Slow Flowers Podcast

https://youtu.be/00GygVX1-oY?si=RNAkJecm0tqTCNyR The Southern California farm synonymous with breathtaking blooms and gorgeous flowers and foliage is celebrating its 100th year in business this year. Founded by Giovanni Mellano in 1925, Mellano & Company is embarking on “Blooming into a New Era,” a year-long celebration highlighting the generations of families and faces who have played an integral role in the company’s success throughout the years, while also looking ahead to its next century of leadership in the floral industry. I sat down with 3rd generation flower farmer Mike A. Mellano to reflect on this huge accomplishment and to discuss both memories and highlights of this influential, family-owned American floral enterprise. Mellano & Co. is a Certified American Grown flower farm. We all know that successful flower farming requires passion, grit, and endurance. It’s so rare that any U.S. flower farm can sustain those traits for a century, but Mellano & Co., is one of the few. Early days at the Los Angeles Flower Market. The Mellano family has been involved for more than 90 years. From their humble beginnings in the bustling Los Angeles Flower Market to becoming a trusted name in the floral industry, Mellano & Co.’s flowers and foliage are present in every niche of the floral marketplace. They are based in Southern California, but their botanicals can be found in all 50 states, from wholesale to mass market outlets. Mike A. Mellano, photographed at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California Today, I’m sharing a wonderful conversation with Mike A. Mellano, a third-generation family farmer, longtime CEO, and new Chief Science Officer. We’ll reflect on the past and look to the future of domestic floral agriculture. https://youtu.be/9s3VxbOMgp8?si=68mNhXErwK6CmXzM ABOVE: Watch the inspiring 15-minute documentary that Mellano & Co. produced to celebrate their centennial. LISTEN: Mike Mellano’s first appearance on the Slow Flowers Podcast, when he was a guest on Episode 244 in 2016. I know you’ll enjoy learning more about the company whose flowers and foliage is widely used and loved. 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 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. Thank you to A-ROO Company, your one-stop shop for in-stock floral packaging. From sleeves and wraps to labels and tags, visit www.a-roo.com for their full selection of eco-friendly items or to start the process of developing a look that is uniquely yours. Learn more at www.a-roo.com. Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast,

https://youtu.be/JtAXk83WRGs?si=fOCKwJtSS5qZysiZ Lovers of Fynbos, the beautiful plants in the Proteacae family, will enjoy today’s conversation with expert protea grower and long-time Slow Flowers member Diana Roy, flower farmer and Creative Director of Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers. Along with the farm’s founder and CEO Mel Resendiz, Diana and other protea growers in the greater San Diego area are welcoming the 20th International Protea Association Conference to their region, taking place later this week. “United by Proteas” is designed for farmers, researchers, educators, designers, and anyone eager to learn more about the amazing plant family and its importance in the floral marketplace. Diana returned to the Slow Flowers Podcast to discuss this conference and the latest trends in the protea industry. Diana Roy of Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers Back in 2013 and 2014, in the early days of the Slow Flowers Movement, when I was developing and launching slowflowers.com, I hosted today’s guest, Diana Roy, along with Mel Resendiz, both of Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers, as guests. They appeared in our 20th episode of the Slow Flowers Podcast in December 2013. So much has happened in the growth of the Slow Flowers Movement since then, and today, it feels very special to reflect back on those early days and to feel so much gratitude to people like Diana and Mel, who have always supported our mission. A Resendiz bouquet in which Protea is paired with Pincushion flower (Leucospermum). Vibrant blooms during harvest time at Resendiz Brothers Mel Resendiz, CEO of Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers and President of the International Association of Protea Growers If you follow our Instagram feed @slowflowerssociety, you’ll notice we love to re-post and share the images from Resendiz Brothers feed, which you can find at @resendizbrothers. Diana regularly posts seasonal crops at their peak blooms, as well as floral design inspiration showing the many gorgeous plants and pairings throughout the seasons. And we’re talking about proteas, many other South African and Australian botanicals. Resendiz produces more than 200 varieties of these unique plants, including Pincushion, Banksia, Kangaroo Paw, Leucadendron, and Waxflower. Known for their exceptional value and long vase life, the protea and other blooms create dramatic impact when incorporated in arrangements and bouquets. International Association of Protea Growers Conference 2025 And now, the world’s top protea experts are gathering in Fallbrook and Rainbow, California, outside San Diego, to focus on this unique and popular family of plants. Beginning this Friday, March 28th, with a floral design workshop, and continuing through April 4th, the 2025 International Protea Association Conference features sessions and networking opportunities covering best practices, fresh ideas, and creative solutions with more than 100 professionals from around the world. Protea researchers and experts will come together to share their knowledge and ideas. Diana recently joined me to record a conversation about the upcoming conference. And we just want to give a shoutout to Kit Wertz and Casey Schwartz of Flower Duet, Slow Flower members and past guests of the podcast. They are leading the sold-out tour of the Los Angeles Flower District that’s an optional activity for Protea Conference attendees. A guaranteed fabulous event with two knowledgeable designers. 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,

https://youtu.be/UL1__YrDzHs?si=lKHhw6SLt2EANe_a After years of frustration over outdated and unsustainable floral options that funeral homes offered bereaved families, floral designer Nicole Wright decided to produce an alternative resource to help the industry shift from standard practice to updated and safer options. She wrote and produced "Returning Home," her new book for the funeral industry, florists, and families. All of the arrangements featured in its pages were designed with local and American grown flowers and foliage. Nicole used re-purposed and donated materials and vessels and all foam-free mechanics. Learn how you can integrate her sustainable approach into your funeral floral services and enjoy today’s enlightening presentation. Returning Home by Nicole Wright of The Pink Peony We recently held our March Slow Flowers member meet-up with Nicole Wright, our expert member and speaker. The response to her topic, Sustainable Sympathy Flowers, was so popular -- one of the highest meet-up sessions we’ve hosted in the past year. Nicole Wright is the co-owner of The Pink Peony, a Waterford, Wisconsin-based flower shop. For more than 15 years, she has worked closely with funeral homes in her area to provide grieving families with sympathy arrangements. This often requires hours of her time helping her clients choose floral arrangements that give tribute and remember their loved one. Spring seasonal sympathy designs Summer seasonal sympathy designs Early on, Nicole discovered that most funeral homes in her area, not to mention many internet sources were presenting outdated flower options, those reminiscent of what she calls “Victorian-era-meets-1950's-style arrangements.” For nearly a century, florists, funeral directors, home funeral guides, and grieving families have been shown the same arrangement styles – and most of us associate these designs with sorrowful funeral services. Moreover, most funeral flowers are based on foam mechanics, designed in throwaway materials and vessels, and do not promote seasonal and local flowers and foliages. Late Summer-Early Autumn seasonal sympathy designs Autumn seasonal sympathy designs In response, Nicole has created “Returning Home,” a 91-page reference book that features 40 unique, sympathy floral designs created with seasonal, local and American grown flowers and foliage. The book contains a gallery of design ideas -- from winter through autumn, as well as tropical and patriotic-themed designs. Winter seasonal sympathy designs Designer Reference Guide - sample spread with recipes I’m thrilled to share the replay video of Nicole’s presentation. She has shared sample inside pages of "Returning Home" and you’ll want to watch the visually-inspiring slide show that accompanied Nicole’s session -- click the link above to watch our YouTube video. Nicole is offering a discount for your purchase of “Returning Home.” Use the promo code SLOWFLOWERS to purchase 2 books + receive one FREE copy.Use SLOWFLOWERS20 for 20% off of a single book order. The link also has details on an affordable e-book version of Returning Home. Follow The Pink Peony on InstagramFollow Returning Home Floral on 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.

https://youtu.be/XJdj0U5NqC4?si=irqk_FX_GQ_qLe-j If you’re interested in what flower farming’s “chapter two” might look like, today’s guest shares one version of that narrative. After 8 years of intensive urban flower farming and floral design in Philadelphia, Cassie Plummer of Jig-Bee Flower Farm pulled up roots and moved to northeastern Vermont to be closer to family and to establish a simpler and quieter life. She calls it the Jig-Bee sequel, and the cinematic narrative is fitting because the rural town of Corinth, Vermont, where she settled, is also where the movie Beetlejuice was filmed. Today, Jig-Bee specializes in growing flowers for breeding and seed production and delivering fresh flowers to floral designers via two wholesale distributors in Woodstock and Brooklyn. I sat down with Cassie recently to learn how this all happened.  Cassie Plummer, Jig-Bee Flower Farm I recorded a wonderful conversation last week with longtime Slow Flowers member Cassie Plummer of Jig-Bee Flower Farm. We first met years ago when I was in her backyard to speak at the Philadelphia Flower Show – Cassie gathered together a group of flower farmers and florists to meet and have lunch during my visit there. Cassie Plummer and the field-grown annuals at Jig-Bee Flower Farm A few years later, I featured Cassie and some of those same floral friends in a March 2019 Florists Review story about Fishtown Floral Crawl, a collaborative project in which florists transformed facades and interiors of several businesses, including restaurants and retail spaces, with beautiful and seasonal installations to showcase their art and shine a light on locally-grown flowers. READ MORE: Flowers and Community_TDFDownload Back then, amazingly, Cassie managed florist sales, a flower farm collective, a flower CSA program, full service and DIY weddings and events, grocery sales, farmers’ markets, pop-ups, and eventually a flower market style brick and mortar store with flowers grown on ½-acre urban land. She was far too busy to pay attention to what she called the "unicorn blooms" that occasionally caught her eye. Scabiosa 'Misty Mountain', bred by Jig-Bee Flower Farm Those UNICORNS are flowers with one-of-a-kind colors that show up in your garden or flower field. They can be a volunteer plant or something unique found growing from a seed packet -- standard color or mix -- that you grow every year. She says she amassed seeds of a unique, bronze-crested celosia, an ombre cream-to-pink zinnia, and so many other dried flower heads and captured them in organza bags and tucked into the back of the seed stash over the years. But, until Cassie changed her business model and moved to Vermont for a simpler and quieter life, she had never found time to experiment and trial those potentially new and exciting flowers.  Coreopsis 'Romance', a Jig-Bee Flower Farm selection Things have changed, and it’s inspiring to hear more about that major transition to growing cut flowers for wholesale channels and selecting flower varieties to introduce new varieties to the market. She is intensively farming about ½-acre of the 8-acre farm, as well as planting pollinator strips for neighbors and other local farms. Strawflower 'Berry Bowl', a Jig-Bee Flower Farm selection Cassie is focused on growing and selecting for: High-yield flowers that are popular with florists and folks who enjoy growing a cutting garden Hardy annuals with increased resilience And new colors of coreopsis, scabiosa, rudbeckia and amaranth Let’s jump right in and learn more about this fascinating chapter two of Jig-Bee Flower Farm, and meet Cassie Plummer, the woman behind the flowers. Cassie offers about 50 different varieties/colors as fresh flowers and seed sales.  Find and follow Jig Bee Flower Farm on Instagram and sign up for Jig Bee's newsletterJig Bee Seed Collection News of the Week Nicole Wright of The Pink Peony and author, Returning Home

https://youtu.be/NCf0gEPkzDk?si=8FLuZLE6FHh28WuQ Lori Poliski is reviving the forgotten art of Pot-et-Fleur, an iconic floral style, historically defined as “living arrangements with plants, cut flowers, and foliage.” Having originated in 17th century France and continuing through the Victorian era, Pot-et-Fleur offers today’s florists a contemporary, sustainable, and long-lasting method of designing with local and seasonal ingredients. The method is flexible because it uses living plants combined with flowers. Using potted ferns and lush, green tropicals, seasonal cut botanicals, foliage, and branches, Lori recently demonstrated this old-new technique at Slow Flowers SUNDAY. She introduced us to the history and benefits of Pot-et-Fleur, touching on important selling points, discussing plant sourcing, selection, and care. I’m excited to share this replay video and audio from Lori’s inspiring presentation. Pot-et-Fleur Design by Lori Poliski of Flori Slow Flowers SUNDAY took place on February 23rd, co-located at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. After our very successful virtual Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit in January, it was so nice to gather together in person with 45 flower friends for a half-day mini-Summit. And after which, our guests attended the final day of the NW Flower & Garden Festival. In the past few weeks, you heard me preview the three educational sessions and hats off to each of our presenters. Diane Szukovathy of Jello Mold Farm and Vivian Larson of Everyday Flowers introduced the audience to Floral Standards, the new book they co-authored with the farmers and staff of the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, while Quynh Nguyen of Pink and Posey inspired us with her paper floral artwork and her new project, The New Art of Paper Flowers. Lori Poliski, Flori The day concluded with today’s guest, Lori Poliski of Flori, a Woodinville, Washington-based gardener-florist who is always pushing the envelope of sustainability. Lori treated us to a lecture on the History of Pot-et-Fleur, followed by her large-scale design demonstration with living plants, cut flowers, and foliage. In the past, Lori and Tammy Myers were guests of this Podcast as they discussed “Farewell Flowers,” their approach to sustainable funeral and sympathy design – Episode 555 from April 2022. This episode contains the audio from Lori’s Slow Flowers SUNDAY presentation. I encourage you to click on the YouTube link above to watch the video of her beautiful presentation and design demonstration! Find and follow FLORI on Instagram and FacebookDownload a PDF of Lori's materials list (below) Pot-et-fleur Materials ListDownload Membership News In Slow Flowers Member News, we just dropped the March newsletter, filled with inspiring content, resources, and a roundup of the incredible press coverage we’ve enjoyed during the month of February – including mentions and interviews in the New York Times, Scientific American, the Oregonian, Fine Gardening magazine, Johnny’s Seeds Online, and the Growing Greener podcast. And check out the list of more than 70 new and renewing Slow Flowers members from February – you might see some peers and competitors on the list, and you might also be inspired to join our membership community yourself! Click to read our March 2025 Newsletter 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 lil...

https://youtu.be/cq7Uf-SBTC8?si=w8z2EoJRqN1NqrfP Master Gardener and writer Willi Galloway is a home gardener who loves to grow food and cook with the vegetables she harvests from her urban kitchen garden in Portland, Oregon. An award-winning writer and radio commentator, Willi is the author of "Grow Cook Eat, a food-lover’s guide to vegetable gardening." Originally published 13 years ago, the essential handbook has been updated and just re-issued, with a focus on 50 flavorful vegetables, herbs, and fruits. I invited Willi to tell me more, and our conversation touches on the importance of growing flowers with your food. Willi’s enthusiasm is contagious and the timing of this episode will inspire you to add food to the flower garden, too!  Willi Galloway, author of Grow Cook Eat © Weeno Photography 2024 I just wrapped up a fun, but crazy-busy week producing the Blooms & Bubbles floral designer’s stage at the NW Flower & Garden Festival, which featured Slow Flowers members as presenters and instructors each afternoon. We had an amazing turnout and met and shared the mission of Slow Flowers with students and audience members alike. My friend Lorene Edwards Forkner calls the NW Flower & Garden Festival “Garden Prom,” because it seems like everyone in horticulture comes together, from places near and far-flung, to celebrate flowers, ornamental and edible plants, gardens, gardening, and community. Food gardening author Willi Galloway, with her favorite herbs to grow Lots of fun people were in Seattle this past week, including today’s guest, Willi Galloway. We’ve known one another for years, dating back to when Willi lived in Seattle and appeared weekly on the local NPR station’s gardening program. She now lives in Portland with her family, and I am excited to learn that Willi’s popular 2011 book, Grow Cook Eat, has just been updated and re-issued – just in time for garden-planting season. Edible flowers from Grow Cook Eat, by Willi Galloway Grow Cook Eat is a comprehensive guide for passionate foodies looking to grow, harvest, and cook their own produce—even in urban environments. With 50 profiles of common vegetables, herbs, and small fruits, plus practical advice for growing and harvesting, Willi’s expertise inspires both novice and experienced gardeners. The book also features 50 garden-to-table recipes and stunning photography throughout, bringing the joy of homegrown food to life. Raspberry Spritzer recipe from Grow Cook Eat Willi’s extensive background in sustainable gardening began with Organic Gardening magazine. She became a key figure in the urban agriculture movement in Seattle, earning her Master Gardener certification and serving on the board of the Tilth Alliance. Willi has taught gardening and cooking classes across the Pacific Northwest, collaborated with James Beard Award-winning chef Matthew Dillon, and, as I said, served as a gardening expert on Seattle’s NPR station, KUOW. Currently based in Portland, Oregon, Willi continues to inspire through her writing and teaching. So I’m happy to bring our conversation to you, recorded in Seattle last week. You may be a passionate grower of food and herbs, and if so, you’ll love Willi’s philosophy about choosing food crops, not for their potential “yield,” but for their flavor and tastiness. If you’re like me, someone who shops the farmers’ market or subscribes to a CSA for organic produce, then Willi’s passion might just encourage you to plant some beautiful veggies and herbs – food to eat and food for the eyes, too! Resources:Follow Willi Galloway on InstagramOrder GROW COOK EATRADISH Guide from Grow Cook Eat (Download PDF) Radish files_including recipeDownload And here are the details for our March 22nd Spring Seed Swap and Garden Book Event at Filson! Kick off the gardening season with a good old-fashioned seed swap! Filson is hosting a group of local garden writers, cookbook authors, and artists for a fun,

https://youtu.be/xuhf4DJpX2o?si=wyTAMBP3B1B8qw9t Take a deep breath and inhale the intoxicating fragrance of a sweet pea. Who wouldn’t want to grow this stunning annual flower – beloved for its dreamy petal hues, evocative scent, and popularity in both the cottage cutting garden and the florist’s vase? Meet Marryn Mathis, whose students and customers call the Sweet Pea Queen, a Stanwood, Washington-based flower farmer who raises tens of thousands of sweet peas. She’s just published Sweet Pea School, an essential book based on her successful workshops. Marryn leads us down the fragrant path of sweet pea selection, growing, seed-harvesting, and arranging – and guaranteed, you will join me in wanting to grow many more sweet peas this season! I’m not sure whether it’s a hard and fast rule, but I was taught to plant my sweet pea seeds on St. Patrick’s Day, which is also when the food gardener who shared this advice with me plants her edible peas. Traditionally, of course, I direct-sowed those seeds in my garden. And, depending on the vagaries of spring weather, some never sprout, while others happily flourish and climb their trellis support to bloom like crazy. Marryn Mathes of The Farmhouse Flower Farm and author of Sweet Pea School But there are much better ways to have a successful yield of gorgeous, perfumed sweet peas and it helps if you learn from Marryn Mathis, author of the brand-new book Sweet Pea School. Marryn Mathes of The Farmhouse Flower Farm and Debra Prinzing of Slow Flowers Society Marryn was recently our Slow Flowers Member Expert at the February meet-up, and she had attendees enthralled with her story of building a unique sweet pea business at The Farmhouse Flower Farm. Her family business grows tens of thousands of sweet peas to harvest their seeds for flower farmers, farmer-florists, gardeners and flower lovers to purchase for fall and spring planting. The Farmhouse Flower Farm is also known for selling dahlia tubers, but that’s a story for another day. Because we’re here to talk about Sweet Pea School, the gorgeous guide, which will be published on February 25th – next week. Marryn Mathes and her sweet peas Inspired by Marryn’s popular “sweet pea school” workshops, the gardening book is a master class in the romantic bloom, including:>sweet peas and their history;>best practices;>step-by-step instructions for designing floral arrangements with sweet peas;>a color-organized overview of popular varieties;>and Marryn’s personal story of becoming a flower farmer and building The Farmhouse Flower Farm. Sweet peas at The Farmhouse Flower Farm Order your book hereFind and follow The Farmhouse Flower Farm on Instagram and FacebookSign up for The Farmhouse Flower Farm newsletter and course updates And congratulations to new Slow Flowers member Regina Grubb of Pintsized Posies – her name was selected in the random drawing of those who attended the Member Meet-Up on February 7th, and Regina will receive a copy of Marryn’s Sweet Pea School book. Last Chance for Slow Flowers SUNDAY at the NW Flower & Garden Festival (February 23rd) In other important news, don’t forget – the clock is ticking and there are only a few more days to register to attend Slow Flowers SUNDAY at the NWFGF on February 23rd, 9:30 am to 1 pm. Slow Flowers SUNDAY is designed for YOU -- flower farmers, farmer-florists, floral designers, flower lovers, and gardeners! TICKETS are just $99 per person, and include Continental Breakfast, Networking, three inspiring lectures and demonstrations, Door Prizes, a Gift Bag, plus complimentary admission to the NW Flower & Garden Festival. Reserve Your Seat TODAY for Just $99 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.

https://youtu.be/Qr-Di1slgMQ?si=sHuKvg69KD_g4MIf Join Quynh Nguyen, the paper artist behind Pink and Posey, as she shares her decade-long journey in paper artistry, from crafting her first floral arrangement to co-creating the Papertalk Podcast. Quynh is the author of The New Art of Paper Flowers – just published in late 2024. She has produced fine art paper floral installations for Nordstrom, Creative Live, Fran's Chocolates, and many more commissions, including collaborations like Greenwood Rising in Tulsa, Oklahoma; plus, CBS Sunday Morning and a recent book talk at Portland's iconic Powell's Bookstore. Quynh inspires creativity within the floral community and you’ll enjoy our conversation today -- a glimpse into one woman’s artistic journey and her enduring passion for creating beauty through paper. Quynh Nguyen and The New Art of Paper Flowers. Portrait (c) Kelly Lemon There are so many ways that artists of many media are engaged with florals, from fashion and interior design, to two- and three-dimensional interpretations of the botanical universe. I first met today’s guest, Quynh Nguyen of Pink and Posey when we both spoke at a virtual Flowerstock event that Holly Chapple produced during the pandemic. Which is somewhat ironic, since Quynh and I both live in the greater Seattle area – so we’re here in the same floral world. Paper flowers in a gorgeous spring arrangement by Quynh Nguyen When planning our February 23rd Slow Flowers Sunday, a live gathering taking place at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show, I knew I wanted to invite Quynh to be one of the day’s featured speakers. We like to cross-pollinate at Slow Flowers events and we’ve had great feedback for past artistic speakers, including Lorene Edwards Forkner, Ronni Nicole Robinson, and Amy Stewart. It makes sense to view the floral landscape as much larger than growing and designing, because our Slow Flowers world serves people yearning for a life and lifestyle filled with plants and flowers in many expressions. The New Art of Paper Flowers So, we’re going to learn a lot from this serial creative entrepreneur today. Quynh believes strongly in sharing what she has learned about making paper flowers and being an entrepreneur. Through speaking engagements and online courses, she shares insights from her background in marketing and finance, as well as the invaluable experience of working as a paper artist for nearly a decade.Please consider making the investment to join Slow Flowers SUNDAY at the NWFGF on February 23rd, 9:30 am to 1 pm. Here's a description of Quynh's presentation: Paper floral artist Quynh Nguyen in her studio 11:15 a.m.-Noon - Discover the Art of Paper Flowers: A Journey of Creativity and ConnectionJoin Quynh D. Nguyen, the paper artist behind Pink and Posey, as she shares her decade-long journey in paper artistry, from crafting her first floral arrangement to founding The Posey Box and co-creating the Paper Talk Podcast. Hear about her most remarkable projects, including fine art installations for Nordstrom, Creative Live, Fran's Chocolates, and many more, including collaborations and features like Greenwood Rising in Tulsa, Oklahoma, CBS Sunday Morning, and a recent book talk at Portland's iconic Powell's Bookstore. Quynh will also share future plans, such as her Lilac Branch workshop at the Hudson Valley Workshop in New York and how she continues to inspire creativity within the community.This presentation offers a glimpse into Quynh's artistic journey and her enduring passion for creating beauty through paper. She wraps things up with a beautiful paper flower display. Note: You will receive exclusive crepe paper samples and other paper flower supplies with your purchase of Quynh's book. SLOW FLOWERS SUNDAY - February 23rd Slow Flowers SUNDAY is designed for YOU -- flower farmers, farmer-florists, floral designers, flower lovers, and gardeners! TICKETS are just $99 per person,

https://youtu.be/xo0eJsPkCKQ?si=JQMfrx44CujdC8ys Last weekend I was invited to Vancouver, British Columbia, where two floral luminaries, Hitomi Gilliam and Per Benjamin, were teaching an in-person workshop for students of their Floristic Dialog courses. I wanted to interview Per to learn more of his about-to-be-published book, Sustainable Floral Design – A Sustainable Future found in History. This beautiful new book, co-authored with Max van de Sluis, draws inspiration from different periods through history and translates them into our present time, reviving forgotten techniques, materials, and styles while also generating new ideas from the past. As Per points out, the Egyptians and Renaissance period floral artists were not using floral foam, so why can’t we emulate some of their methods? Per Benjamin and Max Van de Sluis Today's guest is world class floral designer, Per Benjamin. Hitomi invited me to visit her in Vancouver, B.C., which is just about a 3-hour drive north of me, and I arrived there last weekend. She enticed me with news that Per Benjamin would be in town to co-teach with her and mentioned that his new book on Sustainable Floral Design would be published soon. Debra Prinzing, Hitomi Gilliam, and Per Benjamin (c) Jim Martin I don’t need much of an excuse to take the Slow Flowers Podcast on the road, as you know, so this past Saturday, I arrived at the Floristic Dialog workshop and sat down with Per to chat. I’m excited to share our conversation with you. Per Benjamin at the Nobel Prize banquet Title Page: Sustainable Floral Design Book ORDER LINK: Sustainable Floral Design by Per Benjamin and Max van de Sluis. The cost is equivalent to about $68 US dollars and Per’s studio is set up to ship worldwide. Hitomi Gilliam has been a past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast and was a featured Slow Flowers Summit speaker when we gathered in Banff in 2024. I recently interviewed Hitomi about her approach to sustainable floral design for the 2025 Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Forecast, drawing from her use of natural mechanics and decorative structures for floristry – we called this insight “Show Your Work.” Per Benjamin Per Benjamin, Benjamin's Botaniska Let me tell you a little more about Per. I first encountered him at the 2019 World Cup in Philadelphia where he was an emcee during the competition. Through his Stockholm, Sweden-based company Benjamin’s Botaniska, Per’s work ranges from demonstrations, workshops, seminars, teaching, judging, business and marketing, team and leaderships courses, shop makeovers and coaching, large-scale events and the occasional day in a flower shop. Since his World Cup victory in 2002, Per has worked all around the world, in over 80 countries. For many years, he has designed the florals for the Nobel Prize Awards Banquet in Sweden and he is the author of dozens of books. Let’s jump right in and meet Per Benjamin and welcome him to the Slow Flowers Podcast. And as a bonus, at the end of our conversation, Hitomi Gilliam joins Per and the two briefly discuss their collaboration with future Floristic Dialog workshops both online and in person. I want to close with a quote from the opening pages of Sustainable Floral Design: We must change our way of thinking. Sometimes, we must forget what we have learned and done for many years and embrace the new world with respect for our children and future generations. This means letting go of materials and techniques that are harmful to the environment and finding more sustainable alternatives. We rely too heavily on single use plastic-based materials that end up in landfills or even as microplastics in our oceans. However, there are alternatives and it is important for us to make the switch if we want a future at all. Thank you for your advocacy, Per!Find and follow Per on Instagram and FacebookSign up for future Floristic Dialog notices Join our February Slow Flowers Member (Virtual) ...

https://youtu.be/7SxS3vDHrQo?si=EkE5x41RdrS5V0qn Showcasing floral agriculture as a valuable farm crop in an area surrounded by ranches and alfalfa farms, Kim and Kylie operate Yellow Petal Flower Farm in Fallon, Nevada. Let's hear how they created a multi-generational, woman-led flower farm and floral design business serving Reno, Lake Tahoe, and the surrounding region. The Nevada Department of Agriculture, along with Made in Nevada, recently presented Yellow Petal Flower Farm with the 2024 Nevada Agriculture, Food and Beverage Small Business of the Year Award – and we’re here to celebrate!  The Nevada-grown flowers of Yellow Petal Flower Farm Kim Urso’s flower farming journey started in 2018 on a 2-acre property in Dayton, Nevada. Joined by her daughter Kylie Pack, a young mom, the women combined passion and dedication to launch Yellow Petal Flower Farm. In 2020, knowing they needed more land, and despite a global pandemic, they found a perfect location in nearby Fallon, Nevada, where now, four generations of their family make their home at Yellow Petal Flower Farm. A floral design by Yellow Petal Flower Farm Yellow Petal Flower Farm branding The mobile flower stand Thanks so much for joining me today! Find and follow Yellow Petal Flower Farm on Instagram and Facebook You're Invited to Slow Flowers SUNDAY In this week’s news, I want to invite you to Slow Flowers SUNDAY, our first-ever Slow Flowers gathering at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival in Seattle, Sunday, February 23rd. Our friends at the NW Flower Show invited us to host a special event, and I’m delighted to say we’re producing a mini-version of the Slow Flowers Summit for a live, in-person, half-day symposium called Slow Flowers SUNDAY. Slow Flowers Sunday includes Continental Breakfast, Networking, three inspiring lectures and demonstrations, Door Prizes, a Gift Bag, plus complimentary admission to the NW Flower & Garden Festival. You’ll learn from Four amazing speakers on flower farming, floral design, and sustainability. I can’t wait to see you there. The details are in our show notes and can be found at slowflowerssociety.com. WHO should attend? This special event is designed for YOU -- flower farmers, farmer-florists, floral designers, flower lovers, and gardeners!TICKETS: $99 per person, plus all the perks I just mentioned. Reserve Your Seat at Slow Flowers SUNDAY 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. 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. Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeav...

https://youtu.be/cHpC0UiCDzA?si=fdpuerpqG-mQ63Xk Experienced plantswoman Sue Dykstra has operated nurseries for decades. She opened Creekside Growers in 2001, expanding the Middleville, Michigan business from a small plantstand to a full-service garden center with 65,000-square-feet of covered greenhouses. Over the past several years, Sue and manager Kelly Lewis have transitioned the nursery to a cut flower farm with indoor and outdoor production, retail flower shop, and the wholesale hub for West Michigan Flower Market. Their story offers a case study for the nursery industry, highlighting the economic benefits of providing a rare (but in-demand) supply of seasonal, sustainable, and locally-grown cut flowers to consumers and florists alike. Flowers from Creekside Growers and Flower Farm Slow Flowers Floral Insights 2025: Winter Farming A few weeks ago, we published the 2025 Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Forecast, our 11th annual report on the emerging themes and topics influencing our movement. Today’s episode perfectly highlights one of the seven insights: Winter Farming. In our report, which you can find in the Winter issue of Slow Flowers Journal, my collaborator Robin Avni and I observed that more Slow Flowers growers are beginning to experiment with cold-weather crops, as they cheat the season with high tunnels and other bloom-forcing techniques. Innovation meets demand as more growers experiment with winter farming. And as a result, florists who have built their brands around domestic flower sourcing have more botanical options closer to them. Inside the Greenhouse: Workshops at Creekside Growers The timing of that insight is perfect for today's episode. I originally reached out to Sue Dykstra of Creekside Growers and Flower Farm in order to share her story with you, but I thought that the big story was around her potting parties that for years she has offered Michiganders as a way to jump-start their container gardens. When I last interviewed Sue and her partner Kelly Lewis, it was for a chapter in our 2021 book, Where we Bloom – a collection of the artistic studios and design spaces of Slow Flowers members. Creekside Growers inside Where We Bloom In that chapter, which you can see above, Sue and Kelly discussed their hybrid model of operating a retail garden center and a cut flower farm. Now, as you will hear in today’s interview, Creekside Growers shifted to a 100% cut flower farming and floral design operation. It’s an exciting chapter in the nursery and garden center world. I’ve long advocated that retail nurseries should put an emphasis on cutting garden plants, and stock plant collections, offer design workshops, and encourage gardeners to grow professional-grade cut flowers. What’s happening at Creekside Growers and Flower Farm is instructive and inspiring. Find and Follow Creekside Growers:InstagramFacebookWest Michigan Flower Market 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 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czmwuwa6XG4&feature=youtu.be Yes, you can grow gorgeous cut flowers in Alaska. Just ask Misty Vanderweele, anAlaska native who founded All Dahlia’d Up in 2013, a boutique flower farm in Palmer. There is a magical effect on the intense color palettes and robust health of Misty’s blooms, as the short growing season is balanced by up to 22 hours of endless sunshine-a-day during the peak summer months. Misty believes that all that sunshine fills the flowers with good medicine, as she has personally experienced their healing properties and witnessed in her customers and guests when they visit her farm. Today, learn how Misty’s series of one-hour walking tours, immersive floral retreats, and special Alaska-grown farm-to-table dinners draw guests from around the globe. Misty Vanderweele of All Dahlia'd Up, a Palmer, Alaska-based flower farm Welcome to Misty Vanderweele, owner of All Dahlia’d Up Flower Farm in Palmer, Alaska. Misty is a past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast – she appeared on Episode 413, recorded in August 2019. I’ll share the link in our show notes in case you’d like to go back and listen to her beautiful, story of how deep, personal loss and the grief that followed led to her life in flowers. It’s poignant and may just be the hopeful story you need to hear right now. https://www.slowflowerspodcast.com/2019/08/07/episode-413-meet-misty-vanderweele-of-alaskas-all-dahliad-up-plus-our-state-focus-new-jersey/ Frolicking in the flower fields at All Dahlia'd Up (Palmer, Alaska), from left: Christina Stembel, Misty Vanderweele, and Debra Prinzing In August 2023, I flew to Anchorage with Christina Stembel of Farmgirl Flowers to attend one of All Dahlia’d Up’s flower farm dinner tours. It was a magical and sensory-filled experience. Everything about the majestic scenery, the stunning flower fields, the hands-on floral design component, the delicious, all-local food, the live entertainment, and the camaraderie around the farm table – it was all unforgettable. We had a blast. I recently came across some video I shot during that evening, and so you’ll see a mini video at the beginning of my interview with Misty. She graciously voiced some of the footage to add more insights to the video clips. Farm table adorned with DIY floral arrangements That’s followed by a conversation about All Dahlia’d Up Flower Farm’s many channels for marketing flowers, but mostly, about floral tourism and how Misty is sharing her farm as a tourism destination. Let’s jump right in and get to that conversation! Misty is about to announce the 2025 tour dates and calendar of on-farm events, so follow the link to sign up for the newsletter so you’ll be the first to know! Floral tourism at All Dahlia'd Up Flower Farm https://mistyvanderweele.com/links This Week's News! We’ve just wrapped up a very successful, three-day Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, which took place as a virtual/online conference over January 9th to 11th and involved 160 registrants, 15 amazing speakers, several great sponsors and partners, and the talented Slow Flowers team. Whew! I’ll share much more in the coming weeks, but I just wanted to publicly thank everyone who joined us. We had incredibly high engagement of live participants who logged in to watch the sessions and interact with each speaker – that was so gratifying. But no worries if you registered and didn’t make it to all of the sessions – your registration entitles you to three months of replay viewing – through mid- April. Our 600th Episode!! I also have to pause for a moment to mention that today is our 600th episode of the Slow Flowers Podcast! Our episode numbering is a little confusing because this is Episode 699, but back when I started the Slow Flowers Podcast in 2013, I just decided to start our first episode at 100 – not sure why, but I must have heard that was a good idea – ha! It’s confusing, but no big deal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckPGJ2K-PVQ This year, in recognition of Slow Flowers' annual focus on changing cultural and creative shifts in the floral industry, our Forecast hones in on seven key insights. In a year where Artificial Intelligence has become omnipresent, we find ourselves reverting to the Analog world of nature. Innovation and personal expression are being challenged by the AI-dominated ecosystem, and the authentic values of the Slow Flowers Community are its antidote. Nature’s perfection cannot be replicated by a chisel, paint brush, or computer generated image, as all these works draw from the original source. A flower produced from AI is generated from what already exists. However, a flower grown from seed is the perfect metaphor for our individual creativity. SLOW FLOWERS JOURNAL: Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Forecast for 2025 Welcome to 2025 -- a New Year that we hope brings joy, prosperity, progress, and growth for the Slow Flowers Community! This is the 11th year we’ve produced the Slow Flowers’ Floral Insights and Industry Forecast, which originated in 2015 as a series of presentations shared with the media, our members, and you, our listeners. This episode is accompanied by an important free resource. You can find the link in today’s show notes for Episode 698 to read the Slow Flowers Journal’s Winter 2025 issue, titled “Floral Reality” – more on that title will follow. In addition, I recorded a video of this episode to introduce you the seven insights illustrated with visual examples. This is the video companion to today’s podcast. Click above to watch. Hot off the press, the 48-page digital magazine-style report, produced in partnership with BLOOM Imprint, our Slow Flowers publishing venture. Huge thanks to our creative director Robin Avni for designing such a gorgeous issue – I can’t wait for you to see it. Through the pages, our insights become identifiable and relatable to your floral enterprise for 2025 and beyond. Click to Read Slow Flowers Journal - Winter 2025 Issue (with Forecast) ON THE COVER: I have to tell you about this beautiful floral image on the cover of our Forecast Issue. It is designed by Rizaniño “Riz” Reyes of Seattle-based RHR Horticulture and this image is featured in the forthcoming book, The Flower Farmer: Inspiration & Advice from Expert Growers, by Debra Prinzing & Robin Avni (which will be published by Abrams on May 6, 2025. When Robin selected this image for our cover, she commented, “It is almost hyperreal, meaning it’s so beautiful it couldn't possibly be real -- but it is! It’s a design from nature and artistically composed, almost like a Dutch still life with flowers, but modern in its form. This design is real; touched by human hands, and intentionally designed – the epitome of Floral Reality, rather than computer generated artificial augmentation."Riz composed this stunning spring posy with hellebore, fritillaria, Siberian bugloss (Brunnera), grape hyacinth, daffodils, and rosemary and daphne for scent. Silver gray Brachyglottis, glossy Polystichum fern, and branches of flowering Ribes and bearberry hold the delicate flowers together. Thank you for sharing your talents, Riz! 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.

https://youtu.be/yOLV0XJX1ic?si=3ZxsB3shtvPOrquK Jessica Stewart of Bramble & Blossom Happy New Year! We’ve pulled one of our most popular episodes of 2024 to share with you today and I know it will inspire you with new sustainability ideas for the coming wedding season! Meet Jessica Stewart, a pioneering Slow Flowers floral designer, and learn how she leads with joy when communicating her values to wedding clients, while also infusing her aesthetic with sustainable values. This episode is called Secrets of a Sustainable Wedding Florist so get ready to be inspired. New Year, New YOU at the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2025 It’s a busy time over here at the Slow Flowers Society with all of our efforts focused on producing an amazing, first-ever Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit – coming right up next week over three packed days – January 9-11, 2025. This is an all online/virtual conference so you have no excuse to skip it! You’ll be able to log in and watch 15 hours of inspiring floral education and connect with each speaker personally – or, if your schedule doesn’t allow that, you will have access to the replay sessions for three full months that follow. By the way, if you’re listening on January 2nd, we’re still in the midst of our NEW YEAR NEW YOU $50 off flash sale, which continues through midnight PT on Friday, January 3rd. Click below to grab your registration and save! Slow Flowers members receive an additional $50 off as a member benefit! Join us at the Slow Flowers Summit -- Grab Your Ticket Today and Save $50 Romance in bloom by Bramble & Blossom We pulled today’s encore Episode from the archives as one of our top shows from 2024. Stay tuned for the wrap up – when I’ll share a business update recorded with Jessica Stewart earlier this week – you’ll love hearing what’s happening with Bramble & Blossom these days! Replaying this episode seems well timed, because it’s engagement season and many of our wedding and event designers are busy, consulting with prospective couples and pulling together concepts and proposals. For Slow Flowers designers, those who infuse their business values with sourcing and sustainable considerations, there’s an important added layer involved. Jessica is well aware of the importance of educating clients about having a local and seasonal approach to designing their wedding flowers. We asked Jessica to unpack all the elements involved in running Bramble & Blossom, and to share her approach to communication during the sales process. Jessica shared an incredibly detailed presentation for the January 2024 Slow Flowers Member (virtual) meetup and we recorded it to share, originally as Episode 646 on January 24, 2024. Whether you caught that episode or this is your first time hearing it, you’ll be treated to Jessica’s approach about how she designs for seasonality and sources from local flower farms to produce gorgeous, romantic, evocative weddings. Jessica’s presentation includes details on how she prepares contracts + proposals; and how she sources and plans for weddings and installations. Her expertise is priceless and you’ll want to listen in. Joy and Intentionality come across through florals Here’s a little bit more about Jessica Stewart of Brambles & Blossom, an Eco-Friendly Pittsburgh Wedding Florist: The tagline for Bramble & Blossom includes these guiding principles: Ethical. Sustainable. Anti-Racist. Inclusive. Accessible. Intentional. Stunning. You’ll notice these characteristics in each Bramble & Blossom design, and in turn, realize how special and rare these qualities area. As Jessica writes on her website: “This seems like a #HumbleBrag at first glance. But the truth is, we wish there was more competition.” Here's a fun photo from our NYC-Brooklyn Slowflowers.com gathering. From left: Gloria Battista Collins of GBC Style, me, Jessica Stewart and Justine Lacy of Foxglove Floral Design Studio,

https://youtu.be/KzWJQWxQIkE?si=odYVvhdRI_2Z5hn7 For the past decade, I have kept an important annual ritual. Before I turn the calendar page to the New Year, I take time at the end of December to reflect back on the one that’s coming to a close. This exercise has become our recurring Slow Flowers Society "Year in Review," a habit that takes stock of the prior 12 months and considers how our many programs and efforts have supported the Slow Flowers Mission. You’re invited to join me as we review Slow Flowers Society in 2024 and discuss how it reflects our true priorities, passion, and purpose! Twenty-twenty-five arrives in just a few days, so before we say good-bye to 2024, I want to reflect on this past year’s highlights. It’s an exercise that has become an important annual tradition and I have to say that it is always rewarding for me to pause and reflect on the achievements of the Slow Flowers Society and larger impact of the Slow Flowers Movement. I believe our Year-in-Review can always be a predictor for the year to come. As Slow Flowers Society interacts with members, media, sponsors, and others in the floral industry, we gain important understanding and insights. For the Slow Flowers Team and me, we are so proud of what we achieved during 2024. We pay special attention to the values and benefits we deliver to you, our community, especially to our members who invest their resources in joining, participating, and engaging in programs both virtual and in-person. You and your support are the reason why we continue to achieve our core goal -- to inspire the floral industry and its consumers to embrace local, seasonal, and sustainable flowers. Whether it's for personal or professional reasons, as this year comes to a close, I encourage you to take time to write your own Year-In-Review. I’ve learned that when we do so, a narrative emerges, one that can guide future decisions and priorities. Slow Flowers Year in Review for 2024Download Join us at the 2025 Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit Our commitment to featuring a diversity of subject matter experts and experienced voices continues in 2025. The first WORLDWIDE Slow Flowers Summit is scheduled for January 9-11, 2025. This virtual conference takes place entirely online over three days – making it accessible and affordable for attendees everywhere. The program format includes 15 floral education sessions, as well as bonus content from special guest presenters. Click to read more about the Program and Schedule Click to read about our Speakers Buy Your Ticket NOW! As you may know, the Slow Flowers Movement has been emulated around the world – and emerging groups are eager for access to the same innovation, information, and inclusive approaches enjoyed by our members, but specialized for their own markets. The Slow Flowers Worldwide Summit is designed to provide inspiration for flower farmers, floral designers, and flower lovers, wherever they are based. Ticket sales continue at slowflowerssummit.com – through January 8th. General admission is $279 US and Slow Flowers members receive $50 off for $229 . I hope to see you there! Thank you to our Sponsors This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 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. And 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.

https://youtu.be/9bau3g6_h6A?si=a70BbD2OFYpQmrrW Back by popular demand, we're hosting Johnny's Seeds' floral experts, Joy Longfellow and Hillary Alger, who will introduce some of Johnny's Selected Seeds' 40-plus new flower seed varieties for 2025! Hillary and Joy take us behind the scenes to learn more about the dazzling selections of floral varieties and mixes for 2025 – from the subtle to the vibrant, including four NEW introductions -- straight from Johnny's Exclusive Breeding Program. And learn from our bonus guest, Johnny's Senior Plant Breeder Lindsay Wyatt, who discusses what it takes to select and breed gorgeous new petal palettes and bring them to market! New Zinnia varieties from Johnny's Seeds Celosia 'Shimmer' It's that time of year again, when the seed catalogs arrive and as the winter solstice takes place in a few days, we turn our dreams to our 2025 cutting gardens and flower farms. Today's show is a follow up to Slow Flowers Podcast Episode 640 from December of 2023, about one year ago, when Hillary Alger and Joy Longfellow unveiled Johnny's Selected Seeds' new flower seed varieties for 2024. The replay video of that show been viewed more than 5,000 times on YouTube – it was our most popular episode of 2024. https://youtu.be/FEbEZgWQliE But I'm delighted to report that there's even more exciting flower seed news for 2025, and that's the topic of today's show, with return guests Hillary and Joy. Hillary has more than 13 years of experience on Johnny’s Seeds’ research team, currently serving as the Product Manager for flowers and herbs, and Joy is the Flower Team Technician at Johnny’s, managing every aspect of Johnny’s flower trialing program. As a bonus, Lindsay Wyatt, their collaborator in new flower seed breeding, joins in the presentation to explain all about the "recurrent selection" method of breeding. https://youtu.be/RLqedWQmvE4?si=a7cBz9ATznB3emJP This episode covers some gorgeous and vigorous new introductions that the flower team has trialed, evaluated, and curated for 2025 -- including agrostemma, China aster, snapdragon, strawflower, celosia, pansy and viola, and lisianthus. But what's more exciting than that are the four new Johnny's introductions from the breeding program that began in 2016. You'll get to meet three lovely new zinnia introductions -- Aurora, Agave, and Ballerina -- and one beautiful new celosia mix called Shimmer. https://youtu.be/JD2_YhPcLT8?si=nGa-iB5llCZCMAMu Let's jump right in and welcome the talented floral team from Johnny's. Learn why their favorite standouts are worth considering! More Resources:Follow Johnny's Seeds on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/johnnys_seeds/ Hillary Algerhttps://www.instagram.com/hillaryalger/ Joy Longfellowhttps://www.instagram.com/joyatjohnnys/ Lindsay Wyatthttps://www.instagram.com/lindsay564/ Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2025 And we’re just three weeks away from the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, so now is the time to grab your ticket! The SLOW FLOWERS WORLDWIDE SUMMIT takes place online – January 9-11, 2025 – and you will enjoy 15 hours of amazing floral education from Slow Flowers experts. Check out the details at slowflowerssummit.com. Slow Flowers members receive $50 off their registration! Reserve Your Seat at the Slow Flowers Summit 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 ...

https://youtu.be/5IsESlnFzIY?si=ySgAiO3LNUIpvvTd Every day for more than a decade, Mary Jo Hoffman has made a photograph of found nature – no subject too small or too ordinary. For Mary Jo, a former aeronautical engineer, this daily ritual cracked open profound revelations about the connectedness of all things, the importance of place, and her own life. She joined me to talk about her daily practice that led to more than 4,000 consecutive days of images filled with surprise, play, wonder, and joy as she paid attention to the natural world. We discuss STILL, The Art of Noticing, Mary Jo’s stunning new book -- a fabulous holiday gift for yourself or someone you love. Today, we have a very special episode to share with our creative community as we welcome Mary Jo Hoffman, a botanical photographer, writer, and artist, whose eyes and camera capture intimate portraits of the flora and fauna in her world. Every day since January 1, 2012, for 12-and-a-half years, Mary Jo made a photograph of found nature, capturing it in an alluring minimalist style. Mary Jo Hoffman Her daily ritual cracked open profound revelations about the importance of place, the passing of time, the connectedness of all things, and the trajectory of her own life. Here’s a bit more about Mary Jo Hoffman: Mary Jo Hoffman is an artist-photographer renowned for her unique and personal engagement with the natural world. Best known for her project, "STILL” -- where every day (every single day) for over a decade, she made a photograph of found nature – no subject too small or too ordinary. Inside pages from STILL by Mary Jo Hoffman Her book, STILL: The Art of Noticing, features 275 of the most stunning photographs the author-artist has accumulated over thousands of consecutive days of daily shooting accompanied by perceptive, deeply felt, and often humorous essays illuminating the insights gained through this daily creative practice. Mary Jo lives in Shoreview, Minnesota, on Turtle Lake, with her husband, Steve, a food writer and author, and her indulged puggle, Jack, who accompanies her on her daily foraging walks to find new subjects. Pink tulips opening I received a review copy of STILL when it was published earlier this year in May, and I wanted to save it for a special episode. We usually feature Slow Flowers members as our guests, so the exception I make is to host artists and creatives whose work moves me personally. Now that we’ve arrived at the gifting season, sharing my conversation with Mary Jo will, I hope, inspire you to check out STILL. There’s still time to purchase your copy. Follow Mary Jo Hoffman on InstagramSubscribe to Mary Jo's newsletterView her Pinterest GalleriesOrder your copy of STILL Ferns from STILL I will leave you with a passage from one of her essays, which spoke to me, from page 50. I hope it resonates with your own mindful practice: “You are what you do. If you show up every day and make a little bit of art, however incomplete or unsatisfying or misguided or not how Georgia O’Keefe would have done it, you are an artist.”Mary Jo Hoffman, STILL: The Art of Noticing Thank you, Mary Jo, for helping us notice the places where we find ourselves – and to see them with new eyes. Slow Flowers (Virtual) Member Meet-Up on December 13th Aurora Zinnia from Johnny's Selected Seeds In our news of the week, you’re invited to attend our December Slow Flowers Meet-Up, coming up Friday, Dec. 13th - 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. The topic for this month’s session: New Cut Flower Seeds for 2025 + Breeding News. We will be joined by three floral experts from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. We recorded a similar presentation one year ago when Hillary Alger and Joy Longfellow unveiled the new flower seed varieties for 2024. The replay video has been viewed more than 5,000 times on YouTube – it was our most popular episode of 2024.This time around, we are again welcoming Hillary and Joy to the Meet-Up to re...

https://youtu.be/14Tb-BfiW6U?si=-oTJseUbcNEP22uU It’s Willow Week here at the Slow Flowers Podcast and Alana Karam of Willamette Willows is my guest. Learn about the three distinct categories of willow plants and their markets – including cultivars suitable for basketry and woven garden structures, as well as the many varieties of curly willow and pussy willow loved by floral designers. Alana breaks it all down and I for one am wondering why more flower farmers aren’t getting into the willow market!? You’ll learn all about the potential offered by Salix, this unique and beautiful genus. Alana Karam (left) and leafy willow plants (right) Earlier this year, Alana Karam and I started corresponding about her specialty micro farm – Willamette Willows. Based outside Eugene, Oregon, Alana shared with me that willow is a great investment for flower farmers because it provides florists with a local option in late fall and winter, when other botanicals can be scarce, and when so many florists are tempted to order non-local options. As Alana mentioned, “curly willows provide reds, oranges, and yellows. And pussy willow in early spring is so sentimental for so many people…” Willamette Willows in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley After I visited Willamette Willows in October, I was even more intrigued. I learned that willow plants are inexpensive to establish and easy to grow. Alana explained that there’s some misinformation out there that makes growing willow so much harder than it needs to be. The blue sky at Willamette Willows Today, we’re diving into the world of willows with a two-part episode. It begins with an extensive conversation that I recently recorded with Alana, and if you’d really like to see what we’re talking about, you can watch the second portion, a Willow Tour that Alana and her husband Michael recorded in their growing area. Woven Willow Here’s a bit more about Willamette Willows: Willamette Willows is a small family farm located in the southernmost tip of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The farm, nestled in the convergence of the foothills, and containing an amazing combination of pasture, orchard, meadow, evergreen forest, wetlands, and ash grove, has been home to many animals, including horses, rescue donkeys, goats, pigs, cows, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and several rescue pups. In this dreamlike setting, Alana and Michael, (along with their faithful farm dogs, Figg, Maggie, and Thor), are privileged to research, plant, grow, harvest, sort, and ship willow to other growers. Since discovering that both they and the property were perfectly suited to growing willow, Alana and Michael have devoted themselves to learning everything possible about the genus Salix, choosing the best varieties for the myriad uses of willow, and planting thousands and thousands of cuttings. No pesticides or commercial fertilizers are used, and most of their work is done by hand. Willow, with its prehistoric roots, has played incredibly diverse and important roles in human history and culture, but like many natural resources, it has been somewhat neglected in the new age of plastics and modern conveniences. Alana and Michael are pursuing a mission to be ambassadors for this amazing plant, and to make it, and its uses, familiar and accessible to everyone who is interested in things renewable, sustainable, and beautiful. Winter at Willamette Willows Find and follow Willamette Willows on Instagram and Facebook SLOW FLOWERS WORLDWIDE SUMMIT 2025 In Slow Flowers News, we’ve extended our Cyber Sale Event for the SLOW FLOWERS WORLDWIDE SUMMIT through this Friday December 6th. That’s right! When you register, you’ll receive $50 Off your ticket. The Summit takes place online – January 9-11, 2025 – and you will enjoy 15 hours of amazing floral education from experts including Holly Chapple, Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht, Amy Stewart, Sarah Statham, Pilar Zuniga, Briana Bosch,

https://youtu.be/mu0JH_Pj4XE?si=Z3BS5eQRfw56DE7N Wondering what's NEXT in your portfolio of floral products and services? Today’s topic – the art and business of flower pressing -- promises to inspire you. I’m thrilled to share our recent November Slow Flowers Meet-Up with Kate Punnett, who’s based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is a pressed flower artist dedicated to sustainability and she crafts custom pressed floral art, greeting cards and fine art with botanicals she grows and sources from fellow farmers. Her studio, The August Press, also creates professional-grade flower presses inspired by the timeless art of pressing flowers – listen and watch to learn more about her techniques and how you can get started pressing flowers in your own studio. Kate Punnett, The Pressed Florist A few weeks ago, we held November’s Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up, a virtual Zoom gathering that showcases experts among our community who generously share their talents and knowledge with fellow Slow Flowers Members. Our session featured Ottawa-based floral artist Kate Punnett, owner of The August Press. As a longtime specialty cut flower grower who has spent the past several years perfecting her personal flower pressing technique, Kate now sells original and digitized pressed flower artwork, takes commissions, sells her custom-designed presses, and teaches others about the wonders and joys of pressing the flower we love. Kate Punnett of The August Press It felt like a great time of year – especially for those of us who want to slow down and explore a new facet of our lives in flowers -- and I invited Kate to lead this session. Flower pressing is an age-old practice. Think about placing a violet in the pages of a thick dictionary – and months later discovering its perfect, papery form! Kate is pushing the methods and elevating the art form far beyond dictionary pressing. This is definitely one of our Podcast episodes that calls for you to click over to our show notes at slowflowerspodcast.com to find the video link – in which you’ll watch Kate demonstrate some of the techniques she employs. It is especially cool to see how Kate breaks down thick buds and blooms like roses and sunflowers so they can press flat, and to learn how she utilizes a bloom or stem’s most natural angles, much as you might observe them growing in the garden. SO much to consider and I’m delighted to share our conversation with you today! Pressed Floral Art by Kate Punnett You will also see more photography of Kate’s pressed florals and products, including her new version of the Handbook for the Pressed Floral Artist, a digital guide that you can order online for a modest investment. Follow The August Press on Instagram Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2025 In more news, if you’re listening to this episode when it drops on Wednesday, November 27th, it’s time to take advantage of our Black Friday through Cyber Monday ticket promotion for the upcoming Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, taking place online in the New Year – January 9-11th. That’s right, starting this Friday, November 29th through Monday, December 2nd, we are rolling back the Summit ticket prices to our $50 off introductory Early-Bird rate. And remember, Slow Flowers members always receive an additional $50 off their ticket purchase as a member benefit. Check out the link in our show notes, or click on the bio in our IG account -- @slowflowerssociety, or visit slowflowerssummit.com. Enjoy fifteen hours of online education from some of the top floral experts in the Slow Flowers community and I hope to see you there! Grab Your Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit Tickets Here Bonus Episode Sarah Statham of Simply by Arrangement By way of previewing our amazing speakers, we just posted a bonus to today’s episode -- an encore interview I recorded in 2015 with Sarah Statham of Simply by Arrangement, based in Yorkshire England.

Hello everyone, Debra Prinzing here from the Slow Flowers Podcast. I hope you have been following along for the past few months as we have been posting Instagram live conversations with our amazing Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit speakers. Sarah Statham of Simply by Arrangement Today, I have a fun conversation to share and it will introduce you (or possibly re-introduce you) to Sarah Statham of Simply by Arrangement, who is based in the north of England in the Yorkshire region. Sarah will be one of our 15 inspiring presenters at the 2025 Summit, taking place January 9-11, 2025. Her presentation: Creating a Workshop Destination for Flower Lovers will share more about how Simply by Arrangement has become a must-visit venue for floral enthusiasts around the world – I can’t wait for you to attend and learn more! A cuppa with Sarah In 2015, I was so fortunate to visit this beautiful, history-rich area as Sarah’s guest. Home to the Brontë sisters, and the beautiful RHS Harlow-Carr Botanic Garden, the architecture and landscape took my breath away. Sarah’s design studio and cutting garden are the source of all the incredible, natural beauty that she shares with followers around the globe who love her @simplybyarrangement feed on Instagram. Sarah and her husband James, often called “Mister Simply” in her IG posts, were exceedingly generous hosts for my mom and me. We met many other flower farmers, including Gillian Hodgson, founder of Flowers from the Farm, who organized my entire itinerary and brought together the local flower farmers for me to meet while enjoying high tea. It was an unforgettable visit, and today I’m sharing the encore replay of my 2015 podcast interview with Sarah. This is from Episode 198 – originally posted on June 16, 2015. I know you’ll enjoy the conversation as Sarah tells me how she left a stressful legal career for a life in flowers. In it, she refers to Christie Buchanan, her original business partner in Simply by Arrangement. When she launched Simply by Arrangement, Sarah's original vision paired excellent food with seasonal flowers. Christie (aka Mrs. B.), prepared exquisite menus for workshop guests, and when I met her, I was smitten by both the woman and her handcrafted savory and sweet dishes. Now, Mrs. B. is busy with young grandbabies, so Sarah draws provisions from other cooks and chefs. Debra at Cambo Estate I reunited with Sarah in 2022 when I attended two days of floral workshops at the Cambo Estate outside Saint Andrews, Scotland. You can find the PDF of my story from the Fall 2022 issue of Slow Flowers Journal (below), to read and learn more about Simply by Arrangement: Autumn in East NeukDownload Please Join Us at the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit! This year's online Worldwide Summit is our first ever, inviting attendees to join us from across the international Slow Flowers Movement. Inspired by the great success of the previous seven live, in-person conferences, Slow Flowers Society is staging an expansive and inclusive Slow Flowers Summit for attendees across the globe! This event will take place over three days early in the New Year - perfectly timed for floral professionals and flower lovers to fill their toolboxes with skills and techniques, and to uplift their goals and ambitions for the coming season. Join Slow Flowers' doers and thinkers for three days of progressive ideas, connections and inspiration - online! - January 9-11, 2025. Registration is now open! Tickets and Details Here