouquets travel thousands of miles, how certain flowers were bred for profit, and, most shockingly, how many imported flowers are doused in chemicals banned in the U.S. to extend their vase life.

I learned that because flowers aren’t food, they aren’t held to the same regulations—meaning pesticides, fungicides, and preservatives are used freely. In one particularly horrifying scene, the author describes roses being dipped head-first into vats of fungicides before packaging. That visual stuck with me. It made me rethink every bouquet I had ever bought and, more importantly, what I wanted to grow.