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We have an info- and inspo-packed show today in which you will meet six floral experts who will present at next week’s Slow Flowers Summit. I’m thrilled that all of these gifted and talented flower friends were able to join me in the virtual studio this past week for a quick introduction and lively conversation.

The Slow Flowers Summit takes place on June 26-27, 2023, at the Bellevue Botanical Garden in the Seattle area. It’s our sixth annual gathering and we wanted to showcase as many speakers as possible, bringing a diverse range of ideas and creativity to our attendees. When Karen Thornton, our event manager, and I discovered that the meeting spaces at BBG could be divided to accommodate simultaneous breakout sessions, it seemed ideal to offer three subject tracks — we’ve never done this before, so it’s going to be fun to see how to move all the many people and places around in a short period of time. On Tuesday, there will be three options at both 11 am and 1 pm – before and after lunch and organized by floral design, flower farming and sustainability.

So today, you’ll meet all six of the experts who will present in these tracks. All are past guests of the Slow Flowers Podcast, so you may recognize their names and voices. For scheduling reasons, we recorded on two different days. First, you’ll meet Sarah Reyes of Wildflower & Fern, who is one of our sustainability speakers; and you’ll also hear from both of our flower farming speakers, Tracy Yang of Jahn Co. Flowers and Dee Hall of Mermaid City Flowers; then, in part two, you’ll meet Becky Feasby of Prairie Girl Flowers, the second sustainability speaker; and both of our floral design presenters, Gina Lett-Shrewsberry of Inspirations by Gina and Valerie Crisostomo of Black Girl Florists.

View the entire Slow Flowers Summit Schedule and Program here.

Thank you so much for joining me today! If you’re still thinking about attending the Slow Flowers Summit, there is still time to register, so please reach out with any questions — we may be able to connect you with an attendee who has an extra ticket to sell. Contact us here: info@slowflowers.com.

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Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 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, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

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 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 johnnysseeds.com.

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I love all this floral goodness and I am so happy you joined 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.

---

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:

He Has a Way; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Today, I’m happy to share my recent conversation with Julio Freitas, owner of The Flower Hat, an event floral design studio and flower farm based in Bozeman, Montana. A longtime Slow Flowers member and past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast, we’ve been eager to bring Julio to the Slow Flowers Summit stage – ever since our first year in 2017.

Julio’s passion for floral design grew into flower farming when he realized he could successfully grow flowers despite Montana’s challenging climate. In our conversation, we discuss how as his floral enterprise evolves and changes, he continues to develop educational resources to teach others how to succeed in business and thrive in floral design and farming. Julio grows flowers for his own designs, devotes one-half of the farm’s production area to dahlia tubers for The Flower Hat’s successful online sales program, and trials bulbs for fall sales.

At the Slow Flowers Summit, Julio will headline Day Two, presenting a one-hour mini-version of The Flower Hat’s popular workshop series, tailored for florists, growers, and farmer-florists. He will share insights on The Flower Hat’s unique business model and design a centerpiece in his unique style.

Featured in numerous national and international publications, the common thread of The Flower Hat’s weddings and events are LOCALLY GROWN FLOWERS, which Julio credits as a major distinctive for his studio’s aesthetic and brand. Despite a short season (USDA Zone 4b) and limited acreage, The Flower Hat maximizes production by carefully selecting crops that elevate arrangements — including hard-to-ship and hard-to-find varieties that bring floral designs to life.

Julio can chat about business while also designing a floral arrangement — what a feat! Enjoy the design demonstration and watch Julio’s process as he creates a centerpiece using a low, footed bowl and a ball of chicken wire, along with statice, watsonia, carnations, ranunculus and no foliage. It’s a fabulous tutorial.

Thank you so much for joining me today! As always, I feel like I could chat with Julio for hours. And I wanted to mention, you heard a few other voices in this episode, including Tonneli Gruetter of Salty Acres Farm, our Slow Flowers Membership manager. She helped facilitate our June Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up and I asked her to field questions and make sure that our attendees comments were shared during the session.

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Thank you to our Sponsors!

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 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, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com. And just for you attendees of the upcoming Slow Flowers Summit on June 26-27, the folks at Farmgirl Flowers have given us a lovely travel candle that you’ll find in your gift bag.

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. CoolBot has generously donated a system, valued at $375, as a doorprize at the Slow Flowers Summit, so if you’re in attendance, your name might be drawn for this incredible gift!

Thank you to Red Twig Farms. Based in Johnstown, 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. Summit attendees will find a creative gift from Red Twig Farms in your gift bag – a combo water bottle, drinking cup + travel towel perfect for summer camping or any outdoor floral activity.

And a final 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. The SWGMC is providing the flowers that Julio will use in his Slow Flowers Summit demonstration – and co-hosting our after hours tour and reception with Mayesh Wholesale Florist on Tuesday afternoon. We’re so grateful to them!

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News of this week:

If you’re still thinking about attending the Slow Flowers Summit, we’re just two weeks out and there are only 10 spaces left before we sell out. Remember, Slow Flowers Members, you enjoy $100 off as a member benefit, so that’s great savings. One of you might go home with a coveted gift from The Flower Hat – a floral cap from Julio!

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So much floral goodness happening!  Thanks so much 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

---

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; Rodney Skopes; Turning on the Lights; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

My conversation with today’s guest, Lorin Harrison, knits together the threads of several past Podcast episodes, so before I bring him on, I’ll try and put things into context for you.

In the past, the Slow Flowers Podcast has featured interviews with longtime expert flower growers Ralph Thurston and Jeriann Sabin of Bindweed Farm. Check out links to those previous episodes below:

Episode 237: Deadhead ~ The Bindweed Way with Idaho’s Jeriann Sabin and Ralph Thurston

Episode 395: Petals and Alpacas at Gholson Gardens in Walla Walla, Washington, plus State Focus: Idaho

It was during that 2nd episode that we learned about Ralph and Jeriann’s plans to sell Bindweed Farm, after starting Bindweed in 1991. That same year in the fall of 2019, I met Lorin Harrison at a Slow Flowers meet-up in Salt Lake City, generously hosted by Laura Pittard of Poppin’ Blossoms. I learned of Florage Fresh Cut Flowers, the business he and his former partner Ali owned, a flower farm based in Paradise Valley, Utah, that had expanded to manage marketing and sales for a number of Utah flower farms — a mini-collective.

Fast-forward just months later, and Florage had purchased Bindweed, taking over the Blackfoot, Idaho, flower farm, the sales channels, and more. It’s an impressive and longish story, so I’ll let Lorin tell the rest of it.

Suffice it to say, most flower farmers are coming out of COVID hoping that 2023 will be a year of stability. After enduring so much change and turmoil, floral agriculture deserves it. But so much is uncertain, and my discussion about these issues began when Lorin and I reconnected at the ASCFG conference last August. I’ve been hoping to get him on the Slow Flowers Show and Podcast as a guest, and well, here we are — nine months later and we’re finally doing it!

Let’s jump right in and meet Lorin Harrison and learn about what I’m calling Florage 2.0. I hope you learn as much as I did!

Follow Florage on Instagram

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Slow Flowers Summit — last chance for LOCAL75 coupon code (expires 5/31/2023)

If you’re hearing this episode on its original air date, Wednesday, May 31st, today is the last day of our Slow Flowers Summit Memorial Day Flash Sale which gets you $75 off of your Summit Ticket. This is the best pricing since we ran our early bird ticket sale last December, so don’t waste a minute. Log onto slowflowerssummit.com to register for this fantastic gathering of Slow Flowers Practitioners — taking place in just four weeks, on June 26-27, 2023 at the Bellevue Botanical Garden. And Slow Flowers Members, don’t forget: you already enjoy a $100-off discount for your registration, so here’s a great way to save $175. We can’t wait to see you in just four weeks at the 6th Slow Flowers Summit!

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Thank you to our Sponsors!

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 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, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.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 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 johnnysseeds.com.

Thank you to Mayesh Wholesale Florist. Family-owned since 1978, Mayesh is the premier wedding and event supplier in the U.S. and we’re thrilled to partner with Mayesh to promote local and domestic flowers, which they source from farms large and small around the U.S. Learn more at mayesh.com.

---

Thanks so much 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

---

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; Capering; Turning on the Lights; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
Songs by:
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Today, we take a trip to rural Northern Colorado, where sisters-in-law Gretchen Langston and Gaylene Moldt operate Blooms Colorado on 40 acres north of Ft. Collins.

It’s fascinating to learn how they have grown this floral enterprise, established in 2017, to serve Ft. Collins, which is their closest metro market; and florists both south and north — in Denver 2 hours to the south and those in the southern Wyoming cities of Cheyenne and Laramie.

Blooms sells its flowers wholesale direct-to-designer through two regional flower collectives, including the Northern Colorado Flower Community (NOCO) and the Colorado Flower Collective in the Denver area. They also serve a grocery account in Ft. Collins.

Raised on a small farm in rural Missouri by her teacher-parents, like many country kids, Gretchen swore never to do the same thing. She had her big-city urban experience, and still has her big-time career as Global VP of Risk Management, Environment, Health & Safety for a company that operates most of the large National Park concessions in the U.S., serving parks like Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Zion.

How does she do it all? Well, one of her not-so-secret weapons is her sister-in-law Gaylene, who Gretchen convinced to move to Colorado to run the flower enterprise. Gaylene is the day-to-day manager of Bloom Colorado, which also the market manager for Northern Colorado Flower Community (NOCO).

As for variety, Blooms specializes in perennials, woodies, peonies and dahlias with about 5 acres in production. Supplying designers who produce destination weddings florals is clearly their niche. Gretchen and I recorded a conversation in the virtual studio recently, and let’s jump right in and meet her. At the end of the interview you will see two very short drone videos that Gretchen shared — they will give you a good idea of the prolific flower farm against the background of stunning, high desert landscapes.

Find and follow Blooms Colorado:
Instagram

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Thank you to our Sponsors!

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 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, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

Thank you to Details Flowers Software, a platform specifically designed to help florists and designers do more and earn more. With an elegant and easy-to-use system–Details is here to improve profitability, productivity, and organization for floral businesses of all shapes and sizes. Grow your bottom line through professional proposals and confident pricing with Details’ all-in-one platform. All friends of the Slow Flowers Podcast will receive a 7-day free trial of Details Flowers Software. Learn more at detailsflowers.com.

Thank you to CalFlowers, the leading floral trade association in California, providing valuable transportation and other benefits to flower growers and the entire floral supply chain in California and 48 other states. The Association is a leader in bringing fresh cut flowers to the U.S. market and in promoting the benefits of flowers to new generations of American consumers. Learn more at cafgs.org.

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.   

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This week’s news:

SLOW FLOWERS JOURNAL – Spring 2023 | Celebrations: Our Slow Weddings Edition

First up, in partnership with BLOOM Imprint, we have just released the Spring 2023 issue of our ezine Slow Flowers Journal. This issue is free to Slow Flowers members, so if you’re an active member, look for the link to our Celebrations issue in your in-box. Click the link to preview and purchase this issue — it’s packed with inspiring content, and a focus on Slow Weddings, nontraditional boutonnieres, and more people, flowers, and stories about our Slow Flowers Movement.

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You’re invited to attend the May Slow Flowers Virtual Member Meet-up

Our focus is the upcoming Slow Flowers Summit and we’ve invited two of our keynote speakers to join us. Meet Lennie Larkin (above right) and Amy Balsters (above left) who will join us to share a sneak peek of their upcoming presentations and answer your questions about floral design and flower farming! Lennie Larkin of B-Side Farm, will be presenting on “THE FLOWER DOLLAR: Knowing the true cost of your flowers + designs.” Amy Balsters, The Floral Coach, will present a design demonstration on “BUILDING A BETTER BOUQUET.”

Preregistration is required (click link below). See you this Friday, May 19th, at 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern — on Zoom.

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Thanks so much 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

---

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; Funk and Flash; Turning on the Lights; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
Songs by:
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Last month you met Jessie Witscher of Understory Farm as we discussed how she and her partner Gregory Witscher grow masses of cut flowers to sell through wholesale channels.

I met Jessie when we both participated in the Spring Educational and Workshop Series presented by Green Mountain Floral Supply in Burlington, Vermont. I called that March event a Slow Flowers love fest because it brought me together with Tom and Kim Jennings, owners of Green Mountain; Jayson Munn, seminar coordinator; Holly Chapple, who taught floral design and business workshops for three days — and two local Slow Flowers members, Jessie and today’s guest, Abby Matson of Diddle & Zen.

So today, I’m going to share the conversation I recorded while I was in Burlington, with Abby Matson of Diddle & Zen. I’m so happy to introduce you to her and share her story. Abby and her husband/partner Derek Matson own a beautiful flower farm in Panton, Vermont, not too far from Burlington.

Writing on their website, Abby says: “We have a passion for the beauty of Vermont and its community. We are committed to sustainable practices and supporting small, and local businesses. We create naturally inspired floral designs that are influenced by traditional elegance. Our floral design services are available for events other than weddings too.“

To be honest, Abby’s story is one of serendipity and spontaneity. She and Derek made a radical change in their lives, buying a picturesque farm in Vermont and moving there from Colorado just prior to the arrival of the COVID 19 pandemic. You’ll love hearing how they have shaped a flower-filled life for themselves and their beloved Weimaraners, Gunnie and Ghost.

When Abby and I recorded this conversation, she knew she had a lot of things planned around Mother’s Day flowers and promised to circle back with the details. Here’s how Diddle & Zen is sharing flowers with their community:

• They are partnering with Matryoshka’s Bakery to offer a flower/cookie bundle at both the Diddle & Zen farm store and at Matryoshka’s, which known for beautiful macarons with incredible flavor combos.
• Diddle & Zen will also collaborate with Stephanie Grace Ceramics to offer flower arrangements in her beautiful porcelain vases; and,
• They have invited Stephanie Brigan Photography to the farm to offer mini photo sessions next Saturday May 13th, which is already sold out.
• Abby notes: Of course, we’ll have the farm store stocked with lots of grab and go bouquets!

Find and follow Diddle & Zen on Instagram

---

Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 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, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

Thanks 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 johnnysseeds.com.

Thanks to Mayesh Wholesale Florist. Family-owned since 1978, Mayesh is the premier wedding and event supplier in the U.S. and we’re thrilled to partner with Mayesh to promote local and domestic flowers, which they source from farms large and small around the U.S. Learn more at mayesh.com.

Thanks 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.

---

Thanks so much 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

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; Greyleaf Willow; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

The spring flower season is warming and today I have invited two guests to share about crop pricing strategies and selling through wholesale flower hubs.

You’ll meet return guest Amelia Ihlo of Rooted Farmers, an online platform for flower farmers and a Slow Flowers Podcast sponsor, and New Jersey-based flower farmer Leah Ducey of Spring Wind Farm + the Garden State Flower Cooperative.

We’ll learn more about Leah’s path to flowers, what she grows and how she has developed a marketplace with other growers at the Garden State Flower Cooperative. And Amelia will share about some of the new tools and programs that Rooted Farmers has developed to help growers with pricing seasonal cut flowers.

Past Episode featuring Amelia Ihlo and Rooted Farmers:

Episode 438: Rooted Farmers: A New Online Marketplace for Selling and Buying Local Flowers

Episode 494: How does Rooted Farmers’ marketplace work? An update from founder Amelia Ihlo and insights from farmer-florist Haley Billipp of Eddy Farm and Connecticut Flower Collective

Rooted Farmers Resources:

More Resources from the Rooted Farmers’ Blog:

• Blog posts:
  • Farm Finances: Dig Into Expenses
  • Data & Analytics: A Crash Course
  • The Results Are In: 2022 Year in Review

About Leah Ducey & Spring Wind Farm:

Spring Wind Farm is a family farm run by Brian and Leah Ducey with their children Cole and Niamh. We both come from a long line of farmers several generations back and are eager to reintroduce the farming tradition to our children.

Leah has always loved being outside and after working on a flower farm in high school had a passion for growing flowers. She studied Horticulture at Cook College, Rutgers and worked on a Lily Breeding Project, in addition to her research she started a 1/4 acre cut flower field at the Student Organic Farm. Leah and Brian moved to Ireland for a while and when they came home Leah took a job teaching high school biology and sustainability. After 10 years of teaching they found a farm where they could both pursue their agricultural interests with their young children. 2018 was Leah’s first season back in the flower growing field and out of the traditional classroom. Leah loves to grow unusual varieties and loves the design aspect as well. The best part is working with kids in the field, Cole and Niamh are amazing helpers!

Brian also studied Horticulture at Cook College, Rutgers and spent several years working in the turf grass industry. Brian transitioned to a role running a local high school Agricultural program and he is responsible to making all of Leah’s wild ideas fly! Brian is the farm’s irrigation specialist, builder, tamer of wild spaces and he can make a mean bouquet. We look forward to future agricultural endeavors on the 20 acres we call home.

Find and Follow Spring Wind Farm on Facebook and Instagram

Find and Follow Garden State Flower Co-op on Facebook and Instagram

Find and Follow Rooted Farmers on Instagram

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News of the Week

In this week’s news, check out our May Slow Flowers Society Newsletter – which just dropped on Monday. You’ll find links to new stories, events, resources, and special promotions for our Slow Flowers Community. We’re gearing up for the Slow Flowers Summit in just seven weeks, we’re getting ready to celebrate American Flowers Week *June 28-July 4* AND we just announced a special lecture and workshop taking place this coming September with Royal florist (and past guest of this podcast) Shane Connolly!

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Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 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, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.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.

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.

---

Thanks so much 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

---

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; Highride; Turning on the Lights; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

It’s great to be back with you today — and to share another inspiring and uplifting conversation about the healing power of plants and the ability of flowers to nurture us, body and soul.

My guest today is botanist-turned-farmer-florist Kate Watters of Arizona’s Wild Heart Farm. I first met Kate several years ago through the community of florists and flower farmers in Arizona, where I often visited my parents who were living outside of Phoenix.

Kate and I connected through her frequent collaborator, Terri Schuett, owner of Happy Vine Flowers, a Prescott Valley area florist who is also part of the Slow Flowers Movement. The women produced a beautiful styled shoot that we published in Florists Review in December 2019, and I’ve secretly always wanted them to team up for a desert-inspired botanical couture piece for American Flowers Week!

READ: The Desert as Floral Canvas

READ: Flower Power: A farmer-florist reflects on the time she sold Valentine’s Day roses on a Las Vegas corner

Kate has an extensive background in botany, ecological restoration and agriculture, coming to floristry while establishing flower and herb gardens at Orchard Canyon on Oak Creek, a 10-acre destination resort in Sedona.

She transitioned to flower farming full time when she and her partner Mike Knapp found a unique property in Rimrock. They knew it could become the heart and home for both of their personal and professional endeavors. As Kate says, after 20 years in the field and wilds of botany and conservation, she wanted nothing more than to grow fields of flowers.

Now, at Wild Heart Farm, Kate calls her approach to plant-based products and programs ‘Flower Healing.’ “Plants have so many qualities that bolster emotional and mental wellness,” she explains. I invited Kate to share more in today’s conversation. The second part of this episode features a 12-minute video tour of Wild Heart Farm, which Kate filmed to give us a closer look at this special destination in the high desert.

Learn more about BLOOMING FROM THE ASHES: FOREST FIRE AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE, Wild Heart Farm at ArtX on May 26th, 2023

Follow Wild Heart Farm on Facebook and Instagram

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This week’s News

And a reminder that tomorrow is our free webinar for Southern States flower growers. You’re invited to Join Slow Flowers +Johnny’s Selected Seeds at attend, tomorrow, April 27th (2 pm Pacific/5 pm Eastern). I’ll be co-hosting the session with Johnny’s Seeds’ Flower Product Manager Hillary Alger for a discussion on what it means to grow flowers in the challenging climatic conditions of the southern United States.

Our  guest panel of experienced Slow Flowers members are cut-flower growers from Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. We’ll hear their farming stories firsthand and discuss regional growing challenges, lessons learned, and their favorite varieties. You’ll meet and learn from them:

Rita Anders, Cuts of Color, Weimar, Texas

Eileen Tongson, FarmGal Flowers, Orlando, Florida

Taij & Victoria Cotten, Cotten Picked, Pittsboro, North Carolina

Julia Keel, Full Keel Farm, Fort White, Florida

The webinar is free and you can find the sign up link below. 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 850 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, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

Thank you to sponsor CalFlowers, the leading floral trade association in California, providing valuable transportation and other benefits to flower growers and the entire floral supply chain in California and 48 other states. The Association is a leader in bringing fresh cut flowers to the U.S. market and in promoting the benefits of flowers to new generations of American consumers. Learn more at cafgs.org.

Thank you to Store It Cold, creators of the revolutionary CoolBot, a popular solution for flower farmers, studio florists and farmer-florists. If you watch the video tour that Kate filmed for us, you’ll see a good example of her CoolBot. 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 Johnstown, 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.

---

Thanks so much 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

---

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; Falaal; Turning on the Lights; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Last month I participated in the Spring Educational and Workshop Series presented by Green Mountain Floral Supply in Burlington, Vermont. It was a Slow Flowers love fest, bringing me together with Tom and Kim Jennings, owners of Green Mountain; Jayson Munn, seminar coordinator; Holly Chapple, who taught floral design and business workshops for three days; and today’s guest, local Vermont flower farmer Jessie Witscher, co-owner with her partner Gregory Witscher of Understory Farm — all Slow Flowers members.

Jessie was invited to share about her flower farm, and to discuss growing premium specialty cut flowers to supply Green Mountain. We also heard a presentation by farmer-florist Abby Matson of Diddle & Zen, also located in the Burlington area. I took advantage of a free day to invite both Jessie and Abby to record conversations to share with you. We’ll hear from Abby in a few weeks, but today, you’re in for a treat to learn from Jessie.

We’ll learn how Jessie and Gregory do the math to calculate profitability for their mostly wholesale-focused operation. Nearly 80 percent of their flowers include wholesale channels to Green Mountain Floral Supply and to two grocery coops in their region. If you’ve always wondered how to make it work, learning from Jessie’s insights is a great place to start.

Find and follow Understory Farm on Instagram and Facebook

Understory Farm Newsletter signup

FarmFirst Peer Support Network

---

Slow Flowers News

In other news, if you’re a Southeastern flower grower, you’re invited to Join Slow Flowers +Johnny’s Selected Seeds at attend a free webinar on April 27th (2 pm Pacific/5 pm Eastern). I’ll be co-hosting the session with Johnny’s Seeds’ Flower Product Manager Hillary Alger for a discussion on what it means to grow flowers in the challenging climatic conditions of the southern United States.

Our guest panel of experienced Slow Flowers members are cut-flower growers from Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. We’ll hear their farming stories firsthand and discuss regional growing challenges, lessons learned, and their favorite varieties. You’ll meet and learn from them:

Rita Anders, Cuts of Color, Weimar, Texas

Eileen Tongson, FarmGal Flowers, Orlando, Florida

Taij & Victoria Cotten, Cotten Picked, Pittsboro, North Carolina

Julia Keel, Full Keel Farm, Fort White, Florida

The webinar is free and you can sign up at the link below.

---

Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 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, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

Thank you to Mayesh Wholesale Florist. Family-owned since 1978, Mayesh is the premier wedding and event supplier in the U.S. and we’re thrilled to partner with Mayesh to promote local and domestic flowers, which they source from farms large and small around the U.S. Learn more at mayesh.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 this year than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.

Thank you to Details Flowers Software, a platform specifically designed to help florists and designers do more and earn more. With an elegant and easy-to-use system–Details is here to improve profitability, productivity, and organization for floral businesses of all shapes and sizes. Grow your bottom line through professional proposals and confident pricing with Details’ all-in-one platform. All friends of the Slow Flowers Podcast will receive a 7-day free trial of Details Flowers Software. Learn more at
detailsflowers.com.

---

Thanks so much 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

---

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; Enter the Room; Turning on the Lights; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

If you’re a rose lover, you already know about Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria, California, a mecca for garden roses — all 40,000 plants that produce cut flowers to supply the national floral trade and event design world. Rose Story Farm thrives under the care of Danielle Dall’Armi Hahn, her husband Bill Hahn, her mother Patricia Dall’Armi, her sister Nina Dall’Armi, her business manager Patti Keck and so many other longtime farm staff members.

She may not remember this, but I first met Dani in October 2007 when I had recently relocated to Ventura County and my Seattle friends Maryann and Charles Pember, who were vacationing in Santa Barbara, invited me to meet them at Rose Story Farm for one of its famous tours and luncheons in the display gardens. Writing about the visit was one of my very first blog posts!

Later, we corresponded when Dani joined Slow Flowers Society during the very first year of our existence. And then, I visited during an industry dinner in 2014 where we finally met in person. Soon thereafter, Dani appeared as a guest — my 28th guest – of the new Slow Flowers Podcast in February 2014.

So much has happened in the ensuing years, which she and I discuss in today’s episode, while I also turn the pages of The Color of Roses and we admire the lush and dreamy rose photography of Victoria Pearson — all 330 pages of it!

Let’s jump right in and meet Dani Hahn, catch up on all that she’s been doing, and learn why she wants to reclassify the term Garden Rose! What a lovely experience to talk roses with one of our living rose legends!

Thank you, Dani ~ I can’t wait to return to Rose Story Farm for another visit!

Order your copy of The Color of Roses here.

We will also share the public dates for visiting Rose Story Farm, just released. The first date is at the end of April so check it out if you’ll be in the Santa Barbara/Carpinteria area. To celebrate their 25th Anniversary RSF will be hosting a limited number of garden tours. Experience the splendor of this 15-acre farm featuring 30,000 rose plants in 200 varieties. Blooms rotate in six-week cycles so at any time during the season (mid-April to end of November), over 3⁄4 of the plants will be in bloom.

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News for this Week

In News of the Week, our Member Meet-up of the month takes place this Friday, April 14th, 9 am PT/Noon ET. We have invited four guests, all Slow Flowers members who own successful retail flower shops and who have curated an unique product mix of gifts and other items that pair well with fresh, local flowers. You’ll hear from this panel who offer high-value collections to their floral customers. Meet:

Heidi Joynt of Field + Florist — luxury fragrances

Susan Chambers of bloominCouture — custom candles

Kelly Marie Thompson of Fleur Inc. Chicago – fine jewelry

Lauralee Symes of Sellwood Flower Co. – wine and bubbly

---

Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 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, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

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 goes 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 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 johnnysseeds.com.

---

Thanks so much 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

---

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; He Has a Way; Turning on the Lights; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com