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Greetings, friends. Here at the Slow Flowers Society, we have experienced a whirlwind several weeks, including producing our fifth and largest Slow Flowers Summit conference ever, celebrating American Flowers Week, and publishing our debut Summer issue of our Slow Flowers Journal e-zine quarterly. Add to that 10 days of me traveling away from home and honestly, I’m just beginning to recover from all the festivities.

So today, in what is an entirely rare occurrence, you will hear an encore installment of the Slow Flowers Podcast. Petals and Alpacas at Gholson Gardens in Walla Walla, Washington, originally aired as Episode 395 in April 2019, and it is one of my very favorite shows.

I mean, alpacas AND flowers — what could be a better pairing? The people behind this fiber and flowers enterprise are an equally great pair — Slow Flowers member Elaine Vandiver and her husband Mike Vandiver.

Gholson Gardens is a small, 10-acre farm located in southeastern Washington state, in the quintessential rural community of Walla Walla, in the southeast corner of the state.  Mike and Elaine are both U.S. Army veterans turned first generation farmers. As they share on their website, Mike and Elaine purchased their farm in late 2013 as a way to start anew after learning a traditional family wasn’t in the cards for them.

Ten acres seemed sufficient. It had a big old red barn that reminded Elaine of the ones she saw growing up in Indiana. Plus it had a handful of outbuildings. And of course the farmhouse. A two-story folk-victorian number, with a wraparound porch. The whole place had charm, potential and good bones — If you could look past the peeling paint & tatters of time. In other words, it was a lot like she and Mike.

The seller told the couple it was “an old homestead” and that “those two llama come with the place.” As city kids, Elaine and Mike were unfamiliar with both homesteads and llamas. But they were in a place in life where they weren’t going to question things. So a homestead with llamas it was.

The first spring arrived, and the once sad-looking pastures sprang to life. And their two raggedy llama (LeRoi & Loretta) could not keep up with their grazing tasks. As Elaine writes on their website: “With all our resources tied into farmhouse renovations, we couldn’t exactly get a tractor. So naturally, we got the next best thing: alpaca. You know . . . the cute, smaller, softer version of llamas. They were supposed to be nothing more than cute little lawnmowers. And they were. But it sorta took a whole gaggle of them to keep up with the grass. And then they needed to be shorn. And that pile of raw fleece had to go somewhere.”

Ultimately, they started having it professionally spun into yarn . . . and then launched Old Homestead Alpacas, with a line of knitwear made exclusively of the alpaca fiber, manufactured entirely in the USA.

Elaine had begun to grow dye flowers, so in the summer of 2017, she decided to start selling them as cut flowers? She began by planting 100-row-feet of zinnia, cosmos, sunflowers and celosia.

I recorded this episode in March 2019 when I was in Walla Walla to speak (along with Elaine) about the Slow Flowers Movement for the Washington State Farmers Market Association.

Hers is a very personal, inspiring story and I know it will inspire anyone who views growing cut flowers as a new way of life, perhaps as a catalyst for all sorts of change. To learn how this story unfolds, I’ll let you hear from Elaine.

Learn More; Find and follow Gholson Gardens
Instagram
Facebook
Subscribe to Gholson Gardens’ newsletter

For Elaine and Mike, growing flowers is the latest chapter of their agricultural lifestyle, one that began with a llama and too many adorable alpacas for me to accurately count, continued to a flower and herb garden to grow plants that produce natural dyes for the wool, skeins and garments made with the alpaca fiber, and expanded just over a year ago to become a full-fledge cut flower farm.

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Slow Flowers in the News

We’re always thrilled when members of the media ask to learn more about the Slow Flowers Movement — and I have a new story by journalist, writer and editor Karin Vandraiss to share with you. She recently profiled Slow Flowers for Avocado Magazine in a feature titled: “How to Support the Slow Flowers Movement.” The story is illustrated with so many of Missy Palacol’s gorgeous photographs and it’s a great piece you’ll want to read and share with your customers and clients. I love how Karin wrapped up the piece with 4 tips for making Mindful Floral Purchases.

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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 improves 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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Thank you for listening to the Slow Flowers Podcast!

Thanks so much for joining us today! We’ll be back on our regular schedule with new episodes starting next week! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 864,000 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 and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the right column.

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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. 

Music credits:
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/

Acoustic Shuffle; In The Field
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

We are in the midst of American Flowers Week, which runs annually from June 28th through July 4th. In 2015, Slow Flowers Society launched American Flowers Week as an annual advocacy, education and outreach campaign to promote domestic and locally-grown flowers. The project encourages flower farmers, floral designers, flower enthusiasts and gardeners alike to share photographs of their blooms across social media with the hashtag #americanflowersweek.

Elevating local flowers and communicating the many reasons to support domestic floral agriculture and sustainable floristry are at the heart of the campaign. According to the 2022 National Gardening Survey, research sponsored by the Slow Flowers Society, 65 percent of Americans say it is very or somewhat important that the flowers they purchase are local (up from 58 percent in the 2021 survey). These numbers are trending up!

Sharing red-white-and-blue bouquets to commemorate Independence Day celebrations, is one way to woo the eye of the beholder. Today, you will meet the individuals and creative teams responsible for our 2022 American Flowers Week Botanical Couture collection. Together, they have drawn inspiration from nature, using design and art to bring deeper layers of meaning to their work.

Let’s jump right in and meet the creatives. You can see their botanical couture looks and learn how you can use the social media graphics for your own AFW promotional projects.

We know that creativity is not a finite commodity, although time and space in which to create is a priceless factor that can make the difference for so many florists, designers, and makers. We thank our talented Botanical Couture creatives value local, seasonal and sustainable flowers above all else and together, they are stimulating curiosity and changing  people’s relationship with flowers. 

I hope you’re inspired to participate in American Flowers Week. You’ll want to log onto Americanflowersweek.com and check out the Media Resources:

2022 American Flowers Week Press Release

Press Photos

Botanical Couture Badges

and Free Downloads:

2022 Artwork by Shelley Aldrich

Slow Flowers Journal – Summer 2022 Issue

What a wonderful preview! I want to share a special thank you to our Botanical Couture Sponsors who supported many of our florists and farmer-florists with donated flowers. Thank you to Carlos Cardoza of CamFlora Inc., a Watsonville, California-based family-owned flower farm, for providing stems of flowers and foliage for several of the looks.

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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 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.

And thank you to Mayesh Wholesale Florists for providing shipping, delivery and logistics support. In addition, we are grateful for Mayesh’s support of the Slow Flowers Podcast. 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.

Our final 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 this year than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 864,000 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 and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button at the right.

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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. 

Music credits:
Camp Fermin; 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 fifth Slow Flowers Summit is coming right up and everyone involved is getting very excited to convene in New York’s Westchester County for three creatively informative and inspiring days centered around local flowers, sustainability and community — June 26 to June 28.

Today, I want to share two back-to-back interviews with Slow Flowers members in New York’s lower Hudson Valley and Brooklyn, both of whom are hosting bonus events built around the Slow Flowers Summit. You’ll meet Sylvia Lukach of Cape Lily Floral and Molly Culver of Molly Oliver Flowers.

Here’s the scoop: Our conference theme is Flowers as Artists Muse, and on Day Three our attendees will enjoy an immersive experience at Stone Barns Center’s Arts & Ecology Lab. According to Sylvia Lukach, after our fantastic final day, the party isn’t over! And if that’s not enough fun, Molly Culver has curated a fantastic NYC Flower District tour on Wednesday, June 29th. Learn more as you join my conversations with both women today.

First: On Tuesday evening, June 28th, Sylvia and several of the creatives of Makers Central in Tarrytown, New York, will host a studio tour and cocktail party in their shared artisan workspace — an exclusive opportunity for Summit guests only.

During the Slow Flowers Summit Arts & Ecology Lab programming, attendees will meet, Connor McGinn, a ceramic artist and owner of Connor McGinn Studio, and papermaker Natalia Woodward of Batflower Press. Sylvia Lukach will also be there to assist Blue Hill Restaurant operations manager and floral designer Philppe Gouze in his demonstration. She generously cooked up the Makers Central tour and after party and I’m so looking forward to attending and learning more about how her floral studio fits into a large makers space with so many creative mediums.

The Meet the Makers at Makers Central cocktail part is only open to attendees of the Slow Flowers Summit. Signup link is provided in today’s show notes.

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Second: You’ll hear my conversation with Molly Culver of Brooklyn-based Molly Oliver Flowers, who will share a preview of her post-Summit program, a NYC Flower District Walking Tour, followed by lunch and studio visit to Molly Oliver Flowers’ space in Brooklyn.

Molly Culver’s NYC Flower District Walking Tour and Lunch/Design Demonstration at her Brooklyn studio are open to Summit attendees and other flower lovers. The morning and afternoon sessions are separately priced at $95 each and space is limited. You can join Molly for either session, or sign up for both! The cost of cabs (to be shared with other participants) and lunch is included in the workshop ticket.

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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 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.

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.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 861,000 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 and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button at slowflowerspodcast.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. 

Music credits:
Long and Low Cloud; Yarrow and Root; 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

We are closing in on the 2022 Slow Flowers Summit, taking place June 26-28th in Westchester County New York – at two venues, the Red Barn at Maple Grove Farm in Bedford and at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture in Pocantico Hills. You’ve met almost all of our speakers here on the Slow Flowers Show or the Slow Flowers Podcast and tickets are nearly sold-out with sales closing on June 19th.

We invited Susan McLeary to teach on 2021 Slow Flowers Summit design stage and also to give our keynote presentation. We’ve shared Sue’s entire demonstration of a large-scale, foam-free botanical installation. You can learn Sue’s exact techniques and mechanics, as well as how she prepares her famous “burrito” as an alternative to foam, what types of ingredients she selects, and how she uses principles of design to achieve pleasing proportion and balance in her final work of art.

Meet Susan McLeary at these social places:
Susan McLeary on Instagram and Facebook
Susan McLeary’s courses and workshops
Request Sue’s list of reliable flowers

I just looked up a quote from Sue from the first profile I published about her in 2017. This was for a story in Florists’ Review called “A Curious Creative.” Here’s a quote from Sue that I so appreciated, she said:

“You have to be insanely curious and you have to keep your curiosity.” Rather than waiting for the muse to miraculously appear, Sue is ever-attentive and observant, seeking inspiration from many sources. She continues: “The life of a florist is very busy and there isn’t a lot of free time. But my advice is to make creative time a priority. Schedule a day, or part of a day, each month, and try out new ideas. Create just for yourself. Make the things that you want to make and be sure to have them photographed. Make it a priority.”

My favorite Sue McLeary quote from her 2021 Slow Flowers Summit presentation is this:

I think of large-scale design as a corsage for the room.

Susan Mcleary

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Last Chance to Grab Your Slow Flowers Summit Ticket!

Of course, you’ve already heard me mention the countdown to the 2022 Slow Flowers Summit — it’s going to be an amazing event, a gathering of kindred spirits representing all facets of the domestic floral marketplace. This week is the FINAL opportunity to grab your ticket — and I have a special discount code to share with you! Use the Coupon Code: LETSDOTHIS for 10% off registration for any 2022 Slow Flowers Summit Ticket Type or for our once-in-a-lifetime Slow Flowers Dinner at Blue Hill Restaurant on Monday, June 27th. Offer expires June 19, 2022 (midnight PT) Find the registration link in today’s show notes — and I hope to see you there!

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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 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 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 the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. Formed in 1988, ASCFG was created to educate, unite, and support commercial cut flower growers. Its mission is to help growers produce high-quality floral material, and to foster and promote the local availability of that product. Learn more at ascfg.org.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 858,000 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 Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button to the right ->.

---

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. 

Music credits:
Game Hens; For We Shall Know Speed; 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 urgency to reverse climate change and better care for the future of our planet are top of mind issues for many floral professionals. If you’re listening or watching today, you’re probably here because you want to know more about the Slow Flowers Movement — and we schedule our topics and guests with values of seasonality, sustainability and social equity in mind. We know from our members feedback and surveys that you, too, want to make mindful decisions about your own role in creating a better floral marketplace.

Today’s guest has been a valuable resource throughout my own quest to become better educated, including understanding the scientific facts and academic research around sustainable and non-sustainable practices in the floral marketplace. I recently visited Becky Feasby, owner of Calgary, Alberta-based Prairie Girl Flowers, and the two of us spent much of our 72 hours together in conversation about our shared passion for making the floral industry a safer and more sustainable one. Those conversations are captured in today’s show and I’m excited to share it with you.

Becky writes that ethical and sustainable floristry involves looking at not only how and where we source our flowers, but also considering the waste generated by designs and packaging.  She maintains that like other agricultural crops, we need to examine not only the carbon footprint of our flowers, but also the use of pesticides, water pollution, exploitation in the supply chain, and waste.  Sustainable floristry means using local and seasonal flowers; for her, it also means not importing flowers from overseas; never using single use plastics for packaging or floral foam in designs; and supporting local growers and creatives to give back to the community.

Becky is a past guest of this podcast, Episode 400 (May 2019). Listen here.
Follow Becky and Prairie Girl Flowers on Instagram for her popular weekly series #sustainabilitysunday
Learn more about the upcoming Sustainable Flowers Project, a three-day workshop, which she is co-producing with TJ McGrath of TJ McGrath Design.

If you’re heading to the Slow Flowers Summit, just a few weeks away on June 26-28th in New York, be sure to meet Becky and TJ there in person to learn more about their workshop. I’m hoping to be there in September, too! 

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News of the Week: You’re Invited to our Slow Flowers Member Virtual Meet-Up

Later this week on Friday, June 10th (at 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern), you’re invited to join the Slow Flowers Member (Virtual) Meet-up. Join Shannon Algiere, our special guest, as she introduces the famed Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, our Slow Flowers Summit host and venue for Day Two and Day Three.

Shannon is Arts & Ecology Director at Stone Barns Center. She brings over 25 years of experience in holistic farm design, crops production, garden and greenhouse management and farm-based education. She and Philippe Gouze will open our June 27th (Monday) session with a presentation entitled THE FLOWERS OF STONE BARNS CENTER & BLUE HILL. At the Meet-Up Shannon and Stone Barns Center Greenhouse Manager, Daniel Bartush will give us a preview of the floral program at Stone Barns Center and the programs of the Arts & Ecology Lab. 

You must pre-register to join us. I’ll share the registration link in today’s show notes for Episode 561 at slowflowerspodcast.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.

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.

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 us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 855,000 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 and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button to the right.

---

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. 

Music credits:
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 regular viewer or listener of the Slow Flowers Vodcast/Podcast, you’re familiar with my sponsor thanks, like those you just heard me say. In order to produce our content and share it freely, our relationships with sponsors are important to us. 

For the past year, you’re probably heard me mention FlowerFarm.com, a leading wholesale flower distributor that sources from and supplies farm-direct blooms. When we signed up FlowerFarm.com as a major sponsor, I asked if they would add a search tool on their home page to allow florists and other customers to easily find U.S.-grown flowers. Miraculously, they created a large feature on their home page to help users find flowers and foliage from California, Florida, Oregon and Washington by using the “Origin” selection tool in your search. 

In talking with the team at FlowerFarm.com, we came up with a fun project to showcase today. They recently shipped me a mixed box of blooms and foliage so I could experience the process myself. You’ll see in the clips that follow an initial conversation with FlowerFarm.com’s floral specialist Michaela Newheart, as we discuss how the site works. Then, you’ll watch a quick un-boxing video that I filmed inside my greenhouse, followed by my second conversation with Michaela as we talk about flower processing. My favorite part was getting to arrange with this surprise selection of flowers. 

Thank you so much for joining us today. As you heard Michaela mention a few times, she is the helpful expert at the other side of any email you send, so be sure to say hello to her when you reach out. She really wants to make your buying experience a positive one and she has amazing contacts with all of the U.S. growers who fulfill orders.

Follow FlowerFarm on Instagram and on Facebook

Create a buyer account on FlowerFarm.com

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News of the Week: Let’s Stop Gun Violence

It’s June 1st — wow, I can’t believe the year has raced by through the first five months. There have been highs and lows, too many lows, in our lives. In response to the public health epidemic of gun violence, I want to invite you to participate in a special Spread Love, Not Violence campaign that Slow Flowers Society is supporting. The campaign began with two of our member florists in Seattle, Anne Bradfield of Analog Floral (@analogfloral) and Tammy Myers of First & Bloom (@firstandbloom), are donating 10% of all proceeds from their floral businesses to everytown.org (@everytown), an organization that works to end gun violence, between May 31-June 3, leading up to the National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 3. ⠀⠀⠀⠀
We were compelled to stand alongside them in this small but significant effort. Slow Flowers will match their funds raised to support @everytown. If you are a Slow Flowers member who wants to participate or plan a similar campaign to raise funds for everytown, either this week or in the near future, please reach out to us and we’ll pledge to match your donations, too — up to $1,000! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Let’s spread flowers, not violence!

A Post-Script: Since recording this announcement, three more Slow Flowers Members have joined the effort! Thank you to:

Lori Poliski of Flori LLC, Teresa Rao of Belle Petale, and Jean Louise Paquin-Allen of Juniper Floral! We’ll make sure to announce the news when we send the funds raised to everytown.org!

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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. 

Thanks 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.

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 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.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 853,000 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 and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button to the right.

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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. 

Music credits:
Highride; Floor Shine; 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

I’m so happy to share today’s conversation and design demonstration with you. My guest is Jennifer Driscoll, owner of Oakland-based Redwood Wild Florals.

I met Jennifer last summer at the 2021 Slow Flowers Summit, held at Filoli, not far from her Bay Area backyard. You know how you start following someone you’ve met on social media and then want to learn more about their story and their creativity? That’s what’s happened with us. I invited Jennifer to join me to share about her floral journey and give us a floral design treat.

Her tagline for Redwood Wild Florals is: “Seasonal, Handpicked, & Foraged Garden-Style Florals.”

While a self-described gardener who loves to share her flower bounty and find beauty in community, Jennifer’s artistic super power is her background in interior design.

Drawing from her design training, and combined with her passion for gardening, Jennifer arranges an array of organically grown flowers, straight from the garden, to create lush, artful, and refined florals.

Enjoy this lovely peek into Jennifer’s world.

Follow Redwood Wild Florals on Instagram and Facebook

See Jennifer’s interior design style at Studio Driscoll

I loved seeing all of the cutting garden ingredients that Jennifer grows and includes in her bouquets and arrangements. Take inspiration from her story and perhaps you’ll borrow some of the ways Jennifer blends two creative pursuits into her lifestyle!

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This week’s Slow Flowers’ News

Coming up this Friday, May 13th, you’re invited to join the Slow Flowers Member (virtual) Meet-Up for the month. It’s our Slow Flowers Summit Design Preview with Xenia D’Ambrosi and TJ McGrath, two of our Slow Flowers Summit featured floral designers who will join me  for an inspiring conversation about seasonal growing, sourcing and design!

Xenia and TJ are part of our inspiring Day One speaker lineup (June 26th) and they will both present a design demonstration using all locally-grown botanicals at the Slow Flowers Summit.

At the Meet-Up you’ll have a chance to learn more about their floral enterprises and how they stay true to their missions. Their missions are based on seasonality, sustainability, and connecting clients, customers, and their communities with the beauty and meaning in their flowers. I hope you’ll join this enriching gathering!

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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 880 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, returning for 2022, 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 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.

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.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 846,000 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 Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button at slowflowerspodcast.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. 

---

Music credits:
Silver Lanyard; 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

I love it when I can host a Slow Flowers member on a Seattle visit, and now that travel is again opening up, I have a feeling 2022 will be a busy one. 

Last month, Andrea K. Grist, a long-time Slow Flowers Society member and friend, spent a few days visiting Seattle. She is a past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast and a wedding and event florist based in the Kansas City metro area. Five years ago, Andrea assumed the management of Florasource KC, a locally-owned independent flower wholesaler based in Overland Park, Kansas. And last year, Andrea opened KC Bloom Hub, a dedicated studio space within Florasource KC, available to florists for one-day rentals for design and production, workshops and other events.

Andrea came to Seattle on a research trip — she hopes to put a greater emphasis on KC-grown flowers through her wholesale outlet — and she wanted to learn from what’s happening here. Of course, we visited the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, now in its 11th year as a successful farmer-own floral wholesale hub. It was early April and I let Andrea loose there to shop for local and domestic botanicals. Back in my dining room, she created a gorgeous, large-scale arrangement with her seasonal selections, which she designed during our  conversation.

Ingredient List for Andrea’s floral arrangement, sourced from the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market
Fritillaria meleagris (Snakehead checkerboard fritillaria) and Leucojum ‘Summer Snowflake’, grown by Choice Bulb Farms
Chocolate Anthriscus foliage and ‘Hybrid Red’ Hellebores, grown by Jello Mold Farm
Butterfly Ranunculus ‘Charis’ and Maidenhair fern, grown by Peterkort Roses
Tulip ‘Double Brownie’, grown by Ojeda Farms
Spiraea and Manzanita, grown by Oregon Flower Growers
California grown selections: Scabiosa ‘Fama White’, Stock, single tulips, fruiting Kumquat branches, and Grevillea

Find and follow Andrea K. Grist:
Andrea K. Grist on Facebook and Instagram
Florasource KC on Facebook and Instagram
KC Bloom Hub on Instagram

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News of the Week!

It’s May already and there’s lots of great Slow Flowers news to share! Please check out our May Newsletter, packed with details about the upcoming American Flowers Week promotions, our new Slow Flowers Journal digital magazine (launching as a quarterly in June), links to all the recent press about Slow Flowers, and other membership resources.

You will also find the signup link to our May 13th Slow Flowers member meet-up, featuring two of the designers presenting at the upcoming Slow Flowers Summit!

And a program note: Congratulations to the winners of our book giveaway from a few weeks ago. Thanks to Abrams and Lorene Edwards Forkner, for 2 copies of Color in and out of the Garden, going to: Cathy Rocca and Karen Faulkner — we’ll be in touch to arrange mailing details!

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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 880 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, returning for 2022, 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 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.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 844,000 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 and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the right column of our home page.

---

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. 

---

Music credits:
Low Coal Camper; 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

We have just recognized Earth Day and the Slow Flowers Podcast focused on a non-green topic: Funeral Flowers.

This episode was inspired by two Slow Flowers members in the Seattle area who have been researching ways to infuse sustainability into sympathy flowers.

I’ve invited Lori Poliski of Flori LLC, and Tammy Myers of LORA Bloom and First and Bloom to share their experience, research, and future plans on this topic.

Just for context, based on funeral industry statistics, if half of the funerals in the US annually have traditional funeral flowers, Lori and Tammy estimate that up to 1.2 million plastic and floral foam saddle caskets, wreath forms and cages that end up in the landfill, every year. 

The women want to change “farewell flowers” to make them not only environmentally friendly, but beautiful, meaningful and personal.  After a long life or a tragic death, one should be laid to rest with beauty – and the flowers should do no harm.  

They are on a mission to raise awareness about this topic, first, with consumers, florists and the funeral industry and second, by offering sustainable options in for clients in the Seattle area and hosting sustainable mechanics classes for florists. While the main focus will be around sympathy or farewell flowers, there’s certainly potential for making daily deliveries and event work greener. 

Lori and Tammy have partnered with a certified green burial cemetery, Cedar Lawns in Redmond, Washington, to start. They recently designed green farewell flowers for a photo shoot at Cedar Lawns and are preparing a brochure and a booklet as well as listing the items digitally on their respective websites. 

Resources and Where to find and follow Lori and Tammy:

Follow Flori on Facebook and Instagram

Follow LORA Bloom on Facebook and Instagram

Follow First & Bloom on Facebook and Instagram

Learn more about the Green Burial Counsel

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Last Friday, on Earth Day, I posted a video announcing the just-released new findings from the 2022 National Gardening Survey, which includes specific questions about cut flowers that Slow Flowers Society developed in collaboration with the National Gardening Association, which conducts the annual survey.

Click here to read more. Last year’s survey found that 58 percent of respondents said it is very or somewhat important that the flowers they purchase are locally grown. This year, that number has climbed to 65 percent — nearly 2/3rd of respondents prefer locally-grown flowers.

The attitudes about American-grown flower purchases is also trending up — from 57% of respondents in 2021 saying it’s very or somewhat important that the flowers they purchase are U.S. grown, to 61% preferring domestic flowers.

There’s much more to learn and as a bonus, we have prepared a media kit for Slow Flowers Society members to use for their own local promotions. If you are a member, you’ll find a special email in your in-box this week sharing the download details. All in all, I’m encouraged about the needle moving higher as we now have two consecutive years of consumer attitudes about Local and US-grown flowers!

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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 880 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, returning for 2022, 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 Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. Formed in 1988, ASCFG was created to educate, unite, and support commercial cut flower growers. It mission is to help growers produce high-quality floral material, and to foster and promote the local availability of that product. Learn more at ascfg.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.  

Thank you to Flowerfarm.com, a leading wholesale flower distributor that sources from carefully-selected flower farms to offer high-performing fresh flowers sent directly from the farm straight to you. You can shop by flower and by country of origin at flowerfarm.com. Find flowers and foliage from California, Florida, Oregon and Washington by using the “Origin” selection tool in your search. It’s smarter sourcing. Learn more at flowerfarm.com.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 842,000 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 Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button at slowflowerspodcast.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. 

---

Music credits:
Homegrown; Sage the Hunter; 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
by:
audionautix.com