The Slow Flowers Podcast is the award-winning show known as the “Voice of the Slow Flowers Movement.” Launched in 2013 as the original flower podcast, we’ve devoted more than 10 years to covering the business of flower farming, floral design, and the Slow Flowers sustainability ethos. Listen to a new episode each Wednesday, available for free download here at slowflowerspodcast.com or on iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
Farmer-florist Stacy Marshall recently opened her beautiful flower farm in historic Poulsbo, Washington, to host British sustainable design educator Rachel Wardley of Tallulah Rose Flower School. I spent a morning visiting with these two floral friends to learn about their recent collaboration to elevate local flowers, seasonal flowers, and sustainable practices.
Stacy Marshall (left) and Rachel Wardley (right) at Petal & Pitchfork Farm in Poulsbo, Washington
Stacy Marshall says she has realized a long-held dream to learn floristry skills in an immersive setting from an experienced, talented designer. This past July, she hosted UK-based floral educator Rachel Wardley of Tallulah Rose Flower School, who traveled to Poulsbo, Washington, to lead an intimate, five-day session for a group of students, including Stacy, who hosted the workshop at Petal & Pitchfork Farm and also supplied many of the seasonal blooms for Rachel’s instruction and the students’ hands-on projects and installations.
Scenes from the Floral Immersion workshop at Petal & Pitchfork Farm (c) Rachel Wardley
The sold-out workshop attracted the attention of the local press, and Kitsap Sun daily newspaper sent a reporter and photographer to document the session. I was thrilled to see Slow Flowers mentioned in the context of Stacy’s story as a Slow Flowers member – see link to that story below.
Debra Prinzing of Slow Flowers visits Stacy Marshall of Petal and Pitchfork Flower Farm (right) and Rachel Wardley of Tallulah Rose Flower School (center)
Stacy and Rachel invited me to stop by for a visit, and it was a true delight to make the Saturday morning drive to Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula, to meet them, and record our conversation for you.
Here’s a bit more about both women:
Petal and Pitchfork Farm
Stacy Marshall at Petal and Pitchfork Farm
Flowers for the workshop
Floral Immersion workshop, taught by Rachel Wardley of Tallulah Rose Flower School (c) Rachel Wardley
After a career in fashion and a busy London life Rachel Wardley turned her attention to the world of flowers. She trained at the renowned Jane Packer Flower School in 2005 and had the honor of meeting the inspirational founder, an introduction she is particularly grateful for. After relocating to Bath, Rachel opened a florist shop, a wedding and event business, and Tallulah Rose, a flower school dedicated to nurturing career change students.
Fanciful floral crowns, taught by Rachel Wardley of Tallulah Rose Flower School (c) Rachel Wardley
Fast forward 16 years and Tallulah Rose Flower is now based at Levens Hall in Cumbria. The school continues to teach sustainable methods choosing to support local growers and using British flowers throughout the growing season. Rachel is proud to be a UK ambassador for the Sustainable Floristry Network.
Stacy wrapped up her sentiments on a recent Instagram post: “If you’re a grower who aspires to learn floristry, do it now if you’re able. It’s hard to make time as a grower – it took me eight years and an email from Rachel fifteen months ago to make the leap. I’ve become more confident in my own style and expression.” She concludes by writing: “We create best when we express authentically.” I love that!
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to Rooted Farmers. Rooted Farmers works exclusively with local growers to put the highest-quality specialty cut flowers in floral customers’ hands. When you partner with Rooted Farmers, you are investing in your community, and you can expect a commitment to excellence in return. Learn more at RootedFarmers.com.
And 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 johnnyseeds.com.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
After building her studio’s wedding and event portfolio, Lexi Richards knew she wanted to pursue channels that combine her floral art with commerce and civic commissions. Join me as we discuss her branding approach to attract corporate bookings and public artist-in-residency work.
Lexi Richards of Twiggage & Blooms
Today’s guest, Lexi Richards, owns Twiggage & Bloom, where she and her family grow beautiful, sustainable flowers on their Mission, British Columbia micro farm and provide those blooms to couples and clients in the Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver area.
Twiggage and Blooms’ Bouqet Workshop for Volvo Canada
Flowers have always been part of Lexi’s life growing up and learning from the women in her life to whom growing flowers came easily and naturally. She explains that when she started working in a traditional florist shop, it was the fragrance and variety of the flowers grown at home that she missed.
As a creative individual and a lifelong learner, Lexi knew she wanted to grow a huge variety of flowers with delicious colours, romantic forms, and soul- stirring fragrances – rather than just the basics.
Twiggage and Blooms for Fleurs des Villes
She has invested her time, energy, and resources to acquire the skills to successfully grow exquisite flowers or source them from fellow growers to create Twiggage & Blooms’ signature floral designs. Whether it’s for a wedding, a corporate event, or enthusiastic flower club fans, the focus is on designing arrangements tailored to the client’s needs. From the smallest boutonniere to a large scale floral installation, Lexi want her designs to be fresh, unique, and rooted in time and place.
Twiggage and Bloom ceremony arch
Poetry & Posy
This exhibition is the beautiful result of a Poetry & Posy workshop with City of Abbotsford Artist in Residence, Alexandra Richards at the Kariton Art Gallery on August 10, 2023. Participants made a posy (a small bouquet) and matched it to words using floriography (the symbolism of flowers) to create short poems. Each of the posies and poems were photographed to create this collection.
Find and follow Twiggage & Blooms at these social places: Facebook and Instagram
Thank you to our Sponsors
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to 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.
Our next sponsor thanks goes 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.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Based in Burlington, Vermont, Jayson Munn owns Jayson Munn Design. He specializes in creating inspired arrangements for weddings, corporate events, and photo styling throughout New England, but Jayson never veers too far from his gardening influences. Join me for a heartfelt conversation with Jayson as we chat about nature, flowers, plants, and living slow & seasonally – our interview wraps up with Jayson’s perfect summer floral demonstration.
Jayson Munn at Green Mountain Floral Supply (Jenna Brisson Photography)
The roots of today’s conversation began in 2018 when I traveled to Virginia to teach at Holly Chapple’sFlowerstock. That’s where I met floral artist Jayson Munn of Burlington, Vermont-based Jayson Munn Design, who was there to help produce Flowerstock, as a member of Holly’s team.
Jayson & Debra, captured by Jenna Brisson during my time teaching creative writing for florists and flower farmers at Green Mountain Floral Supply in 2023
We had some wonderful encounters during a number of days there, and it was such a lovely surprise when, the following year, Jayson reached out to invite me to teach a creative writing workshop at Green Mountain Floral Supply, the major flower wholesaler and floral hub in Burlington, Vermont. I’ve now taught at two of Green Mountain Floral Supply’s Spring Flower Shows – in 2019 and 2023 – as their guest, but truly, I was there because of Jayson, who coordinates the annual educational program for the florists in their community.
Jayson’s front porch and garden at the peak of summer
He is a thoughtful community builder and educator, not to mention a fabulous floral designer, and I’ve been wanting Jayson to record a conversation with me for years. We finally found time to connect recently – virtually. As I mention during our chat, the timing never worked before for us to record when we’re together, so we decided to record this virtual interview.
Jayson’s front garden and floral design created for the Slow Flowers Podcast
All local, Vermont-grown! Floral design by Jayson Munn
As I alluded to in the intro, Jayson is a garden guy. You’ll hear us discuss his formative years, when Jayson’s love of botanicals was nurtured in the woods, fields, and at the river’s edge. That chapter transitioned into a career working in the field of professional floral design. With more than two decades of experience and a life-long passion for plants and the garden, Jayson continues to create floral masterpieces –from classic, modern, rustic and elegant, to something new altogether.
Jayson assisting Holly Chapple during her portion of the 2023 workshop at Green Mountain Floral Supply (c) Jenna Brisson
Listen to Episode 394 (March 2019). Our interview with Tom Jennings of Green Mountain Floral Supply, which we recorded during my first visit to Burlington’s floral community.
Thank you to our Sponsors
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to Store It Cold, creators of the revolutionary CoolBot, a popular solution for flower farmers, studio florists and farmer-florists. Save $1000s when you build your own walk-in cooler with the CoolBot and an air conditioner. Don’t have time to build your own? They also have turnkey units available. Learn more at storeitcold.com.
And thank you to Red Twig Farms. Based in New Albany, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Emily Pek of Frayed Knot Farm recently contributed an essay to Slow Flowers Journal’s Summer 2024 issue, sharing her philosophy on the importance of community connections for sustaining a vibrant cut flower business that has served the greater Cleveland area for the past seven years. We invited Emily to discuss her story and her journey with the Slow Flowers Podcast – and I’m excited for you to join us today.
Emily Pek, Frayed Knot Farm
Let’s jump right into today’s interview with Emily Pek of Frayed Knot Farm.
The mission of Frayed Knot Farm is to grow beautiful, diverse, cut flowers and herbs that share stories, bring joy, and support equitable and regenerative farming.
An abundance of flowers from Frayed Knot Farm
As owner-founder Emily has a passion for systems thinking and agriculture, both of which led to an apprenticeship in Brooklyn, NY in 2016 where she learned how to farm while studying food justice. Upon returning to her deep roots in Cleveland, she worked at various farms and started Frayed Knot in 2017. The land that Frayed Knot resides on was previously stewarded by her grandparents, who have been part of the community for close to a century.
Frayed Knot Farm’s Community partnerships
Frayed Knot Farm is located 30 miles east of downtown Cleveland and grows over 100 varieties of annual and perennial flowers and foliage on less than an acre. Using hand scale and regenerative farming practices, the flowers produced and foraged are offered in CSA bouquet subscriptions, wholesale for purchase by florists, and supply events and workshops.
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our new lead sponsor for 2024-2025, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds — supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnyseeds.com.
Thank you to The Gardener’s Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.
Slow Flowers Podcast Turns 11!
Today is cause for celebration – we are commemorating the 11th anniversary of the Slow Flowers Podcast, the original floral podcast that we’ve produced and hosted for you ever since our debut on July 23, 2013! That means today’s episode is our 574th consecutive weekly program highlighting the people, farms, florists, and flowers of the Slow Flowers Movement. Thank you for supporting this storytelling project for more than a decade – now, in its 11th season!
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com.
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Ten years ago, Rebecca Bodicky combined her fine arts education with flower shop and restaurant experience to open the Alice Blue Collective, a design studio and urban micro farm in St. Louis, Missouri. Join me in conversation with Rebecca as she reflects on her floral journey and shares her approach to combining art with flowers.
Rebecca Bodicky, Alice Blue Collective
Alice Blue Collective is a St. Louis-based artistic project bringing the unexpected to everyday spaces and local places with flowers. Founder Rebecca Bodicky’s creative life began in childhood, when she took classes at the St. Louis Art Museum; later, she studied art at NYU, and worked in New York as an artist and artists’ assistant.
Alice Blue Collective founder, Rebecca Bodicky
A high school job as a florist’s shop-assistant drew her back to floristry Rebecca returned to St. Louis. Her love of nature informs everything Rebecca creates, and she strives to honor that love in her designs by mixing local, seasonal, and foraged flora with nursery flowers.
Her experiment with urban farming has produced ninebark, river birch, thornless blackberry, and native grasses for taller arrangements and installations. Rebecca has studied herbalism with Rosemary Gladstar, and holds a certificate in aromatherapy.
Alice Blue Collective florals for restaurants
Her commissions can be seen in some of St. Louis’s best restaurants, cafes, and businesses. You heard us discuss Rebecca’s idea of creating watercolors of her arrangements, and after we ended the recording, her assistant Kim told me that when Rebecca delivers arrangements to some of her restaurant clients, she makes a quick sketch for them – which is usually displayed in the reception area. What a wonderful way to connect restaurant patrons with the art of local flowers!
Alice Blue Collective wedding florals
Find and follow Alice Blue Collective Alice Blue Collective on Facebook and Instagram
Slow Flowers Summit Recap
It’s been a few weeks since the 7th annual Slow Flowers Summit wrapped up and I’ve spent some really enjoyable moments reflecting on the amazing education and deeply meaningful connections that I and our attendees experienced. Earlier this week, we posted a recap story about the 2024 Summit, featuring highlights of our sessions, the afternoon of floral immersion, and the people who invested their time and talents to make this conference such a success. I hope you enjoy reading my reflections and enjoy photography of our time in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
And for those who have asked . . . we will announce the 2025 Slow Flowers Summit details on September 1st – you’ll hear about it here, of course, but if you want to make sure to see the announcement, click here to sign up for future announcements.
Thank you to our Sponsors
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to 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 you to Rooted Farmers. Rooted Farmers works exclusively with local growers to put the highest-quality specialty cut flowers in floral customers’ hands. When you partner with Rooted Farmers, you are investing in your community, and you can expect a commitment to excellence in return. Learn more at RootedFarmers.com.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Music Credits:
Drone Pine; Gaena; Turning on the Lights; Blue Shift by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
What can flower people learn from tree collectors? For Amy Stewart, whose 2007 book “Flower Confidential” ignited the spark of the Slow Flowers Movement, the tree world is filled with people who are as equally fascinating and inspiring as the flower world contains. Amy and I discuss her new book, its 50 vignettes of remarkable people whose lives have been transformed by their passion for trees, as well as her approach to writing and illustrating humans and their beloved specimens.
Amy Stewart (c) Scott Brown
I’m so thrilled today to share my recent conversation with Amy Stewart. The New York Times best-selling author of The Tree Collectors, The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and several other popular nonfiction titles about the natural world, Amy is best known in the Slow Flowers community for writing Flower Confidential – the Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers– in 2007. She wrote the foreword to my 2012 book that launched the Slow Flowers Movement, The 50 Mile Bouquet, and I’m honored to call Amy a friend.
Amy has also written several novels in her beloved Kopp Sisters series, which are based on the true story of one of America’s first female deputy sheriffs and her two rambunctious sisters – there are seven books in the series and you’ll want to read them all.
Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide and have been translated into 18 languages. Amy lives in Portland with her husband Scott Brown, a rare book dealer who can usually be found at his shop, Downtown Brown Books.
Today, you’ll learn about The Tree Collectors, and Amy and I discuss the connections between the tree community and the floral community.
When Amy discovered the universe of tree collectors, she expected to meet horticultural fanatics driven to plant every species of oak or maple.
But she also discovered that the urge to collect trees springs from something deeper and more profound: a longing for community, a vision for the future, or a path to healing and reconciliation.
In this slyly humorous, informative, quite poignant volume, Amy shares captivating stories of people who spend their lives in pursuit of rare and wonderful trees and are transformed in the process.
The Memorialist: Linda Miles, Netherton, England, illustrated by Amy Stewart
The Arboreal Therapist, Janusz Radecki, Pruszcz, Poland, illustrated by Amy Stewart
I’m delighted that Amy has populated her lively tree compendium with her own hand-drawn watercolor portraits of the extraordinary people and their trees, interspersed with side trips to investigate famous tree collections, arboreal glossaries, and even tips for “unauthorized” forestry. This book is a stunning tribute to a devoted group of nature lovers making their lives—and the world—more beautiful, one tree at a time.
The Landscape Architect, Diane Jones Allen, New Orleans, Louisiana, illustrated by Amy Stewart
Summer is in full swing, and I just want to take a moment to celebrate the exciting news that just appeared in last week’s New York Times!
Writer Amanda McCracken’spiece, “Your Wedding Flowers Could be in Your Backyard,” blew up the web with excitement from our Slow Flowers community.
She writes: “Ms. Prinzing attributes the rising interest in local flora partly to social media, where couples and florists have shared photos of romantic bouquets featuring nonconventional flowers,” and also quotes a talented lineup of our @slowflowerssociety members:
The response from our social media community underscores how much support there is for the topic of local, seasonal, and sustainably-grown wedding flowers. As of July 4th, here are the metrics: >REACH: 21.5 k accounts, (including 87% non-followers) >ENGAGEMENT: 1.3k accounts >SHARES: 170 times >COMMENTS: 40+
For people who think local flowers are a “fringe topic,” this level of engagement does not lie! Thank you, Amanda, for reaching out to chat. This story represents one great reason to join Slow Flowers Society @slowflowerssociety — when the press calls, we love to highlight our members!
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to The Gardener’s Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.
Our next sponsor thank you goes 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.
Our next sponsor thank-you goes to Red Twig Farms. Based in New Albany, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Music Credits:
Drone Pine; Gaena; Turning on the Lights; A Palace of Cedar by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
