The Slow Flowers Podcast is the award-winning show known as the “Voice of the Slow Flowers Movement.” Launched in 2013 as the original flower podcast, we’ve devoted more than 10 years to covering the business of flower farming, floral design, and the Slow Flowers sustainability ethos. Listen to a new episode each Wednesday, available for free download here at slowflowerspodcast.com or on iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
Izzie Klingels of Marigold and Mint Botanicals (cover photo (c) Sean O’Neill)
Marigold and Mint is a brand quite familiar to Seattle’s local floral aficionados. It was originally a flower farm and tiny shop owned by Katherine Anderson, who later opened The London Plane, a beautiful café & floral shop. During that time, Katherine teamed up with Illustrator/florist Isvald Klingels and designer Christian Petersen to create Marigold and Mint Botanicals, originally a line of candles with custom scents inspired by the Marigold and Mint organic farm. With the closing of The London Plane at the end of 2022, Marigold and Mint Botanicals’ third iteration has emerged in the lobby of a historic Pioneer Square building – with Izzie as owner and florist. Izzie continues to support the values to which she and Katherine always adhered: using locally sourced, seasonal flowers and foliage wherever possible, with an eye toward the most unusual, wild and beautiful flora that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Join me for a conversation with Izzie, followed by a gorgeous design demonstration!
Izzy Klingels at Marigold & Mint Botanicals; left image (c) Kyle Johnson
I first met Izzie Klingels more than a decade ago when I wandered into a jewel box of a flower boutique in an old building on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. The shop was called Marigold & Mint, and was owned by landscape architect Katherine Anderson, past guest of this podcast.
Izzie Klingels and her florals; left image (c) Sean O’Neill
The shop was curated with lovely items and focused exclusively on locally-grown flowers. Izzie’s illustrations of marigolds and other blooms communicated the brand on signage and the shop’s website. I later featured Izzie in a feature on Fashion as influence on Home Design for the October-November 2013 issue of Gray Magazine, in which we asked Northwest style makers for their personal take on fashion’s role in culture, art, architecture and decor.
Design by Izzie Klingels of Marigold & Mint Botanicals (c) Kyle Johnson
Izzie studied Fine Art at Chelsea School of Art in London. After graduating she founded Lazy Eye, making videos and tour visuals for bands such as Death in Vegas and Beth Orton. She has worked commercially as an illustrator and director for a diverse range of clients including Topshop, Oasis, Volvo, Cowshed, Random House and Italian Marie Claire. She now focuses equally on non-commercial work, recently exhibiting in Los Angeles, London and Seattle.
Seasonal Florals by Marigold & Mint Botanicals
Relocated to Seattle, Izzie finds inspiration in the damp lushness of the region and the dark mystery of the old growth forests and mountains that surround it.
I loved visiting Izzie at the newest iteration of Marigold and Mint Botanicals, located in the vestibule at 401 1st Ave S, between two neighbors, both independent retailers, Flora & Henri and General Porpoise Doughnuts.
Find and follow Marigold & Mint Botanicals on Instagram and Facebook
Last week, we reminded you to grab your ticket for the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, scheduled for January 9-11, 2025. And congratulations to 55 of you who took advantage of the Early Bird special. We’re so excited to see you in the virtual, online conference that features 15 expert sessions on all of topics that are important to the Slow Flowers Movement – ranging from sustainable business methods, to community building, to flower farming, floral design, and weddings. Slow Flowers Society members always receive a discount off of the general registration pricing. You’ll hear much more in the coming weeks – I can’t wait for you to dive into the amazing content we are curating for you and your floral journey.
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. 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.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
There are small and sizable ways to improve on the practices and habits we’ve relied on for far too long. Today’s guest, wedding and events designer Blair Lynn of Sweet Blossoms, has done tons of research to bring a zero-waste focus to her studio – and she’s sharing those tips with us today. The conversation draws from a guest column Blair wrote for Slow Flowers Journal’s Summer 2023 issue, and we tease out those details in our conversation. From Blair’s perspective, your sustainable choices are good for the planet, but they can also be great for client development and help your bottom line. As a bonus, Blair filmed a late autumn floral design demonstration using chicken wire mechanics and all locally-grown and foraged ingredients. You’ll love what she has created!
This conversation builds on a Business of Flowers column Blair contributed to the Summer 2023 issue of Slow Flowers Journal, called “The Sustainable Studio.” Blair has devoted many seasons to challenging herself to eliminate waste and single-use plastic, not to mention sourcing domestically as much as possible for her designs.
Blair is a Maryland-based floral designer whose business focuses on green and sustainable practices wherever possible. She places a high priority on ordering flowers from domestic farms and works to cultivate relationships with as many local farmers as she can. She composts all organic waste, and recycles at least 75% of all materials used in the studio. All designs are foam free. She has been featured in Slow Flowers Journal, Washingtonian Magazine, and Florist’s Review.
She wraps up our conversation with a seasonal design demonstration using flowers from fellow Slow Flowers members Grateful Gardeners, a flower farm owned by Sarah Daken and Tom Precht. You’ll see dahlias, zinnias, cosmos, celosia, forged field grasses, not to mention hydrangeas from Blair’s own shade garden. It’s a beautiful inspiration to wrap up an inspiring conversation.
And for a bit of Slow Flowers NEWS: On October 15th, we announced the details about the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, scheduled for January 9-11, 2025. This will be an entirely virtual, online conference, so no worries about exhausting your travel budget. You will enjoy 15 expert sessions on all of topics that are important to the Slow Flowers Movement – ranging from sustainable business methods, to community building, to flower farming, floral design, and weddings. You’ll hear from a diversity of speakers representing floral enterprises in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia – not to mention panels from groups around the globe who are emulating the Slow Flowers Movement.
And if you grab your ticket by midnight Pacific Time on October 31st – that’s tomorrow night – you can save $50 off the already very affordable ticket price. If you miss the deadline, remember, Slow Flowers Society members always receive a discount off of the general registration pricing. You’ll hear much more in the coming weeks – I can’t wait for you to dive into the amazing content we are curating for you and your floral journey.
Thanks 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 Red Twig Farms. Based in New Albany, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.
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.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
We’re diving deep into the world of lily growing, with two experts who share their advice and know-how. Today’s episode was recorded as our October Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up and we have had many requests for the replay video and audio – so you’re in for a real treat. Gretel Adams of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm and Ko Klaver, a plant and bulb specialist at Zabo Plant discuss LA hybrid lily planting and harvesting methods and more. You’ll also learn how Sunny Meadows Flower Farm uses lilies in their mixed bouquet program for mass market and grocery customers. It’s a true lily fest to inspire us all!
In love with liilies (c) Flowerbulb.eu for all images
Thanks to the team at Flowerbulb.eu, we have a fabulous episode to share with you today – and yes, it’s all about lilies!
Lilies and Dahlias – a beautiful combination
Gretel Adams is a longtime Slow Flowers member, who with her husband Steve Adams, owns a thriving and diversified flower farm in Columbus, Ohio – Sunny Meadows Flower Farm. We asked Gretel to team up with Ko Klaver, Zabo Plant’s bulb specialist who’s well known in growing circles as a bulb and plant supplier for farms of all sizes.
Double lilies (rose lilies)
Together, they presented a fabulous tutorial for our community’s October member meet-up and we want to share the video and audio with you today. We’ll start with Gretel’s presentation about Sunny Meadows Farms’ lily-growing program, learn about her favorite cultivars (and why she loves them), as well as her planting calendar for a 33-week program that allows her to have lilies basically from Easter to Thanksgiving – amazing.
Ko adds his expertise as a lily bulb broker, as he walks us through the recently published Lily Master Class resource developed with funding from Flowerbulb.eu.
Also, Gretel and Steve Adams teach a great course called Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoop and Greenhouses, offered by our sponsor The Gardener’s Workshop. You can find a link in today’s show notes to Sign Up for a FREE sneak peek into the course, including special tips for growing lilies in greenhouse environment, maintenance and ventilation.
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.
And thank you to Store It Cold, creators of the revolutionary CoolBot, a popular solution for flower farmers, studio florists and farmer-florists. Save $1000s when you build your own walk-in cooler with the CoolBot and an air conditioner. Don’t have time to build your own? They also have turnkey units available. Learn more at storeitcold.com.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com.
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
“Diamond Day” is a charming 1970s folksong by English singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan. The lyrics about a sweet family farm inspired Caitlin Carnahan, today’s guest, to borrow its title for her business, Diamond Day Bouquet. The farm specializes in unique and old-fashioned, garden-style flowers grown organically and with love. Caitlin has developed an expertise growing for the grocery and wholesale market, which we discuss in our conversation. Join me on a visit and be inspired by the many botanical varieties that thrive in this idyllic place.
I first met Caitlin Carnahan of Diamond Day Bouquetthrough my dear friends, Karen and Kristina, who subscribed to Caitlin’s CSA flower service – back when she had time to offer one. They are neighbors of Diamond Day Bouquet, since all live on Egg & I Road in Chimacum, Washington, a tiny town with population of 1,500, located outside Port Townsend.
Caitlin Carnahan of Diamond Day Bouquet
Egg & I is both a location and also a piece of agricultural history, the title of a humorous 1940s memoir by American author Betty MacDonald about her adventures living on a chicken farm. The story later hit the big screen as a 1947 film starring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert.
Needless to say, while they do keep chickens, the farm on Egg & I Road is now Diamond Day Bouquet, known for growing unique specialty cut flowers with character, and Caitlin loves to share the story of her blooms that far surpass big-box-store options.
Seasonal flowers at Diamond Day Bouquet
Here’s a little more about Caitlin: After working several years painting scenery for Seattle area theatre productions, Caitlin began her agricultural life as a vegetable farmer. She and her partner Greg Reed ran away from the city in search of the good life. After much adventuring they landed on Vashon Island, where they managed a small vegetable farm. Every season the flower patch grew a little larger, and after relocating to the Olympic Peninsula they were able to realize their dream and buy five acres to grow on – Diamond Day Bouquet was born, as well as their two beautiful children. Greg is a teacher at the local high school and Caitlin calls him the farm’s handyman, its voice of reason and saving grace.
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to Rooted Farmers. Rooted Farmers works exclusively with local growers to put the highest-quality specialty cut flowers in floral customers’ hands. When you partner with Rooted Farmers, you are investing in your community, and you can expect a commitment to excellence in return. Learn more at RootedFarmers.com
And thank you to Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds — supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs atjohnnyseeds.com.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Kit Wertz and Casey Schwartz are a gifted sister duo who own Flower Duet, a dynamic studio serving Los Angeles and the greater Southern California region. Their diversified floral enterprise ranges from lavish beachfront weddings to popular design workshops for local botanical gardens and cultural institutions. They also provide flowers for an impressive lineup of corporate clients and today, you’ll hear all about Flower Duet’s best practices and advice for attracting, maintaining, and serving corporate event florals for your market.
Kit Wertz (left) and Casey Schwartz (right) of Flower Duet won a Details Flowers Software package at the Slow Flowers Summit in 2021.
I met Kit and Casey, the sisters behind Flower Duet, more than 10 years ago, when they wrote a sweet review of my Slow Flowersbook in their newsletter. It was one of those unexpected surprises that led to meeting in person later that year when I was in Los Angeles and they hosted a book event for me in their fabulous studio.
Since then, we’ve done many collaborations, including presenting Kit and Casey as speakers at the 2nd Slow Flowers Summit, featuring their stories in numerous magazine, book, and podcast projects, and many more floral adventures.
Casey Schwartz and Kit Wertz, Flower Duet LA
While planning to resume our monthly Slow Flowers member virtual meet-up for September, I wanted to focus on helping our member build their businesses and expand their horizons. And I thought of Flower Duet’s very robust corporate portfolio that includes everything from product launches, team building, galas, ongoing floral services and more.
Kit and Casey were enthusiastic about our invitation and they recently presented for the Member Meet-Up. You can watch the replay video or listen to the audio today. I do encourage you to come over to slowflowerspodcast.com for Episode 685 to see the slides of their presentation – it’s filled with useful and important tips for building a corporate floral focus in your studio, shop or flower farm.
After our member meet-up, I heard from a number of attendees who raved about Flower Duet’s tips and advice, including this “rave” below:
“I really got a lot out of the Meet Up! I immediately went in and beefed up our Google Maps listing, for instance, and we’re going to add bios to our website: –Among two concrete takeaways we got from the meeting. I hope to be an even better, positive presence for Slow Flowers. Thank you for the huge amount that you do!”
Thank you, Kim, for a ringing endorsement of the value of our membership community!
Thank you to our Sponsors
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, a farmer-owned cooperative committed to providing the very best the Pacific Northwest has to offer in cut flowers, foliage and plants. The Growers Market’s mission is to foster a vibrant marketplace that sustains local flower farms and provides top-quality products and service to the local floral industry. Visit them at seattlewholesalegrowersmarket.com.
Our next sponsor thanks goes to Longfield Gardens, which provides home gardeners with high quality flower bulbs and perennials. Their online store offers plants for every region and every season, from tulips and daffodils to dahlias, caladiums and amaryllis. Check out the full catalog at Longfield Gardens at longfield-gardens.com.
Join the October 11th Meet-Up: Secrets of Successful Lily Growers
Gretel Adams of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm (left) and Ko Klaver of Zabo Plant (right)
Our October member meet-up takes place this Friday, October 11th at 9 am pacific/Noon eastern. Our session is titled: Secrets of Successful Lily Growers, and we’ll learn from Sunny Meadows Flower Farm’s Gretel Adams who will share her expertise and advice for growing lilies as a profitable crop. She’ll discuss LA hybrid lily planting methods and harvest stage, and how Sunny Meadows includes lilies in mixed bouquets for mass market/grocery customers. Gretel will be joined by Ko Klaver of Zabo Plant, a plant and bulb product expert serving U.S. cut flower farms. Join us for an hour of insights and inspiration – and please bring your questions! And PS — The names of Meet-Up attendees will be included in a random drawing for a fabulous LILY GIVEAWAY, courtesy of Zabo Plant. One lucky recipient will receive an assorted case full of Oriental Single & Double Flowering and OT Hybrid Lily Bulbs – shipped next spring, just in time for planting season! You must pre-register to attend — click link below:
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Decades of flower farming experience add up to a new, 336-page reference guide called “Floral Standards,” compiled by members of the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market. Join me for your first chance to see a preview of this book, and to learn from some of its creative team members. Learn how you can get your hands on this incredible guide to best practices and product specifications for 230 floral crops – from Abelia to Zinnia and more!
Floral Standards by Seattle Wholesale Growers Market’s flower farmers
Today, I’m joined by three of the many people responsible for Floral Standards, a book that’s by flower farmers for flower farmers, introducing production and harvest know-how for 230 floral crops – all with the goal of helping specialty cut flower growers be successful.
Table of Contents – Floral Standards by Seattle Wholesale Growers Market
As many of you know, I have been closely aligned with the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market since the pioneering producers’ cooperative was merely an idea hatched by a group of flower farmers in the Pacific Northwest. Established in 2011, the Growers Market is the gold standard and business model for many regional flower hubs across North America, as more cooperatives and collectives strive to professionalize flower farming. Through their leadership we have witnessed an important shift in the floral marketplace – one that has inspired thousands of flower farmers, farmer-florists, floral designers, and consumers to be more thoughtful and discerning about their floral sourcing choices.
The compilation of FLORAL STANDARDS took place over a number of years, initiated by an idea to create “specification sheets” for the many products grown and marketed by member farmers.
Led by longtime board member and co-founder Diane Szukovathy, also co-founder of Jello Mold Farm, member growers invested hundreds of volunteer hours to document their successful approaches to selection, care, harvest, and post-harvest, as well as advice for packing, shipping, and supplying customers ranging from wedding and event designers to mass market retailers. They researched vase life for numerous varieties, noting recommended cultivars for commercial growing and singling out grower favorites.
Floral Standards is hot off the press as of last week, and today I’m joined by Brad Siebe, the Market’s general manager, Vivian Larson of Everyday Flowers, a co-founder of the Market, and her cohort Diane Szukovathy, who share the story of how this amazing project was created and how it will help you. I’m so excited to host our conversation and to introduce Floral Standards to the Slow Flowers community of flower farmers and florists, not to mention cutting garden growers like me. Let’s jump right in and get started – and welcome Brad, Diane, and Vivian to the Slow Flowers Podcast.
As I mentioned, the farmers asked me to write the foreword to Floral Standards. It was quite special to be part of that experience as I reflected on the trailblazing strides of all my flower farmer friends whose beautiful, local, high-quality botanical product I have cherished using year in and year out since 2011.
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Flowerbulb.eu and their U.S. lily bulb vendors. One of the most recognizable flowers in the world, the lily is a top-selling cut flower, offering long-lasting blooms, year-round availability, and a dazzling petal palette. Flowerbulb.eu has partnered with Slow Flowers to provide beautiful lily inspiration and farming resources to help growers and florists connect their customers with more lilies. Learn more at Flowerbulb.eu.
Thank you to Store It Cold, creators of the revolutionary CoolBot, a popular solution for flower farmers, studio florists and farmer-florists. Save $1000s when you build your own walk-in cooler with the CoolBot and an air conditioner. Don’t have time to build your own? They also have turnkey units available. Learn more at storeitcold.com.
Thank you to Red Twig Farms. Based in New Albany, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.
I’m so glad you joined us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one million times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com
Thank you for listening! Sending love, from my cutting garden to you! (c) Missy Palacol Photography
I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
