Molly Oliver Culver, a Slow Flowers Member and leader in the world of sustainable flower farming, education and design.
In October 2014, I took a trip to New York City where I made the editorial rounds to introduce Slow Flowers to members of the media (remember, the online directory launched earlier that year). At each of these meetings, I unveiled the first of what has since become the annual Slow Flowers Floral Insights and Industry Forecast.
And then, of course, as I love to do whenever I travel, I gathered with a group of Slow Flowers members to meet them, hear about their journeys, learn what encourages and even challenges each of them in them in their floral enterprise.
Summer wedding flowers, designed by Molly Oliver Flowers (c) Cheyanna di Nicola
The woman who generously helped me find a location for this gathering, and who brought beautiful flowers to the first-ever New York area Slow Flowers Meet-Up was Molly Oliver Culver, today's guest.
A small, dynamic group of florists and growers joined us that night. And after the party wrapped, Molly agreed to stay for an interview for the Slow Flowers Podcast. We sat in the rather dark, brick-lined upstairs room of a Brooklyn eatery and recorded the conversation which you can hear from the Slow Flowers Podcast archives - episode 172, which originally aired December 17, 2014.
A vivid seasonal floral palette featuring all locally-grown New York blooms, designed by Molly Oliver Flowers (c) Iris Photograph
Today, we're catching up with Molly and I'm so
pleased that she has returned to talk about the changes in the local floral
landscape in New York and Brooklyn, where most of her clients' wedding
ceremonies take place, and in the surrounding areas such as Hudson Valley,
further Upstate New York, and on Long Island, where most of the local flowers
for Molly's designs are grown. So much has changed in five years and it's so
encouraging - I'm excited to share this conversation with someone I consider a
Slow Flowers pioneer and valuable friend.
A lovely altar piece by Molly Oliver Flowers © Khaki Bedford Photography
Here's more about Molly Culver and Molly Oliver Flowers:
Molly Oliver Flowers is a sustainable floral design company founded in 2011 by farmer/educator, Molly Oliver Culver. She has been recognized by Brides.com as one of the top five wedding professionals using sustainable practices and was featured on the list of best sustainable florists in NYC by Ecocult.
Molly's aesthetic is translated into stunning, lush, local and evocative wedding flowers © Khaki Bedford Photography
Molly writes this on the
"about" page of her web site:
A
desire to help grow social justice and care for our beautiful planet led me to
community organizing around food justice, then to rural organic farming, and
eventually, to education and flowers. I’m proud to say I’ve helped to nurture
soil, and have grown my own food and flowers, on my own and with others, for
the past 15 years.
Sweet blooms (c) Weddings by Two
I
love that floral design allows me to meet fun, loving and mindful clients and
connect them with seasonal flora and our local flower, herb, perennial and
foliage farmers. I’ve had many lives in my 38 years: Audrey
Hepburn/NYC-obsessed teenager; literature major; novice journalist and ESL
instructor in Santiago, Chile; urban farming educator and farmers market
manager; community garden outreach coordinator; compost educator; urban farm
manager…and now, a business owner and floral designer.
Throughout
these many experiences, the connective tissue has always been people, soil, and
plants. At core, I care deeply about equity, inclusion, sustainability and
loving kindness and works to help these values emanate through this business.
Urban wedding-local blooms by Molly Oliver Flowers
Molly Culver on her design style:I continue to be deeply inspired by all of the local blooms and foliages, from cultivated to wild and foraged,