The Slow Flowers Podcast is the award-winning show known as the “Voice of the Slow Flowers Movement.” Launched in 2013 as the original flower podcast, we’ve devoted more than 10 years to covering the business of flower farming, floral design, and the Slow Flowers sustainability ethos. Listen to a new episode each Wednesday, available for free download here at slowflowerspodcast.com or on iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
Yes, you can grow gorgeous cut flowers in Alaska. Just ask Misty Vanderweele, anAlaska native who founded All Dahlia’d Up in 2013, a boutique flower farm in Palmer. There is a magical effect on the intense color palettes and robust health of Misty’s blooms, as the short growing season is balanced by up to 22 hours of endless sunshine-a-day during the peak summer months. Misty believes that all that sunshine fills the flowers with good medicine, as she has personally experienced their healing properties and witnessed in her customers and guests when they visit her farm. Today, learn how Misty’s series of one-hour walking tours, immersive floral retreats, and special Alaska-grown farm-to-table dinners draw guests from around the globe.
Misty Vanderweele of All Dahlia’d Up, a Palmer, Alaska-based flower farm
Welcome to Misty Vanderweele, owner of All Dahlia’d Up Flower Farmin Palmer, Alaska. Misty is a past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast – she appeared on Episode 413, recorded in August 2019. I’ll share the link in our show notes in case you’d like to go back and listen to her beautiful, story of how deep, personal loss and the grief that followed led to her life in flowers. It’s poignant and may just be the hopeful story you need to hear right now.
Frolicking in the flower fields at All Dahlia’d Up (Palmer, Alaska), from left: Christina Stembel, Misty Vanderweele, and Debra Prinzing
In August 2023, I flew to Anchorage with Christina Stembel of Farmgirl Flowers to attend one of All Dahlia’d Up’s flower farm dinner tours. It was a magical and sensory-filled experience. Everything about the majestic scenery, the stunning flower fields, the hands-on floral design component, the delicious, all-local food, the live entertainment, and the camaraderie around the farm table – it was all unforgettable. We had a blast. I recently came across some video I shot during that evening, and so you’ll see a mini video at the beginning of my interview with Misty. She graciously voiced some of the footage to add more insights to the video clips.
Farm table adorned with DIY floral arrangements
That’s followed by a conversation about All Dahlia’d Up Flower Farm’s many channels for marketing flowers, but mostly, about floral tourism and how Misty is sharing her farm as a tourism destination. Let’s jump right in and get to that conversation! Misty is about to announce the 2025 tour dates and calendar of on-farm events, so follow the link to sign up for the newsletter so you’ll be the first to know!
We’ve just wrapped up a very successful, three-day Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, which took place as a virtual/online conference over January 9th to 11th and involved 160 registrants, 15 amazing speakers, several great sponsors and partners, and the talented Slow Flowers team. Whew!
I’ll share much more in the coming weeks, but I just wanted to publicly thank everyone who joined us. We had incredibly high engagement of live participants who logged in to watch the sessions and interact with each speaker – that was so gratifying. But no worries if you registered and didn’t make it to all of the sessions – your registration entitles you to three months of replay viewing – through mid- April.
Our 600th Episode!!
I also have to pause for a moment to mention that today is our 600th episode of the Slow Flowers Podcast! Our episode numbering is a little confusing because this is Episode 699, but back when I started the Slow Flowers Podcast in 2013, I just decided to start our first episode at 100 – not sure why, but I must have heard that was a good idea – ha! It’s confusing, but no big deal. Let’s just celebrate that we’ve made it to 600 consecutive episodes and that we’ll celebrate our 12th anniversary in July!! Incredible!
Thank you to our Sponsors
This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to Store It Cold, creators of the revolutionary CoolBot, a popular solution for flower farmers, studio florists and farmer-florists. Save $1000s when you build your own walk-in cooler with the CoolBot and an air conditioner. Don’t have time to build your own? They also have turnkey units available. Learn more at storeitcold.com.
Thank you to Red Twig Farms. Based in New Albany, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.
Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
This year, in recognition of Slow Flowers’ annual focus on changing culturaland creative shifts in the floral industry, our Forecast hones in on seven keyinsights. In a year where Artificial Intelligence has become omnipresent,we find ourselves reverting to the Analog world of nature. Innovation andpersonal expression are being challenged by the AI-dominated ecosystem,and the authentic values of the Slow Flowers Community are its antidote.Nature’s perfection cannot be replicated by a chisel, paint brush, or computer generated image, as all these works draw from the original source. A flowerproduced from AI is generated from what already exists. However, a flowergrown from seed is the perfect metaphor for our individual creativity.
SLOW FLOWERS JOURNAL: Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Forecast for 2025
Welcome to 2025 — a New Year that we hope brings joy, prosperity, progress, and growth for the Slow Flowers Community! This is the 11th year we’ve produced the Slow Flowers’ Floral Insights and Industry Forecast, which originated in 2015 as a series of presentations shared with the media, our members, and you, our listeners.
This episode is accompanied by an important free resource. You can find the link in today’s show notes for Episode 698 to read the Slow Flowers Journal’s Winter 2025 issue, titled “Floral Reality” – more on that title will follow. In addition, I recorded a video of this episode to introduce you the seven insights illustrated with visual examples. This is the video companion to today’s podcast. Click above to watch.
Hot off the press, the 48-page digital magazine-style report, produced in partnership with BLOOM Imprint, our Slow Flowers publishing venture. Huge thanks to our creative director Robin Avni for designing such a gorgeous issue – I can’t wait for you to see it. Through the pages, our insights become identifiable and relatable to your floral enterprise for 2025 and beyond.
ON THE COVER: I have to tell you about this beautiful floral image on the cover of our Forecast Issue. It is designed by Rizaniño “Riz” Reyes of Seattle-based RHR Horticulture and this image is featured in the forthcoming book, The Flower Farmer: Inspiration & Advice from Expert Growers, by Debra Prinzing & Robin Avni (which will be published by Abrams on May 6, 2025.
When Robin selected this image for our cover, she commented, “It is almost hyperreal, meaning it’s so beautiful it couldn’t possibly be real — but it is! It’s a design from nature and artistically composed, almost like a Dutch still life with flowers, but modern in its form. This design is real; touched by human hands, and intentionally designed – the epitome of Floral Reality, rather than computer generated artificial augmentation.”
Riz composed this stunning spring posy with hellebore, fritillaria, Siberian bugloss (Brunnera), grape hyacinth, daffodils, and rosemary and daphne for scent. Silver gray Brachyglottis, glossy Polystichum fern, and branches of flowering Ribes and bearberry hold the delicate flowers together. Thank you for sharing your talents, Riz!
Thank you to Our Sponsors!
This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Our first sponsor thanks goes to Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds — supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnyseeds.com.
Thank you to The Gardener’s Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.
Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com.
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Music Credits:
Drone Pine; Gaena; Turning on the Lights; Curious Case; Feathered; Paper Feather; PolyCoat; Surly Bonds; The Big Ten; Tiny Putty by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
Happy New Year! We’ve pulled one of our most popular episodes of 2024 to share with you today and I know it will inspire you with new sustainability ideas for the coming wedding season! Meet Jessica Stewart, a pioneering Slow Flowers floral designer, and learn how she leads with joy when communicating her values to wedding clients, while also infusing her aesthetic with sustainable values. This episode is called Secrets of a Sustainable Wedding Florist so get ready to be inspired.
New Year, New YOU at the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2025
It’s a busy time over here at the Slow Flowers Societywith all of our efforts focused on producing an amazing, first-ever Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit– coming right up next week over three packed days – January 9-11, 2025. This is an all online/virtual conference so you have no excuse to skip it! You’ll be able to log in and watch 15 hours of inspiring floral education and connect with each speaker personally – or, if your schedule doesn’t allow that, you will have access to the replay sessions for three full months that follow. By the way, if you’re listening on January 2nd, we’re still in the midst of our NEW YEAR NEW YOU $50 off flash sale, which continues through midnight PT on Friday, January 3rd. Click below to grab your registration and save! Slow Flowers members receive an additional $50 off as a member benefit!
We pulled today’s encore Episode from the archives as one of our top shows from 2024. Stay tuned for the wrap up – when I’ll share a business update recorded with Jessica Stewart earlier this week – you’ll love hearing what’s happening with Bramble & Blossom these days!
Replaying this episode seems well timed, because it’s engagement season and many of our wedding and event designers are busy, consulting with prospective couples and pulling together concepts and proposals. For Slow Flowers designers, those who infuse their business values with sourcing and sustainable considerations, there’s an important added layer involved.
Jessica is well aware of the importance of educating clients about having a local and seasonal approach to designing their wedding flowers. We asked Jessica to unpack all the elements involved in running Bramble & Blossom, and to share her approach to communication during the sales process.
Jessica shared an incredibly detailed presentation for the January 2024 Slow Flowers Member (virtual) meetup and we recorded it to share, originally as Episode 646 on January 24, 2024. Whether you caught that episode or this is your first time hearing it, you’ll be treated to Jessica’s approach about how she designs for seasonality and sources from local flower farms to produce gorgeous, romantic, evocative weddings.
Jessica’s presentation includes details on how she prepares contracts + proposals; and how she sources and plans for weddings and installations. Her expertise is priceless and you’ll want to listen in.
Joy and Intentionality come across through florals
Here’s a little bit more about Jessica Stewart of Brambles & Blossom, an Eco-Friendly Pittsburgh Wedding Florist:
The tagline for Bramble & Blossom includes these guiding principles: Ethical. Sustainable. Anti-Racist. Inclusive. Accessible. Intentional. Stunning. You’ll notice these characteristics in each Bramble & Blossom design, and in turn, realize how special and rare these qualities area. As Jessica writes on her website: “This seems like a #HumbleBrag at first glance. But the truth is, we wish there was more competition.”
Here’s a fun photo from our NYC-Brooklyn Slowflowers.com gathering. From left: Gloria Battista Collins of GBC Style, me, Jessica Stewart and Justine Lacy of Foxglove Floral Design Studio, and Molly Culver of Molly Oliver Flowers.
Before we jump right into Jessica’s presentation, I want to pause and mention how much I appreciate this gifted woman and her support as a Slow Flowers member. As you’ll hear in our opening conversation, I first met Jessica and her former partner Justine Lacey when they owned Foxglove Floral Design Studio in Brooklyn. They women appeared on episode 136 of the Slow Flowers Podcast – in April 2014, during the first year of this podcast. It is so encouraging to me to continue that conversation now, and to realize that one decade later Jessica remains committed to her sustainable values.
This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to Longfield Gardens, which provides home gardeners with high quality flower bulbs and perennials. Their online store offers plants for every region and every season, from tulips and daffodils to dahlias, caladiums and amaryllis. Check out the full catalog at Longfield Gardens at longfield-gardens.com.
Thank you to Rooted Farmers. Rooted Farmers works exclusively with local growers to put the highest-quality specialty cut flowers in floral customers’ hands. When you partner with Rooted Farmers, you are investing in your community, and you can expect a commitment to excellence in return. Learn more at RootedFarmers.com.
Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com.
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Music Credits:
Drone Pine; Gaena; Waterbourne; Welcome Home Sonny; Cast in Wicker by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
For the past decade, I have kept an important annual ritual. Before I turn the calendar page to the New Year, I take time at the end of December to reflect back on the one that’s coming to a close. This exercise has become our recurring Slow Flowers Society “Year in Review,” a habit that takes stock of the prior 12 months and considers how our many programs and efforts have supported the Slow Flowers Mission. You’re invited to join me as we review Slow Flowers Society in 2024 and discuss how it reflects our true priorities, passion, and purpose!
Twenty-twenty-five arrives in just a few days, so before we say good-bye to 2024, I want to reflect on this past year’s highlights. It’s an exercise that has become an important annual tradition and I have to say that it is always rewarding for me to pause and reflect on the achievements of the Slow Flowers Society and larger impact of the Slow Flowers Movement.
I believe our Year-in-Review can always be a predictor for the year to come. As Slow Flowers Society interacts with members, media, sponsors, and others in the floral industry, we gain important understanding and insights. For the Slow Flowers Team and me, we are so proud of what we achieved during 2024. We pay special attention to the values and benefits we deliver to you, our community, especially to our members who invest their resources in joining, participating, and engaging in programs both virtual and in-person.
You and your support are the reason why we continue to achieve our core goal — to inspire the floral industry and its consumers to embrace local, seasonal, and sustainable flowers. Whether it’s for personal or professional reasons, as this year comes to a close, I encourage you to take time to write your own Year-In-Review. I’ve learned that when we do so, a narrative emerges, one that can guide future decisions and priorities.
Our commitment to featuring a diversity of subject matter experts and experienced voices continues in 2025. The first WORLDWIDE Slow Flowers Summit is scheduled for January 9-11, 2025. This virtual conference takes place entirely online over three days – making it accessible and affordable for attendees everywhere. The program format includes 15 floral education sessions, as well as bonus content from special guest presenters.
As you may know, the Slow Flowers Movement has been emulated around the world – and emerging groups are eager for access to the same innovation, information, and inclusive approaches enjoyed by our members, but specialized for their own markets. The Slow Flowers Worldwide Summit is designed to provide inspiration for flower farmers, floral designers, and flower lovers, wherever they are based.
Ticket sales continue at slowflowerssummit.com – through January 8th. General admission is $279 US and Slow Flowers members receive $50 off for $229 . I hope to see you there!
Thank you to our Sponsors
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
And thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
As we wrap up this year-in-review, I want to take a moment to thank all of our sponsors, including our lead Sponsor: Flowerbulb.eu.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com.
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Music Credits:
Drone Pine; Gaena; Daymaze; Drone Birch; Erstwhile; Floating Whist; Jillian Bridges; Wingspan by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
Back by popular demand, we’re hosting Johnny’s Seeds’ floral experts, Joy Longfellow and Hillary Alger, who will introduce some of Johnny’s Selected Seeds’ 40-plus new flower seed varieties for 2025! Hillary and Joy take us behind the scenes to learn more about the dazzling selections of floral varieties and mixes for 2025 – from the subtle to the vibrant, including four NEW introductions — straight from Johnny’s Exclusive Breeding Program. And learn from our bonus guest, Johnny’s Senior Plant Breeder Lindsay Wyatt, who discusses what it takes to select and breed gorgeous new petal palettes and bring them to market!
New Zinnia varieties from Johnny’s Seeds
Celosia ‘Shimmer’
It’s that time of year again, when the seed catalogs arrive and as the winter solstice takes place in a few days, we turn our dreams to our 2025 cutting gardens and flower farms. Today’s show is a follow up to Slow Flowers Podcast Episode 640 from December of 2023, about one year ago, when Hillary Alger and Joy Longfellow unveiled Johnny’s Selected Seeds’ new flower seed varieties for 2024. The replay video of that show been viewed more than 5,000 times on YouTube – it was our most popular episode of 2024.
But I’m delighted to report that there’s even more exciting flower seed news for 2025, and that’s the topic of today’s show, with return guests Hillary and Joy. Hillary has more than 13 years of experience on Johnny’s Seeds’ research team, currently serving as the Product Manager for flowers and herbs, and Joy is the Flower Team Technician at Johnny’s, managing every aspect of Johnny’s flower trialing program. As a bonus, Lindsay Wyatt, their collaborator in new flower seed breeding, joins in the presentation to explain all about the “recurrent selection” method of breeding.
This episode covers some gorgeous and vigorous new introductions that the flower team has trialed, evaluated, and curated for 2025 — including agrostemma, China aster, snapdragon, strawflower, celosia, pansy and viola, and lisianthus. But what’s more exciting than that are the four new Johnny’s introductions from the breeding program that began in 2016. You’ll get to meet three lovely new zinnia introductions — Aurora, Agave, and Ballerina — and one beautiful new celosia mix called Shimmer.
Let’s jump right in and welcome the talented floral team from Johnny’s. Learn why their favorite standouts are worth considering!
And we’re just three weeks away from the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, so now is the time to grab your ticket! The SLOW FLOWERS WORLDWIDE SUMMITtakes place online – January 9-11, 2025 – and you will enjoy 15 hours of amazing floral education from Slow Flowers experts. Check out the details at slowflowerssummit.com. Slow Flowers members receive $50 off their registration!
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to Red Twig Farms. Based in New Albany, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.
Thank you to the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, a farmer-owned cooperative committed to providing the very best the Pacific Northwest has to offer in cut flowers, foliage and plants. The Growers Market’s mission is to foster a vibrant marketplace that sustains local flower farms and provides top-quality products and service to the local floral industry. Visit them at seattlewholesalegrowersmarket.com.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Music Credits:
Drone Pine; Gaena; Turning on the Lights; A Pleasant Strike by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
Every day for more than a decade, Mary Jo Hoffman has made a photograph of found nature – no subject too small or too ordinary. For Mary Jo, a former aeronautical engineer, this daily ritual cracked open profound revelations about the connectedness of all things, the importance of place, and her own life. She joined me to talk about her daily practice that led to more than 4,000 consecutive days of images filled with surprise, play, wonder, and joy as she paid attention to the natural world. We discuss STILL, The Art of Noticing, Mary Jo’s stunning new book — a fabulous holiday gift for yourself or someone you love.
Today, we have a very special episode to share with our creative community as we welcome Mary Jo Hoffman, a botanical photographer, writer, and artist, whose eyes and camera capture intimate portraits of the flora and fauna in her world. Every day since January 1, 2012, for 12-and-a-half years, Mary Jo made a photograph of found nature, capturing it in an alluring minimalist style.
Mary Jo Hoffman
Her daily ritual cracked open profound revelations about the importance of place, the passing of time, the connectedness of all things, and the trajectory of her own life.
Here’s a bit more about Mary Jo Hoffman:
Mary Jo Hoffman is an artist-photographer renowned for her unique and personal engagement with the natural world. Best known for her project, “STILL” — where every day (every single day) for over a decade, she made a photograph of found nature – no subject too small or too ordinary.
Inside pages from STILL by Mary Jo Hoffman
Her book, STILL: The Art of Noticing, features 275 of the most stunning photographs the author-artist has accumulated over thousands of consecutive days of daily shooting accompanied by perceptive, deeply felt, and often humorous essays illuminating the insights gained through this daily creative practice.
Mary Jo lives in Shoreview, Minnesota, on Turtle Lake, with her husband, Steve, a food writer and author, and her indulged puggle, Jack, who accompanies her on her daily foraging walks to find new subjects.
Pink tulips opening
I received a review copy of STILL when it was published earlier this year in May, and I wanted to save it for a special episode. We usually feature Slow Flowers members as our guests, so the exception I make is to host artists and creatives whose work moves me personally. Now that we’ve arrived at the gifting season, sharing my conversation with Mary Jo will, I hope, inspire you to check out STILL. There’s still time to purchase your copy.
I will leave you with a passage from one of her essays, which spoke to me, from page 50. I hope it resonates with your own mindful practice:
“You are what you do. If you show up every day and make a little bit of art, however incomplete or unsatisfying or misguided or not how Georgia O’Keefe would have done it, you are an artist.”
Mary Jo Hoffman, STILL: The Art of Noticing
Thank you, Mary Jo, for helping us notice the places where we find ourselves – and to see them with new eyes.
Slow Flowers (Virtual) Member Meet-Up on December 13th
Aurora Zinnia from Johnny’s Selected Seeds
In our news of the week, you’re invited to attend our December Slow Flowers Meet-Up, coming up Friday, Dec. 13th – 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. The topic for this month’s session: New Cut Flower Seeds for 2025 + Breeding News. We will be joined by three floral experts from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. We recorded a similar presentation one year ago when Hillary Alger and Joy Longfellow unveiled the new flower seed varieties for 2024. The replay video has been viewed more than 5,000 times on YouTube – it was our most popular episode of 2024. This time around, we are again welcoming Hillary and Joy to the Meet-Up to reveal the new flower seed introductions for 2025, but a very important BONUS guest will join them. Lindsey Wyatt, Johnny’s Senior Plant Breeder, will discuss what it takes to select and breed gorgeous new petal palettes and bring them to market! And guess what? Our giveaway includes a drawing for three collections featuring the brand new zinnia and celosia seeds in Johnny’s catalog for next year. You must be present to be included in the drawing!
And we’re one month away from the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, so now is the time to grab your ticket! The SLOW FLOWERS WORLDWIDE SUMMIT takes place online – January 9-11, 2025 – and you will enjoy 15 hours of amazing floral education from Slow Flowers experts. Check out the details at slowflowerssummit.com. Slow Flowers members receive $50 off their registration and you can find the link in today’s show notes!
This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to The Gardener’s Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.
Thank you to Store It Cold, creators of the revolutionary CoolBot, a popular solution for flower farmers, studio florists and farmer-florists. Save $1000s when you build your own walk-in cooler with the CoolBot and an air conditioner. Don’t have time to build your own? They also have turnkey units available. Learn more at storeitcold.com.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Music Credits:
Drone Pine; Gaena; Turning on the Lights; Glass Beads; A Burst of Light by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
