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I’m delighted to host today’s conversation with the creatives behind Black Florists Fund. Black Florists Fund is an endeavor embarked upon in partnership with Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) and a team of Black entrepreneur advisors.

Through donations and sponsorships, Black Florist Fund (BFF) aims to provide worry-free capital grants and other crucial business resources to Black florists. These grants will be awarded to applicants who demonstrate a passion for the floral business community and a need for additional funding to help reach their goals and propel their business. Black Florists Fund hopes to provide valuable support to help stabilize and grow a number of black owned floral businesses each year.

It is with profound gratitude that I welcome three individuals in the floral community who are going to share more about what Black Florists Fund and how we can all get more involved.

You’ll hear from Elizabeth Cronin, founder and creative director of Asrai Garden; John Caleb Pendleton, creative director of Planks & Pistils, and Taylor Bates of Dusk Lily Floral Design, the first recipient of a Black Florists Fund grant. All three are based in Chicago and you’ll hear how their stories are woven together to support entrepreneurial Black florists and flower farmers through this new initiative.

Follow Dusk Lily Floral on Instagram

Follow Planks & Pistils on Instagram

Follow Asrai Garden on Instagram

Follow Elizabeth Cronin on Instagram

Follow Black Florists Fund on Instagam

Black Florists Fund Assets for your use:

Letter to Florist Partners

Script for soliciting donations from shoppers/customers at the register

Corporate Solicitations Letter

Social Media Artwork & Logos

Let’s support the 2023 round of fundraising and grant making.
Link to Donate to BFF

I hope you’re as inspired as I am to make a difference — in any way that works for you.

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 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 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.

Music credits:

Algea Trio; 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

Here we are at the beginning of 2023; we have already wrapped up the first month of the year! — and it’s time to present the ninth annual Slow Flowers Floral Insights and Industry Forecast.

Like you, when we turn the page to a new calendar year, the Slow Flowers community embraces the inevitable progress of change with a dose of optimism as we forecast the future. I’m so excited to be joined today by Robin Avni, my partner in BLOOM Imprint and an experienced consumer trend analyst and ethnographer for lifestyle brands. We will share 8 key insights for 2023 and elaborate both on how the larger culture reflects these themes and how our members are leading the shifts we discuss.

2023 Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Forecast

I’m so delighted that Robin Avni joined me in the review. As we move into 2023, we will be expanding on many of these insights with new content, podcast interviews, articles, and meet-up topics. Access to all of these resources is a definite benefit of being a member of the Slow Flowers Society — and I encourage you to join us as a member. You can find all the details and benefits of membership at slowflowerssociety.com.

Starting with the Winter 2023 issue of Slow Flowers Journal, the digital magazine will be behind a pay wall. Current members of Slow Flowers Society will receive the quarterly magazine subscription as a free benefit. In this issue you’ll find a 20-page expanded version of the Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Report, along with our regular features and departments.

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News for the Week

One more bit of news to share with you this week. On Friday, February 3rd, we’re hosting the February Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up with 2 of our expert members, Krista Rossow of O’Flora Farm, and Tiffany Brown Anderson of Earth & Seeds. The session Floral Photography Tips & Techniques, takes place Friday, February 3rd 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. Both women have extensive backgrounds as professional photographers in addition to owning flower farms.

What a great combination, as they have turned their cameras on the flowers they grow and provide to their communities! We’ve invited Krista and Tiffany to share their expertise with you, including how to make the most of your photography opportunities, both in the field and in the studio. Due to Valentine’s Day, we’re holding the Meet-Up one week early – on Friday, February 3rd.

This session is a MEMBER ONLY Benefit. You must be an active Slow Flowers member to register and attend. The link to register is in today’s show notes and will also be in the LINKTREE menu of our slowflowerssociety profile on Instagram. You will gain new ideas and easy steps you can take to immediately improve your flower photography, whether you use a smart phone or a DSLR Camera. Bring your Questions!

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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 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.

Music credits:

A Palace of Cedar; Drone Pine; 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

It’s the first week of January and if you’re like me, you already have swept away the holiday decor and turned the calendar page to 2023. It’s time to shake off 2022 and dive into the new year with a fresh attitude and new commitment to shape our floral enterprises so they not only reflect our personal aesthetic, but also honor our values, personal mission, and the way we want to show up in this world.

So I know you will be delighted to join my conversation today with Carolyn Kulb, Seattle-based floral designer and owner of Bloom Poet, a wedding and events design studio.

Carolyn may be familiar to you for two reasons: first, she appeared as a guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast in December 2019; and second, she was a 2021 American Flowers Week botanical couture designer whose futuristic ombre-hellebore dress generated a major wow-factor among the media and flower lovers alike.

In the past year, Carolyn has put all of her focus into the design side of her business, rebranding as Bloom Poet.

Here’s more about Carolyn Kulb: She is the founder and lead artist of Bloom Poet—a full-service wedding florist and event design company based in Seattle, Washington. Bloom Poet serves couples ready to create a meaningful and breathtaking experience for their wedding day. Carolyn helps couples dream big, embrace new ideas, and look to nature for inspiration. Carolyn also offers floral education and coaching to fellow florists and wedding pros. Through online classes and 1-to-1 coaching, Carolyn helps floral entrepreneurs learn proven methods for streamlining their wedding businesses and mastering sustainable floristry methods with less stress.

Carolyn’s work has been featured in national publications such as Flower Magazine, Aisle Society, Well Wedded Magazine, Trends Magazine, and Houzz.com. She has been invited to design, teach, and present across the country, including the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, the Slow Flowers Podcast, the Evolve Your Wedding Business Podcast, and American Flowers Week.

Carolyn believes that floral design is an art form, meant to tell the stories of our love. Carolyn wed her college sweetheart 12 years ago so they could serve in the Peace Corps together in Africa. After living in four countries and traveling in many more, Carolyn continues to draw upon multicultural art, architecture, and design influences in the way she crafts experiences for couples. She believes that in our culture, flowers are used to signify our most universal human experiences, and to tell our stories in ways that words cannot. This confluence of art, exploring cultural traditions, and helping people celebrate their milestones is what brought Carolyn to floral design years ago – and why she continues to love doing it.

In her free time, you can find Carolyn cuddling with her senior kitty, laughing with her husband, plotting where to travel next, tending her flower garden, writing music, spending time with friends, and learning Italian.

When I invited Carolyn to join me to talk about sustainable wedding florals, she also agreed to design for us on camera.

Part two of this show featured a fun demo in which Carolyn creates a lovely hand-tied wedding bouquet with all locally-grown and domestic flowers, with both fresh and dried ingredients.

Thanks so much for joining us today. As we discussed, Carolyn’s new course, Sustainable Wedding Design, goes live on Thursday, January 12th, and you can find the details at her website, carolynkulb.com. The 90-minute comprehensive training will teach you how to create impeccable, long-lasting wedding designs using foam-free and sustainable floristry methods. As an introductory rate, the course is $97 and includes a 30-minute live Q&A session at the end of the training – or the opportunity to submit questions in advance if you can’t attend the live session. I hope you check it out!.

Find and follow Carolyn at these social places:

Bloom Poet on Instagram and Facebook

Carolyn Kulb on Instagram

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News for this Week

January 13th Slow Flowers Member (Virtual) Meet-Up: Dive into the New Year with a Fresh Vision for your Floral Enterprise

You’re invited to join our special NEW YEAR conversation with Slow Flowers member Emily Ellen Anderson of Curious Lola. Emily is a business (& bravery) coach for artists. She helps creative entrepreneurs sell art to support their life, be willing to be seen and heard, and expand their own creative impact. Through a mix of practical strategy, business tools, and self-awareness exercises, artists who work with Emily grow their art practices in ways they never imagined were possible. The result is a self-assured, empowered artist who is deeply connected with their own creative genius. The result of which is, not surprisingly, a vibrant, flourishing business.

Join Slow Flowers Founder, Debra Prinzing, as she hosts a conversation with creative business coach Emily Ellen Anderson at our January 2023 “Slow Flowers Members’ Virtual Meet-Up”Friday, January 13th (9:00 a.m. PT/Noon ET)Click on the link below for login details and join this enriching gathering!#slowflowersmeetup

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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 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 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.

Music credits:
Waterbourne; 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

A few weeks ago, we had a virtual visit to the big Island of Hawaii to meet farmer-florist Christian Ingalls of Daisy Dukes Flower Farm. Today, we’re journeying to the Canadian province of Manitoba, where it’s quite the opposite, weather-wise. But you’ll be warmed by my guest’s positive energy and inspiring story!

You may remember meeting Lourdes Still of Masagana Flower Farm and Tinta Studio during our March 2021 Slow Flowers member meeting – the theme was Diving into Dye Plants, and Lourdes was one of three expert members who shared about how they integrate plant-based natural dyes into their cut flower farms. Our other member-experts included Julie Beeler of Bloom & Dye, and Elaine Vandiver of Gholson Gardens.

In the past 18 months, a lot has happened at Masagana Flower Farm, and I asked Lourdes to share how her entire business focus has shifted to on-farm experiences built around growing and crafting with dye plants. By partnering with Travel Manitoba and taking advantage of mentorship and grant programs for small businesses in her area, Lourdes has leveraged her micro farm and textile studio into a flower destination that soon will draw customers not only during flower farming season, but year round.

Lourdes has hosted between 75 and 81 TINTA Experience guests annually in the past two years. With the opening of the studio, she hopes to double the capacity and reach, projecting an average of 160 guests annually, with summer being the busiest time of the year.

KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN:

Check out Masagana Flower Farm’s Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds to complete her studio. The studio construction is two-thirds finished and Lourdes needs to raise the final funds to complete the structure for her 2023 season.

Find and follow Masagana Flower Farm:
Masagana Flower Farm on Instagram and Facebook
READ: Chatelaine Magazine: Inside The Growing, Gorgeous, Female-Led Slow Flowers Revolution

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News of the Week

The Slow Flowers Summit takes place June 26-27, 2023,  in a strategic partnership with venue and host Bellevue Botanical Garden in Bellevue, Washington, outside Seattle.

In news this week, the Slow Flowers Summit Early Bird ticket sale continues through the end of December — you’ll want to take advantage of the $100 off discount we’re extending to our Slow Flowers members and guests. The Slow Flowers Summit is unique as a professional floral industry conference because it brings together influencers in both growing and design — all to support domestic floral agriculture and sustainable floristry. We invite flower lovers, artists, gardeners, growers, wholesalers and retailers to come together in this event that celebrates responsible design practices.

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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.

---

Thanks so much for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 900,000 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

---

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:

Georgii; 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 dreary and cold in many parts of North America, so I’ve invited farmer-florist Christian Ingalls of Daisy Dukes Flower Farm to warm us up and share her taste of the tropics with us today. But rather than tropical flowers, we’re in for a treat as Christian teaches us about growing temperate flowers on the Big Island of Hawaii. Her floral enterprise, Daisy Dukes Flower Farm is located in Papaaloa, home to a menagerie of animals, fruit trees and lots of flowers. Daisy Dukes Flower Farm produces temperate annuals, perennials, flowering bulbs, and herb crops — flowers not typically associated with the Aloha state.

Christian designs florals for weddings, events and special occasions. She wholesales flowers to chefs and florists, retails her flowers to local customers, and produces on-farm events like you-pick flowers and workshops.

Together, the interview and the farm tour will transport you to the big island of Hawaii and the exciting potential for growing temperate flowers there. Plus, you’ll get a jolt of sunshine just listening to Christian’s positive energy. It’s contagious.

Find and follow Daisy Dukes Flower Farm on Instagram

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News of the Week

Tomorrow is December 1st and we will be opening up the Early Bird Registration for Slow Flowers Summit 2023! We will extend a $100-off discount to members of the Slow Flowers Society and the general public who preregister for the Summit – through December 31st. Take advantage to lock in your registration and enjoy end-of-year savings. As our sixth Slow Flowers Summit, the event is scheduled for June 26-27, 2023, returning to the Seattle Area where it all began in 2017. Keep an eye out for our announcements in your in-box and on social media, including our Instagram account @slowflowerssummit — you’ll want to follow us there for up-to-the-minute information about the Summit, our program, our fantastic speakers, and the bonus features we’ll be adding in the coming months. It’s going to be our sixth Slow Flowers Summit, the best ever!

---

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.

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 — like Christian Ingalls of Daisy Dukes Flower Farm. Online education is more important this year 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 1.1 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.

---

Music credits:

Nu Fornacis; 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

When it was published in 2012, The 50 Mile Bouquet was the first book to spotlight a major cultural shift and a transformation around how cut flowers are grown, designed and consumed, closely mirroring the culinary world’s locavore/slow food revolution.

One decade ago, the floral industry was just beginning to ask for changes, seeking alternatives to imported, mass-produced and chemical-laden flowers. The 50 Mile Bouquet introduced some of the innovative voices of the dynamic new Slow Flower Movement: the organic flower-farmers, the sustainably motivated floral designers . . . and the flower enthusiasts who were increasingly asking, ‘Where and how were my flowers grown, and who grew them?’

The 50 Mile Bouquet’s documentary-feature reporting and photography took readers into the personal stories of Slow Flowers practitioners. Its relevance today is more important than ever, considering issues around climate change, supply-chain limitations, and equity in the marketplace.

Today’s guests involved me in their story, their flowers, and the renaissance of floral agriculture in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. I learned so much from them while interviewing and writing about the farms and design studios of Slow Flowers practitioners, even before I began to use the phrase, “slow flowers.”

Let’s jump right in and meet Diane Szukovathy and Dennis Westphall, co-founders of Jello Mold Farm, in Mt. Vernon, Washington, and part of the group that established the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market in 2011. I’m so grateful to Diane and Dennis for their support and friendship over the past 12 years since we met. They are both past guests of the Slow Flowers Podcast and I consider them sustainability leaders and pioneers of the Slow Flowers Movement.

WATCH Seattle Wholesale Growers Market: Farm to Florist Video Series (Lilacs)

Find and follow Jello Mold Farm on Instagram:
@jellomoldfarm
@mister.mold

Jello Mold Farm on Slow Flowers Podcast (Past Episodes):
December 2015: Episode 225: Slow Flowers’ Holiday Special with Musician-Flower Farmer Dennis Westphall
April 2017: Episode 294: A Floral Collective of Greater Good: Celebrating and Selling Local Flowers with the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market’s Sixth Anniversary

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This Week’s News

And head’s up– next week, on December 1st, we will open the early bird registration for the 2023 Slow Flowers Summit! We are extending a $100 discount to members of the Slow Flowers Society and the general public who preregister for the Summit – through December 31st. You’ll want to take advantage of this offer to lock in your registration and take advantage of end-of-year savings. You’ll be hearing much more about this wonderful event, taking place over two days — June 26-27, 2023, returning to the Seattle Area where it all began in 2017. Can’t wait to share the full program, speaker lineup and special features with you.

---

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 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 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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Gratitude for YOU

We’re airing this episode on Wednesday, November 23rd, the day prior to American Thanksgiving. I want to share my thanks with you and my gratitude for your ongoing support of this show. The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 900,000 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

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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:

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/

Nice and Easy; In The Field
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

If you’ve been following along for a while, you have noticed that 2022 is the 10-year celebration of the publication of The 50 Mile Bouquet, a book that, to be honest, started me along the journey that became the Slow Flowers Movement.

In a tribute to this small but mighty book, I’m spending this year circling back to interview as many people featured in its pages as possible. The 50 Mile Bouquet was photographed by David Perry, designed by James Forkner, and brought to market by St. Lynn’s Press publisher Paul Kelly.

The opening chapter of The 50 Mile Bouquet includes profiles of several of the flower farmers who shaped the story and influenced my understanding of domestic floral agriculture. These are people who grew specialty cut flowers long before the term Slow Flowers was coined. They are the OG’s the originals, who have quietly practiced their craft as artisan growers, supplying their customers, both flower lovers and florists, with superior quality heirloom blooms.

So, today, you will meet Charles and Bethany Little of Eugene, Oregon-based Charles Little & Co. Their story appears in a section called Growers’ Wisdom in which we introduce these inspiring growers.

Charles Little has tended to ornamental crops in the verdant Willamette Valley since 1986 and I value his perspective and insights about how flower farmers have navigated the past decade and more. You met Bethany Little earlier this year when I featured her as a guest during her appearance as a NWFGS instructor, and so this is a bonus interview.

Listen to Bethany: Episode 349: Finding a Market for Your Flowers with Bethany Little of Charles Little & Co.
Listen to Charles: Grower Wisdom with Flower Farmer Charles Little (Episode 207)

Here’s how to find and follow Charles Little & Co.:

Charles Little & Co. on Facebook

Charles Little & Co. on Instagram

Read: “Heart of the Country,” my first interview with Charles and Bethany, that appears in The 50 Mile Bouquet.

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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 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 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 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 want to announce the winner of our special giveaway of The Flower School book by Joseph Massie, last week’s Podcast guest. We asked listeners to like and follow our @slowflowerssociety IG post and also like and follow Joseph Massie, as well as share a comment with the name or names of their favorite focal flowers. Thanks so much to all who entered our random drawing for this fantastic new book! Our winner is Whitney Muncy of Emerald Design in Evansville, Indiana! Congratulations, Whitney! We’ll get that book off in the mail to you soon.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 881,000 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. 

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Music credits:

American
by Crowander
www.crowander.com

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

Song title by Crowander (www.crowander.com)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

My guest today is Krista Rossow of O’Flora Flower Farm in Oregon’s Southern Willamette Valley. The tagline for O’Flora Farm is: Small Farm, Big Blooms, Oregon-grown.

Krista and I met in person earlier this summer at the Slow Flowers Summit in New York, but we’re just a few hours away from each other by car, and when I traveled to Eugene, Oregon two weeks ago, I invited myself over for a tour and to record today’s interview. I know you’ll enjoy it!

You’ll hear Krista’s fascinating story about her path to flowers, which involves a 15-year career as both a photography editor at National Geographic in Washington, D.C., and a freelance travel photographer whose work took her to all seven continents on the planet.

Now, thanks in large part to being temporarily sidelined by the Coronavirus pandemic and the pause on traveling to teach, guide tours and take amazing photography, Krista is decidedly present, staying close to home on her Oregon cut flower farm. Let’s jump right in and you’ll hear the full, beautiful story!

Subscribe to updates about Krista’s upcoming online floral photography course.

Follow O’Flora Flower Farm:
On Instagram and Facebook

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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 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 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.

And 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.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 872,000 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:
Silk and Silver; 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

Today, I’m so delighted to share my wonderful conversation with artist Ronni Nicole Robinson. Ronni creates works in plaster and paper and all of her pieces are botanically-inspired, utilizing flowers, branches and stems she clips from surrounding gardens and nature to incorporate into her embossed surfaces.

When planning the 2022 Slow Flowers Summit, “Flowers as Artist’s Muse” emerged and felt like the ideal theme to connect the stories, aesthetic, and craft of each of our gifted presenters. I knew I wanted to invite Ronni Nicole to share her unique point of view and her floral-embellished artwork to inspire Summit attendees.

And today, she will inspire you too. Ronni Nicole has been creating “flower fossils” in plaster and paper, pursuing her art full-time. She comes to us from the Ron Nicole studio in New Hope, Pennsylvania and I know you’ll enjoy this gifted artist as she discusses her process and techniques, as well as her philosophy of art, design, nature and beauty.

If you like what you hear today, please consider joining us at the Slow Flowers Summit where Ronni Nicole will share her remarkable journey as an artist and one who draws creative and soulful guidance from nature and especially from flowers. Ronni’s presentation takes place on Monday, June 27th (Day Two), and is followed by a Q&A.

Follow Ronni Nicole on Instagram

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Slow Flowers Summit News: Flower Donation Program

If you’re a regular listener, I know you’ve heard me talk about the upcoming Slow Flowers Summit, our fifth conference, which takes place June 26-28 at two venues just outside New York City. We’ll gather on Day One at the Red Barn at Maple Grove Farm in Bedford, New York, a beautiful private event venue, and then, we will continue Days Two and Three at Stone Barns Center in Pocantico Hills, New York. One of the ways you can get involved with the Summit is to participate in our Floral Donation Program to support design demonstrations and our Floral Design Takeover at Red Barn.

We’re inviting domestic flower farms and growers to provide donated flowers and foliage to be used throughout the 3-day event. In exchange, floral donations will be featured in Slow Flowers Summit social media, in our printed program, as well as at the in-person Summit. Interested? Click below for all the 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 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 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.

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 Red Twig Farms. Based in Johnstown, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches.  Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.

---

Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 851,000 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 column 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:
Heliotrope; 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