Allied Florists of Houston

Morris "Buddy" Benz achieved national and international success as a floral designer, author and lecturer. After serving as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and receiving a B.S. in landscape art and horticulture from Texas A & M in 1932, Benz went on to develop theories of design which revolutionized the floral industry. His innovative techniques elevated floral art to fine art by presenting floral design as a provocative visual experience.

During his considerable travels, Mr. Benz became a discriminating collector of fine arts and photography. He owned an impressive range of paintings, sculpture, antique silver, ceramics, gold orchids, and a complete floral design library. Many of these treasures, which enhanced his own floral creations, can be seen in designs displayed by the Benz School at Texas A&M University. These were the gifts of which he wrote in a 1972 letter to the wife of a former professor and mentor: "...to compensate in some minor way [for] the glorious life that I have had, I have willed to Texas A&M University my estate." Not only did Mr. Benz arrange legally to transfer these gifts to the University, but he also spent eight years overseeing each detail necessary to preserve his legacy properly for future generations. In keeping with that vision and to further honor his memory, the family of M. "Buddy" Benz generously established the world's only chair in floral design at Texas A&M following his death in 1980.

Benz School of Floral Design founded by Buddy Benz - 1945/1946
Received Texas A&M University Distinguished Alumni Award -1970
Received Texas State Florists Association Achievement Award -1970
Received the American Institute of Floral Designers' Award of Distinguished Service to the Floral Industry - 1978
Benz Endowed Chair in Floral Design established at Texas A&M University - 1980
Buddy Benz Distinguished Service Award created by Allied Florists of Houston - 1981
Inducted into the Society of American Florists' Floricultural Hall of Fame - 1986
Jim Johnson & The Benz School of Floral Design made Honorary Member of Allied Florists of Houston - 1999
Benz School inducted into Texas State Florists Association Hall of Fame - 2001

Among the most enduring tributes to M. "Buddy" Benz are the books that explain his design theories. Mr. Benz holds a unique place in the floral field--he is the only person to have developed three distinct theories in floral art. Each theory is presented in its own highly prized book:

Flowers: Geometric Form is based on scientific research of American culture. Mr. Benz' first book has been accepted by prominent authorities in the commercial field and approved as a text-book in colleges, universities, and vocational and industrial schools. No other book on floral design has served the commercial field so well for more than 50 years--in fact, it's known as the "florist's Bible" by most shop owners and managers. Now in its sixth edition and tenth printing, the book has been revised by Mr. Johnson and Mr. McKinley and is the official text for the Benz School.

Flowers: Free Form--Interpretive Design is the showcase for Mr. Benz' second theory: using the form and color of flowers (instead of set patterns) to create personal expressions of floral art. Mr. Benz compared the floral designer's use of form and color to the modern artist's use of brush and paints--both creating impressions of time, space, and emotional content. This fine book, now a collectors item is out of print.

Flowers: Abstract Form is Mr. Benz' final book, which sets forth his third theory of floral design. Here, floral art is presented as a visual experience, one that is imaginative, provocative, and challenging. This volume, which elevates floral art to the realm of fine art, was appropriately introduced at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

Flowers: Creative Design
by James L. Johnson, William J McKinley Jr, M Buddy Benz

The Association of Professional Florists