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Our episodes this month have included a series of studio tours with holiday decor demonstrations — and today you’ll be treated to another inspiring visit. I’m delighted to welcome Polly and Mike Hutchison, owners of Robin Hollow Farm in Saunderstown, Rhode Island.

I first met Polly and Mike in 2012 when the annual Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers conference was held in Tacoma, close to me. I had donated a feature article to the auction for the ASCFG Foundation and Polly was one of the successful bidders. The following year in August 2013, I was on the east coast and invited myself to visit Robin Hollow Farm. I had literally just started the Slow Flowers Podcast the month before, and proposed that the three of us record a conversation for an episode. Polly and Mike were gracious hosts, as I not only stayed with them at Robin Hollow Farm, they also toured me around as they harvested and delivered flowers. It was a pivotal visit for me — and really influenced my understanding of what was possible for a viable enterprise based on local flower agriculture.

You can listen to that conversation in Part 2 of Episode 104 (Polly and Mike’s segment starts at 15:45). You’ll want to go back and listen to our earlier conversation, which will bring Polly and Mike’s inspiring story into further focus.

In what feels like a “where are they now?” segment, I connected virtually with Polly and Mike last week to celebrate their new retail venture. Robin Hollow Flowers is located in Providence, about 25 minutes away from the farm, but much closer to their subscribers and to their farmers’ markets.

I asked them to give us a tour of Robin Hollow Flowers and discuss the evolution of their business. As a holiday bonus, Polly shares her design skills as she creates a signature wild and colorful holiday wreath — you’ll be sure to pick up some tips on a wide range of topics, from managing growth to building infrastructure to seeking funding from the USDA.

As Florist-Farmers, Robin Hollow Farm produces the majority of the flowers used in their designs. Robin Hollow Farm grows a wide range of gorgeous flowers in their fields and greenhouses, as well as a few special herbs and plants.

The studio at Robin Hollow Farm provides full-service floral design for all types of weddings and events. Known for using their flowers and sourcing domestic flowers when needed, Robin Hollow’s specialty is to listen carefully and create gorgeous arrangements that reflect the vision of their clients. “Our point of view is to focus on the flowers themselves, with an opulent, fresh style, whether the event is modern or romantic, large or small. We specialize in unusual and botanical design,” Polly says.  

You can find and follow Robin Hollow Farm at these social places:

Robin Hollow Farm on Facebook

Robin Hollow Farm on Instagram

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Slow Flowers Summit 2022 – Early Bird Ticket Prices Expire Soon!

There’s just two more weeks to take advantage of the early-bird pricing for attending the Slow Flowers Summit — our fifth gathering, which takes place June 26-28, 2022.

You can find all the details at slowflowerssummit.com, and if you act now and register before the end of December, you’ll receive the lowest price ever — $749. Registration to the 3-day event includes breakfasts, lunches, refreshments and an opening day welcome cocktail party reception.

Here’s what a few of our past attendees shared about the Slow Flowers Summit:

The Slow Flowers Summit is such a well curated, unique experience filled with such meaningful and important conversations, ideas and connections. I plan to continue to attend each year!

I would definitely recommend attending the Slow Flower Summit, and joining the Slow Flower Society. The content is unbeatable and presentations amazing and inspirational…..always some practical take-away!

The 2021 Slow Flowers Summit was pure fuel for the creative mind—so encouraging to pursue more sustainable business practices, collaboration, and floral experimentation. the summit is a treasure trove and will continue to boost my work throughout the year.

Those are just a few of the wonderful raves we received for this past year’s event — and our 2022 venues and programming will be equally rave-worthy. We’d love you to join us! You can add the exclusive farm to table culinary experience of dinner at Blue Hill Restaurant to your Summit registration for an additional savings. You can find all the details at Slow Flowers Summit (www.slowflowerssummit.com) and we will share the links in today’s show notes.

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Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.  It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 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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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 795,000 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 at debraprinzing.com

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I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. 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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

Betty Dear (Piano Feature); Horizon Liner; 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 | Google Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Thank you so much for joining us today! It’s the first week of December and time to put away all the pumpkin and harvest decor aside and think about the floral palette for our winter holidays.

I’m so happy to introduce you to Lori Poliski of Flori LLC, a Slow Flowers member whose design studio is based in Woodinville, Washington, outside of Seattle.

Lori is one of 37 creatives featured in my book Where We Bloom, published by BLOOM Imprint this past spring. In fact, her studio is the first to be featured in the opening pages of the book, in a six-page story titled: Modern Homestead – a horse barn converted with function and beauty in mind. Lori’s narrative shares her path to flowers, including the story of forming her business in 2017, choosing the studio name “FLORI,” from the Latin florus, which means ‘flower’ and rhymes with her name. You’ll want to check it out and you can order Where We Bloom from our website at bloomimprint.com or slowflowerssociety.com.

After the book’s publication, the editors of Cottage Journal asked Slow Flowers to create a holiday-decor-themed story featuring some of the creative spaces in the book. Lori transformed the exterior of her rustic horse barn, with blue-gray shingles and a whimsical striped awning, with holiday greenery, wintry props and red accents — you can find the story called “Seasonal Garden Settings” in the Cottage Journal’s “Christmas Cottage” issue, on newsstands now.

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So Lori agreed to join me and not only share more about her floral enterprise, but teach us how she makes 100% compostable wreaths. A former teacher, she prepared for our conversation by listing all the specific conifer varieties and sources she planned to use. As one who nearly flunked out of winter plant ID class at the local community college, mostly due to learning about conifer identification, I am so appreciative of Lori’s handy ingredients list she shared with me.

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Find and follow Flori at these social places:
Flori on Instagram
Flori on Facebook

That was so informative and inspiring. I used all of Lori’s wreath-making tips and methods this past weekend, starting with some repurposed grapevine bases and hemp twine. The base greenery was formed by Douglas fir branches, downed from a recent store. And since I spent several days on a Whidbey Island workcation last week — I’m so fortunate that I could arrange to purchase some beautiful novelty greens and broadleaf evergreen branches from Pam Uhlig of Sonshine Farm. A great way to kick off our holiday season and I hope you’re inspired, too!

Download Flori’s very useful Conifer Ingredient List:

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Slow Flowers Summit 2022

Last week I told you that we opened ticket sales to the 2022 Slow Flowers Summit and the early response has been fantastic.

The 5th Slow Flowers Summit takes place in Lower Hudson Valley, located just 45 minutes outside of Manhattan. I’m so excited to welcome you to three Days of Amazing Programming on June 26-28, 2022. You can find all the details at slowflowerssummit.com, and you’ll be hearing a lot from me in the coming months, as we highlight our speakers, the immersive floral program and two iconic agricultural venues — Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture and the Red Barn at Maple Grove Farm.

If you act now and register before the end of December, you’ll receive the lowest price ever — $749. Registration to the 3-day event includes breakfasts, lunches, refreshments and an opening day welcome cocktail party reception. And if you bundle your Summit registration with the very special farm to table dinner at Blue Hill restaurant on Monday, June 27, 2022, we have an additional savings for you. You can find all the details at Slow Flowers Summit (www.slowflowerssummit.com).

Join the December Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up

This week, on Friday, December 10th at 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern, you’re invited to join me at our very special December Slow Flowers Meet-Up With Holly Chapple “A Life in Flowers”

Meet Holly Heider Chapple and learn about her debut book, “A Life in Flowers.“

An acclaimed floral designer and influencer, Holly shares inspiration from Holly Chapple Flowers’ studio in Virginia and Hope Flower Farm. Join us to hear all about Holly’s flower-filled story as designer and educator and her guiding philosophy: “The Answer is Always in the Garden.”

Holly will share a preview of “A Life in Flowers” and answer your questions!

And PS, we’ll drawn names from among the attendees for a few fun giveaways — just in time for the holidays!

Click this link to pre-register for the December member meet-up. We’re looking forward to a festive and inspiring gathering and I hope you join us!

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Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

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

Thanks to Red Twig Farms. Based in Johnstown, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.

Thanks 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 793,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too.

If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com

I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. 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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com. 

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Music Credits:

Betty Dear (Guitar and Cello); Even Dreams of Beaches; Turning on the Lights; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovelyby 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 | Google Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Thank you so much for joining us! Today, I’m sharing the audio recording of a November 20th panel I moderated for the annual Tilth Conference. Produced by the Tilth Alliance, a Seattle-based organization that works in community with farmers, gardeners and eaters in Washington state to build a sustainable, healthy and equitable food future. The conference planners invited Slow Flowers to propose a presentation, and of course we wanted to bring the conversation of flower farming to this mostly food-focused agricultural event.

For the panel title, I proposed “Relocalizing Flowers,” a fantastic phrase I borrowed from a session I moderated earlier this summer for the Phipps and Penn State Extension Summer Short Course. 

And I pitched the following: There is a heightened interest in local and seasonal flowers as an economic opportunity for farmers and florists alike, fueled by the Slow Flowers movement. Our panel of PNW local flower experts will discuss how the audience can participate in Relocalizing our Flowers. Each panelist represents a role along the continuum — including those who grow, sell and design with flowers. The will discussed best practices for the current consumer climate and answered questions about the progressive momentum that’s changing attitudes around local, seasonal and sustainable flowers.

I put out a call to Slow Flowers members in the Seattle area and I’m so pleased that the people you’ll hear today said Yes and with the panel’s diversity of experience and what they had to share. Let’s jump right in and you can meet the panelists: Brad Siebe of the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market; Hannah Morgan of Fortunate Orchard, Sarah Wagstaff of SUOT Farm & Flowers and Tammy Myers of First & Bloom and LORA Bloom.

Here’s more about the panelists:

Brad Siebe is the general manager of the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, a Farm to Florist Producers Cooperative. He oversees administration, operations, general and financial management, strategic planning/execution, as well as the market’s sales and customer relationships. The Seattle Wholesale Growers Market is a farmer-owned cooperative committed to providing the very best the Pacific Northwest has to offer in cut flowers, foliage and plants. Its mission is to create a sustainable living for its Pacific Northwest member farms by promoting their vibrant and diverse products to the floral industry. All year round the SWGMC brings the best flowers in the Pacific Northwest to the marketplace.

Owner and lead designer of Fortunate Orchard, a floral studio based in Seattle’s Seward Park neighborhood, Hannah Morgan holds a B.F.A. degree in one hand and a pair of pruning shears in the other. Her designs are deeply rooted in the seasons of the Pacific Northwest and she sources primarily from the West Coast — often from the Fortunate Orchard garden, steps away from her work table.

Sarah Wagstaff is the farmer & owner of SUOT Farm & Flowers.  Home to not only a no-till urban farm in the hub of Skagit Valley WA, it is also a hugelkultur demonstration garden, education workspace, & full-service floral studio.  SUOT stands for Small Units Of Time because we know that we aren’t able to accomplish everything we want to in one day, but little by little, we will get there together!  Since 2015, she has committed to providing her customers, clients, & community with the mindfully grown  flowers, fresh local bouquets, & uniquely stunning arrangements in compostable/recyclable packaging. Proud to be a local woman owned business, her flowers are 100% locally grown in WA and she strives to host, promote, & carry other women artists/makers in her retail studio.

Tammy Myers is a floral designer and owner of LORA Bloom, an online E-commerce and marketing platform that represents florists aligned with the values of supporting local flower farms and offering foam-free designs. The platform serves as a one-stop-shop for customers to order local floral delivery, while participating florists commit to providing great customer service, high quality, foam-free designs and a minimum of 80% American-grown floral ingredients.

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We also shared two short videos from the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market’s Farm to Florist series in our presentation, filmed by Alayna Erhart

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Today is December 1st and you know what that means?! It’s the day we’re opening up ticket sales to the 2022 Slow Flowers Summit and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

The 5th Slow Flowers Summit heads to Lower Hudson Valley, located just 45 minutes outside of Manhattan. I’m so excited to welcome you to three days of amazing programming on June 26-28, 2022. You will be hearing a lot from me in the coming months, as we highlight our speakers, the immersive floral program and two iconic agricultural venues — Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture and the Red Barn at Maple Grove Farm.

Registration to the 3-day event is $899, including breakfasts, lunches, refreshments and an opening day welcome cocktail party reception. Slow Flowers members may register for a $50 discount of $849. If you grab your ticket before December 31st, enjoy an additional savings of $100 off both the member and general rate.

And just a note, the dinner at Blue Hill restaurant on Monday, June 27, 2022 is a separately ticketed event, so plan accordingly. You can find all the details at Slow Flowers Summit (www.slowflowerssummit.com).

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No pressure if you’ve been procrastinating, but this is your last chance to take the Slow Flowers Annual Member Survey, which closes this Friday, December 3rd. Follow the link below to complete our Survey and for those of you  who complete the survey and share their names and email addresses,  you will be entered into a drawing for two thank-you prizes.

One Complimentary Slow Flowers Premium Membership for 1 year (a $249 value)

One Free Slow Flowers Dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns – June 27, 2022 in Pocantico Hills, New York, (a $350 value) Don’t miss out!

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Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.  It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

Thank you to Roadie, an on-demand delivery company offering affordable same-day and scheduled delivery. With a network of friendly, local drivers who handle each delivery with care, and one-on-one support from a designated account manager, Roadie guarantees a smooth and reliable delivery experience–from pickup to delivery. Sign up for your first delivery at Roadie.com/slowflowers and use promo code slowflowers–that’s one word–to get five dollars off.

Thank you to Flowerfarm.com, our new sponsor. FlowerFarm is 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 origin and order 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 Gardener’s Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important this year than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 790,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too.

If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com

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I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. 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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

Betty Dear (piano feature); 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 | Google Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Thank you so much for joining us today! You are in for a very special treat because I’ve invited TJ McGrath of TJ McGrath Design to join me for a conversation about his flower-filled life. The timing is perfect because we just announced the speaker lineup for the 2022 Slow Flowers Summit and I’m thrilled to tell you that TJ will be one of our guest designers at the 5th annual Slow Flowers Summit, June 26-28, 2020 in Bedford and Pocantico Hills, New York. You can find all the details at slowflowerssummit.com.

I first met TJ McGrath when I interviewed him for a Florists’ Review article about the floral business in New York City. Ironically, that entire New York issue was never printed; it just appeared online because it was the May 2020 issue right smack in the middle of COVID. Click on the link below to read that story.

But that experience put TJ on my radar and I regularly admired his floral designs, as he transitioned from working at a retail flower shop to going solo and renaming his IG account @tjmcgrathdesign. We invited TJ to be a guest at last September 2020’s Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up where he shared his unique, fresh, modern approach to foam-free floral designs.​

TJ’s design philosophy is pretty simple: there are no real rules in nature, so there are no restrictions or rules in his designs. “I strive everyday to push beyond my boundaries and to create one of a kind designs that feel modern, whimsical and fresh. I’m reaching beyond what I’ve done thus far to discover engaging new shapes, color palettes, and foraged organics to design with using advanced floral foam free mechanics,” he says.​

Committed to fostering a community that is inclusive as well as environmentally and socially aware. TJ believes a sustainable floristry industry is achievable and it starts at home. He has and continues to seek out and support the local flower farming community where he lives in New Jersey. 

Check the entire program for the Slow Flowers Summit 2022 and meet our amazing speakers, view the schedule, venue, lodging, and registration details — all found at slowflowerssummit.com. Ticket sales open on December 1st with a fabulous discount offered to the first 50 who register. TJ’s presentations include:

• Sunday, June 26th (Day One), TJ will demonstrate and lead large-scale, freestanding, foam-free floral installations during our “Floral Takeover.” 
• Monday, June 27th (Day Two), TJ will demonstrate his distinctive take on centerpiece design using all locally-grown botanicals. 

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Enjoy Slow Flowers x Small Business Saturday Savings!   

It’s the week of Thanksgiving, so that means coming up this weekend, you have lots of opportunities to save — on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday (and Sunday) and Cyber Monday — from November 26-29th. Find all the details and coupon codes here.

Offer #1 — use coupon code SmallBiz20 — valid for 20% off Slow Flowers Mercantile items 11/26-11/29. Right now, you can find books by me, plus American Flowers Week bouquet labels, prints from our favorite artists and lots of Slow Flowers Society merchandise. 

Offer #2 — We’ve packaged 9 very special video presentations from the 2021 Slow Flowers Summit, available for purchase for the first time at just $99 (a value of $129). Access 8+ hours of valuable content, including demonstrations and talks by Susan McLeary, Max Gill, Abra Lee, Pilar Zuniga, Lorene Edwards Forkner, Jennifer Jewell, our fantastic Sustainable Farming x Floral Design Panel (Molly Culver, Kellee Matsushita-Tseng and Emily Saeger) and Teresa Sabankaya!

Offer #3 — Enjoy a $100 discount on my online course, Slow Flowers Creative Workshop: Floral Storytelling, which returns with a January 11, 2022, start date and runs weekly for four weeks. Pre-registration opens this Friday, November 26th. If you register during our Small Business Saturday Weekend (November 26-29) — as a Slow Flowers member or not — you will receive $100 off the course ($297 value), paying only $197. I haven’t offered this course for an entire year and those who sign up will receive a new BONUS MODULE on “Visual and Verbal Storytelling,” which I’m teaching with BLOOM Imprint’s Creative Director Robin Avni. You’ll also receive our 28-page workbook, “The Journey from Blog to Book.” 

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Last Call to Take the Member Survey for 2022!

And here’s your final reminder to take the Slow Flowers Member Survey, which closes on December 3rd. For those who have not yet completed the annual member survey, here’s an enticement. Complete the survey by December 3, 2021 and share your contact information on the survey to be entered into drawings for:

• Complimentary Slow Flowers Premium Membership for 1 year – Standard member will be upgraded to Premium; if already a Premium member, the next 12 month period from the current renewal date will be complimentary ($249 value)
• Free Slow Flowers Dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns – June 27, 2022 in Pocantico Hills, New York; does not include Slow Flowers Summit ticket, travel, or accommodations ($350 value)

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Thank you to our Sponsors!

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.  It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

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

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

Our final sponsor thanks goes 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.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 788,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too.

If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com

---

I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. 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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

Daymaze; Club Felix; 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 | Google Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Why is it that we’re supposedly moving into our quieter, perhaps dormant season, but we are doing everything but resting?!

I don’t think I’m alone in this feeling, and I wanted to discuss it with you, and bring today’s guest into the conversation.

Please meet Sarah Wagstaff, of SUOT Farm and Flowers, based in Burlington, which is located in Washington State’s Skagit County about halfway between Seattle and the US-Canadian border.

SUOT Farm and Flowers is home to freshly hand-picked flowers and foliage. It’s a no-till urban farm in the hub of Skagit Valley WA, and includes a hugelkultur demonstration garden, education workspace, and floral studio. 

SUOT stands for “Small Units Of Time,” because, as Sarah says, we know that we aren’t able to accomplish everything we want to in one day, but little by little, we will get there together! 

Since 2015, SUOT Farm and Flowers has been committed to providing our customers with the freshest flowers, local bouquets, and unique arrangements with 100% locally grown, Washington botanicals.

 As an urban micro flower farmer, and farmer-florist, Sarah goes above and beyond for her customers to ensure they know their purchases supports a sustainable, local, woman-owned business.

Sarah’s website for SUOT Farm and Flowers features harvest and holiday workshops coming up in her Burlington Studio, including: in-person garland and wreath-making sessions later this month and in early December.

You can also order her signature 12-ounce white ceramic mug with the black “midday murder logo.” Of course a little tongue in cheek, Sarah encourages friends and customers to join the midday murder club — “make yourself a cuppa tea, then take the rest of the boiling water outside, pour it in some weeds, & channel your murderous death, kill, die thoughts to the weeds (and not your kids/spouse/coworkers)!”

Find and follow SUOT Farm and Flowers
SUOT on Facebook
SUOT on Instagram

---

Notes and News

I have a couple of program notes to mention before we close. On last Friday, November 12th, we hosted the monthly Slow Flowers member virtual meet-up — and the topic was All About Flower Co-ops & Wholesale Hubs, featuring several members, including our two featured presenters: Connie Homerick of Ohio Cut Flower Collective and Patti Doell of Garden State Flower Cooperative. If you missed the Meet-Up, watch replay video above. It’s filled with lots of education and inspiration!

---

Our show notes also includes the link to our just-released Slow Flowers annual member survey, which we’re running through December 3rd. Please take the time to share your feedback and insights, which will be valuable as we plan for 2022 programs, content and resources for you.

---

Thank you to our Sponsors!

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.  It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

More thanks goes 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.

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

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

---

Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast has been downloaded more than 785,000 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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor and I value our loyal members and supporters! If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com

---

I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. 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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

Bridgewalker; 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 | Google Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Thank you so much for joining us today! If there’s anything I’ve learned from my publishing partner Robin Avni, creative director of BLOOM Imprint, it’s that some stories are best told visually. And today’s guest is going to immerse us in the visual delight of the natural world’s amazing palette for pigments, dyes and paints.

Please meet Julie Beeler, a farmer-florist and owner of Bloom & Dye, based in Trout Lake, Washington in the Columbia River basin.

Julie is a designer, artist, educator and native Oregonian who grew up with a deep love and curiosity for the natural world. Along with her husband, Brad Johnson, she founded and led Second Story, an interactive design studio in Portland until 2012.

A Trout Lake resident since 2014, she conceived and launched Bloom & Dye in 2018 to grow her work and passion to benefit what she values most: curiosity, education, creativity, collaboration, community, and the environment.

Growth often starts with conversations that lead to an interest in knowing more. For Julie, educating others on how plants and their colors reflect the beauty of nature is something she is moved to share as a way to inspire care, stewardship and impact. When she is not digging in the soil, Julie is working in her art studio or leading workshops.

She joined me to introduce her newest amazing project, The Mushroom Color Atlas. Julie gathered a small team of artists and experts to create this free resource. The Mushroom Color Atlas is a reference for anyone and everyone curious about mushrooms and the beautiful and subtle colors derived from them. But it is also the start of a journey and a point of departure, introducing you to the kaleidoscopic fungi kingdom and our connection to it.

Some of you may remember being introduced to Julie and two other talented Slow Flowers members during our April 2021 monthly meet-up – Diving into Dye Plants, with Elaine Vandiver of Old Homestead Alpacas & Gholson Gardens, Lourdes Casañares-Still of Masagana Flower Farm and Tinta Studio and Julie. It was such a fantastic session, and you can watch the replay link above.

I’m so excited that Julie brought this project to life and shared it with our community and anyone who loves plants, the natural world, art and color! And, as we discussed, if you’re in the Pacific Northwest, please come to Julie’s DIY stage presentation at the NW Flower & Garden Festival, Saturday, February 12th at 5 p.m. — Colors from the Dye Garden. I’ll see you there!

Places where you can connect with Julie Beeler:
Follow Bloom & Dye on Instagram and Facebook

Follow The Mushroom Color Atlas on Instagram

Workshops at Wildcraft Studio School

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It’s a busy week here at the Slow Flowers Society, folks, and I want to draw your attention to two items of note!

First, this Friday, November 12th is our Virtual Member Meet-up for November and the theme is a hot topic for sure: All About Flower Co-ops & Wholesale Hubs. Now that the growing season is winding down for many of our members who are flower farmers or farmer-florists, it’s time to reassess and also plan for the future. We’ve heard from so many members and supporters about the desire to form a collective selling hub for your flowers — but the concept may seem daunting. Of course, there are some established models, most notably, the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, now in its 10th year. What about some of the newer groups? We wanted to bring their stories and voices to you in the Meet-Up format.

Click on the Link below to sign up for the Meet-Up. You will receive the log-in details. And the session will go for 90 minutes this time around, beginning at 9 am Pacific/Noon eastern on Friday, November 12th.

Our guests include: Connie Homerick of Ohio Cut Flower Collective (left) and Patti Doell of Garden State Flower Cooperative and their presentations will be followed by a Q&A session after which you’ll be invited to join one of three topic-specific breakout sessions, led by:

Jamie Rogers and Carly Jenkins, Killing Frost Farm & Ali Harrison, Florage Farms (Farmers wholesaling their own and others’ product); Amanda Maurmann, co-founder of the Michigan Flower Growers Co-op and florist Haley Tobias on the multi-owner LLC model representing Old Dominion Flower Cooperative

It will be an info-packed session and we’re so grateful to each of the experts who are joining us to share their knowledge with you!

---

Oh, and another item of note that dropped this week — our annual Member Survey. Following up after a fantastic October Member Appreciation Month, we’d love to hear from you. The reason for this survey is to learn how you feel about all of the ways Slow Flowers Society benefits and supports its members, and to hear your new ideas for features, programs and resources that we might consider for the coming year.

One year ago, in the fall of 2020, I’m pleased to say we had 30% member participation, with more than 200 of you taking time to complete the survey. Our membership has grown since then and the Slow Flowers community is now nearly 900 members. We’re hoping to continue to increase the participation in this year’s member survey. To make it worth your time, here’s an enticement. Every Slow Flowers member who completes the survey by December 3, 2021 will be entered into a drawing for two giveaways: 1. Complimentary Premium membership for 1 year, valued at $249; and 2. a dinner ticket to the four-course, farm-to-table dinner on Monday, June 27, 2022 at the famed Blue Hill Restaurant at Stone Barns Center – during the Slow Flowers Summit, valued at $350.

Thanks in advance for sharing your insights and ideas!

---

Thank you to our Sponsors!

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.  It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

Thanks 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.

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

Thanks to Red Twig Farms. Based in Johnstown, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.

---

Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Show is a member-supported endeavor and I value our loyal members and supporters! If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com

---

I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. 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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

Heliotrope; Open Flames; 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 | Google Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

For our final week of October’s Member Appreciation Month, I recorded a terrific interview with longtime Premium member Libby Francis-Baxter, owner of The Modest Florist in Baltimore, Maryland. Libby is one of those constant IG presences in our lives, tagging Slow Flowers Society in her everyday floral posts that show the beautiful arrangements heading out the door of her neighborhood retail flower shop. She’s living her values through and through — and I really wanted to share Libby’s story with you.

Here’s a bit more about Libby and her cute shop:

Libby Francis-Baxter is known for supplying her community with locally-grown flowers, greens and live plants presented in vintage, reusable and biodegradable containers. Founded in 2013, The Modest Florist was created with sustainability at its core and is committed to environmentally-friendly solutions for the modern floral business. As the hometown florist in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood, it’s a source for a full range of floral services with a modern twist! The Modest Florist is the first florist to be recognized by and listed on the Maryland Department of Energy “Green Registry” and the owner is a LEED Green Associate.

You’ll also want to check out a few bonus resources, including a recent Q&A with Libby published in Voyage Baltimore

and a feature I wrote about The Modest Florist that appeared in the December 2018 issue of Florists’ Review, for our Slow Flowers Jounal “How I Do It” column — an ongoing feature sharing retail florists’ advice on sourcing locally.
Download the article here

Last week, Libby and I recorded a video interview and you can watch the full episode, including a short, fun video that Libby’s husband took on her farmers’ market shopping excursion. Find that in today’s show notes, too!

After we recorded our conversation, Libby and I kept corresponding and I wanted to share portions of an email she sent me:

“The pandemic and the current, on-going supply chain issues have highlighted the importance of local sourcing. When the nation went into lockdown in March of 2020, the floral wholesalers shut down.  Conventional florists found themselves without the ability to get flowers from South America and other far off places. Supplies like glassware from China have nearly dried up. Many of our area florists shut down; some for good.

“My experience was exactly the opposite! I shut my door to the public and pivoted to contact-free delivery. I never missed a beat on having flower inventory as I was able to rely on my local greenhouse growers and field flower farmers to do COVID safe pickups. My community knows that I love reused vases. So many folks were stuck at home and cleaning out their kitchen cabinets that I have gotten more vases left outside the shop than ever before!

“I wanted to share my experience as a way to encourage florists to consider a more sustainable business model. As far as I know, I’m the only full-service retail flower shop on the east coast to source only local flowers and plants all year ’round. It’s a challenge and more work but I believe our world needs folks to put planet before profit.

Libby Francis-Baxter, The Modest Florist

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 Bonus Interview: Ellen Frost, Local Color Flowers

On this topic, I want to share a bonus interview I also recently recorded with Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers. Ellen is a past guest of this podcast, so she will be familiar with you. In keeping with the theme of my interview with Libby, I asked Ellen to talk about her upcoming online course offered through The Gardener’s Workshop. If you think this workshop has your name on it, vheck out the details for Ellen’s course, Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing. The fee is $495, with registration taking place between November 5-9th. That’s coming right up! and the course begins January 3, 2022.

---

We have just wrapped up October, our very successful Member Appreciation Month. The month focused on thanking you, our core community of motivated and mission-driven flower growers, designers, enthusiasts and pioneers in the Slow Flowers Movement.

There’s so much you can look forward to during the month of November, so if you haven’t opened up your Slow Flowers November newsletter, check it out here!

Thank you to our Sponsors!

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.  It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

More thanks goes 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.

The Gardener’s Workshop, offering a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists, including Ellen’s upcoming course. Online education is more important this year than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.

Roadie, an on-demand delivery company offering affordable same-day and scheduled delivery. With a network of friendly, local drivers who handle each delivery with care, and one-on-one support from a designated account manager, Roadie guarantees a smooth and reliable delivery experience–from pickup to delivery. Sign up for your first delivery at Roadie.com/slowflowers and use promo code slowflowers–that’s one word–to get five dollars off.

---

Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast has been downloaded more than 780,000 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.

We are a member-supported endeavor and I value our loyal members and supporters! If you’re new to this podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com

---

I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. 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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

For We Shall Know Speed; Hickory Interlude; 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 | Google Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Thank you so much for joining us today! As you may know, October is our month to celebrate our Slow Flowers members and one of our goals is to showcase and thank as many of our Premium Level members as possible, our top supporters.

Today, we’re visiting David Brunton of Right Field Farm in Millersville, Maryland, outside of Annapolis. David is a past guest of this podcast – you can go back to listen to my original interview with him in July 2018 at debraprinzing.com for Episode 529.

One key takeaway from my past conversations with David and his wife and partner Lina Brunton, is that they know what and how their farm should work for their family’s lifestyle. On their family farm they grow, design and deliver a mix of perennial and annual flowers in Anne Arundel County, Maryland with an eye toward all the natural beauty the region has to offer. From April to October, Right Field Farm delivers over two hundred varieties of flowers in abundant, garden-inspired hand-tied arrangements. Newsletter customers receive weekly updates during the season with all the latest information, including any specials or pop-up flower sales.

They are committed to nurturing the health of their farmland, and tending the thriving ecology that it supports there. In addition to flowers, Right Field Farm is home to laying hens, honeybees, sheep (for wool), dogs (for companionship), and their four children. They don’t use any pesticides – not on their flowers or in their soil – which means Right Field Farm is also home to wild bees and birds and frogs and soil fungi and all manner of woodland critters.

When I asked David if he would join me on our new video-vodcast channel, he said the timing was perfect. Just a few days ago on Saturday, October 16th, David planned to design for the season’s final week of bouquet deliveries. He joined me on screen, from his beautiful covered porch where he always designs, and produced some epic hand-tied bouquets during our conversation.

You will love watching him and enjoy all the topics we touched — from deciding what to grow and how to make sure you have plenty to harvest each week of a 26-week-long season for subscribers and a la carte delivery customers — to the story of one family’s flower-based life and business.

That was one of the most enjoyable and relaxing experiences I’ve ever had on a Zoom interview! I had to actually turn off the recording because David and I were having trouble “ending” the conversation – it was too much fun.

Subscribe to Right Field Farm’s newsletter here.

Follow Right Field Farm on Instagram

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We have devoted the entire month of October to Member Appreciation Month, with something special scheduled every day to highlight our members, leaders and visionaries of the Slow Flowers Movement. In addition to joining me here on the podcast, I’ve hosted Instagram Live conversations and shared stories and other resources like our new Slow Flowers Video, as well as across our other many channels, including at Slow Flowers Journal and in our weekly email blasts.

Last weekend, I took a moment to write “Future Flowers,” an essay that reflects on what our members Have achieved and accomplished since we launched Slow Flowers in 2013 (and PS, that’s year this Podcast began, too!). Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote:

Even though this question: “What does Slow Flowers mean, anyway?” is still asked, it’s being asked less often. With 98 million social media impressions for the hashtag #slowflowers in the past year alone, there is no denying the term is used around the globe. It is synonymous with the goals and practices outlined in our manifesto.

As we approach 2022, my message to each of you is to dig deep into your own values and belief systems and ask yourself: What do I want to achieve through my floral enterprise? The idea of doing “better than” and doing good with
our flowers is more important than ever. We’re seeing more of our members use their flowers as a vehicle for causes they support; using flowers to symbolize hope and humanity, while also building a business that offers a sustainable
livelihood to them, their families and their employees while at the same time improving farmland and communities alike. I invite you to share your message of hope for the future in the comment section of our show notes or at @slowflowerssociety on Instagram. I am so grateful for the many of you who have taken the time and lent your voice to the conversation — and I congratulate you on taking a leadership role with your sustainable actions and beliefs.

Read the full essay at Slow Flowers Journal

---

Thank you to our sponsors!

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.  It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

Thank you to Rooted Farmers, which 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 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 for backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnysseeds.com.

---

Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast has been downloaded more than 778,000 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.

Slow Flowers Society is a member-supported organization focused on advocacy, outreach and education around the importance of local, seasonal and sustainable flower growing and floristry. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com

---

I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. 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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

Lissa; 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 | Google Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Thank you so much for joining us today! October is our celebration of our Slow Flowers members and one of my goals this month is to showcase and thank as many of our Premium Level members as possible, our top supporters.

Today, we’re visiting Eileen Tongson of FarmGal Flowers, coming to us from Orlando, Florida.

As a farmer-florist, Eileen has experimented with a number of channels to market the flowers she grows, but she’s honed in on two key portions of her business: teaching workshops and designing for events.

When I asked her to join me during Membership Appreciation Month, Eileen suggested sharing a design demonstration during our interview. You’ll enjoy meeting Eileen and learning about her robust workshop schedule — offered all year long, season by season — to satisfy customers eager for ways to connect with locally-grown flowers and to learn more about gardening.

Eileen and I recorded this conversation and demo last week and I know hearing it and watching the video will get you thinking about harvest and holiday workshops that you can offer.

Here’s a bit more about Eileen before we get started, excerpted from her website:

For as long as she can remember, Eileen has truly loved gardening. Her parents were avid gardeners and the family spent countless hours outdoors cultivating vegetables, fruit, and of course flowers. They taught Eileen to appreciate nature and all that it provides, and she is so thankful to them for the early introduction to what has become a lifelong passion.

After all these years, she’s still just as inspired by the natural beauty and cultivation of flowers. Eileen considers herself a city dweller, turned home-grown FarmGal.

Life has taken her to the west coast and back, but her heart and my home have always been in the Sunshine State and the beautiful city of Orlando, Fl. It is where she has raised her family, and now with great enthusiasm that she gets to share her love for flower farming and floral design with her community.

Eileen has studied floral design at numerous locations including Floret Flower Farm, the City College of San Francisco, and Flower School New York. She also completed the University of Florida IFAS Master Gardener Program in 2009. I continue to expand and refine my skills regularly through floral design and flower farming workshops across the country and as a member of Slow Flowers Society and the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers.

Eileen’s flowers and gardening expertise have been featured in Florists Review, Edible Orlando, Houzz.com, TravelChannel.com, The Monarch Initiative, Ocala Magazine, Orange Appeal magazine, Team Flower, Glam.com and most recently, in my two books, Slow Flowers Journal – Volume One and Where We Bloom. She was also included in Floret Farm’s book, “Small Plot, Big Impact.”

FarmGal Flowers was also named Best Florist in Best of Winter Park 2019. Clients have included The Ford Motor Company, Williams-Sonoma Winter Park, the Orlando Magic, the Orlando Museum of Art, The Grove Winter Park, and Salata Winter Park.

Eileen believes in locally and sustainably grown, seasonal flowers that support and beautify her community. And, if I am successful in creating a delightful bouquet or arrangement of freshly cut beauties for clients and local friends, then that makes me her HAPPY home-grown FarmGal!

Thanks so much for joining me today!

FarmGal Flowers, coming to us from Orlando, Florida.

As a farmer-florist, Eileen has experimented with a number of channels to market the flowers she grows, but she’s honed in on two key portions of her business: teaching workshops and designing for events.

When I asked her to join me during Membership Appreciation Month, Eileen suggested sharing a design demonstration during our interview. You’ll enjoy meeting Eileen and learning about her robust workshop schedule — offered all year long, season by season — to satisfy customers eager for ways to connect with locally-grown flowers and to learn more about gardening.

Eileen and I recorded this conversation and demo last week and I know hearing it and watching the video will get you thinking about harvest and holiday workshops that you can offer.

” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Click here to order your copies of Slow Flowers Journal – Volume One (Featuring Eileen’s Grown-in-Florida Fern and Frond Gown) and Where We Bloom (Featuring Eileen’s home-based studio). Participating in our promotional and PR campaigns like American Flowers Week is one of many opportunities available to Slow Flowers Society members like Eileen.

Follow FarmGal Flowers on Social Media:
FarmGal Flowers on Facebook
FarmGal Flowers on Instagram

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As I reminded you last week, we are in the midst of October’s Member Appreciation Month and I’m so pleased at all the great content we’ve been able to share with our community of members. If you aren’t a member yet — and why haven’t you joined us? It’s the perfect time to step up and commit. This month, all new members will receive our special Member Benefits Booklet with coupons, discounts and other perks from eight of our partners and sponsors — the savings will more than cover your annual membership investment. All new members also receive our Slow Flowers Society collector’s pin, made in the USA, which features our teal and lime green logo. Plus, if you upgrade to or join at the Premium Level, you’ll also receive the video bundle of all our Slow Flowers Summit 2022 speaker presentations, valued at $129.

Please head to slowflowerssociety.com and hit the “Become a Member” Button.

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Before we wrap up, I have a special treat to share — also timed to coincide with Member Appreciation Month!

Yesterday, we unveiled the NEW Slow Flowers Video. I’m so thrilled to share it with you — this Video was created over the past several months with our favorite video talent Alayna Erhart of Alayna Erhart Studio. In just a few minutes, you’ll meet me in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden, catch a glimpse of the fabulous gathering of members at Filoli Historic House & Garden at the recent 2021 Slow Flowers Summit and join my visit to the UW Farm with member Riz Reyez of RHR Horticulture. Special thanks to the members who share their voices of endorsement and support, including Sarah Reyes of Wildflower & Fern, Tobey Nelson of Tobey Nelson Events and Design and Laura Gonzales of Swallows Secret Garden! Look closely – do you see yourself here in our community!? We’re ready to welcome you as a member!

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Thank you to our sponsors!

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.  It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 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.

Thank you to 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 has been downloaded more than 776,000 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.

I value your support and invite you to show your thanks to support Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com

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I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. 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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

Long Await; For We Shall Know Speed; 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