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

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

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

View the entire Slow Flowers Summit Schedule and Program here.

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

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Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

Thank you to Longfield Gardens, which provides home gardeners with high quality flower bulbs and perennials. Their online store offers plants for every region and every season, from tulips and daffodils to dahlias, caladiums and amaryllis. Check out the full catalog at Longfield Gardens at longfield-gardens.com.

Thank you to Rooted Farmers. Rooted Farmers works exclusively with local growers to put the highest-quality specialty cut flowers in floral customers’ hands. When you partner with Rooted Farmers, you are investing in your community, and you can expect a commitment to excellence in return. Learn more at RootedFarmers.com.

Thank you to Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds — supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnysseeds.com.

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I love all this floral goodness and I am so happy you joined me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com.

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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. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!

Music credits:

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

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

In The Field
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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I’m so thrilled today to share my recent conversation with Dee Hall. Dee is the owner and creative energy who operates a specialty cut flower and urban micro farm in Norfolk, Virginia, named Mermaid City Flowers.

She is featured in Black Flora by Teresa J. Speight, published by BLOOM Imprint earlier this year. Dee is quoted in the opening lines of the book, saying,

“I wanted people to know my business is rooted in joy. I wanted to take something I love and share it. Flowers are beautiful but also serve such a practical environmental function. I feel lucky to be a steward of the garden.”

Dee Hall, Mermaid City Flowers

Dee follows sustainable, regenerative growing practices and has a special interest in native perennials. Her floral enterprise grows blooms for local customers, mostly sold through CSA subscribers and as everyday arrangements for local delivery.

Dee is collaborative and community-minded, having founded two important floral groups, The Tidewater Flower Collective, an organization providing continuing farming education, farm visits, and efforts to connect consumers with the source of their flowers, and Black Flower Farmers, an online virtual community of Black specialty cut flower farmers, found on Instagram and through the website blackflowerfarmers.com.

Lucky for me, Dee traveled from Virginia to Washington State last month to attend and design the flowers for a friend’s wedding here). She had time to swing by the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden on her way out of town, so we enjoyed lunch together inside my greenhouse, followed by a conversation we recorded for you. I so admire the leadership, gifts and talents that Dee brings to our Slow Flowers community, and I hope you get to know her! 

Find Mermaid City Flowers at these social places.

Mermaid City Flowers on Instagram

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This Week’s News

We’ve lots of fun announcements and opportunities to share this week:

First, the Slow Flowers Annual Member Survey opened on November 1st and continues through December 2nd — and we’d love for you to take a few moments to answer our questions. Your name will be entered into a drawing for 2 great thank you gifts:
(1) complimentary premium level membership for one year, valued at $249; and
(1) complimentary 2023 Slow Flowers Summit registration, valued at approximately $750. Those dates are June 25-26, 2023 and they will be held in Seattle. As I mentioned, to be included in the drawing, you must complete the survey by December 2nd and share your name and contact information with us.

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Next, hot off the press, have you seen our newest edition of Slow Flowers Journal? The digital quarterly is gorgeous and packed with inspiring and informative stories, essays, floral design, and creative resources. Slow Flowers Journal is a GardenComm gold award-winning publication and the subscription is free for Slow Flowers Members.

We’re sharing free access only to the Fall 2022 issue and you can find the link below. Starting in 2023, nonmembers will be asked to subscribe, so check it out and enjoy!

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Thanks 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 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.   

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.

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Thanks so much for joining us 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.

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Music credits:

Yarrow and Root; 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