The Slow Flowers Podcast is the award-winning, long-running show known as the "Voice of the Slow Flowers Movement." Airing weekly for more than 8 years, we focus on the business of flower farming and floral design through 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.
At the beginning of a New Year, I often find myself focusing on all the projects and improvements I want to tackle, not as “resolutions,” but as “upgrades” that frankly, I’ve probably been thinking about for the entire past year — and now it’s just time to put those ideas and concepts into practice. There’s something that resonates with the phrase, New Year, New You, and I have to say, I already feel like I’m ticking off some of those goals in small and large ways.
Whether that means getting beautiful prints framed so they can hang on my office wall rather than be stacked in a pile or ordering new filing cabinets and sorting through reams of paperwork that was previously mounded on the floor of my office; or subscribing to new software that will improve how Slow Flowers Society functions — it’s a long list. I’ve done those three things so far in less than three weeks — so I’m patting myself on the back.
Founder and CEO of Details Flowers Software, Corinne Heck
Today’s guest might just help you unlock something that you’ve been struggling with — how to streamline your recipes and proposals and take your wedding and event branding to a new level. Please join me in welcoming Corrine Heck, founder and CEO of Details Flowers Software.
The Promise: Do More and Earn More
Proposal Templates for Weddings and Events
The Details Flowers Software platform was created by florists, for florists, with the primary goal of providing a solution to help floral businesses of all sizes succeed. Motivated to create a system to help florists do more and earn more, Details believes in helping to shape the floral industry as a whole and help it grow. The platform connects florists, designers, growers, suppliers, wholesalers, and educators together to inspire a more beautiful world through flowers!
Founded in Ormond Beach, Florida in 2015, Details Flowers Software was created by Corrine Heck. As an event florist, Corrine designed and executed hundreds of events, becoming a leader in floral design in the Central Florida market. After years of growing her floral business, Corrine decided to move in another direction and take on the challenge of building a much-needed, all-in-one software solution for people just like her: florists.
Kit Wertz (left) and Casey Schwartz (right) of Flower Duet won a Details Flowers Software package at the Slow Flowers Summit in 2021. Notice their lanyards!
Details partnered with the Slow Flowers Summit in 2021 and will return as a sponsor for our 2022 Summit – and just recently, they came onboard as a Slow Flowers Podcast sponsor.
Today we’ll learn about this useful and beautiful tool for organizing your floral enterprise and listen closely because there is a special offer for listeners that Corinne shares at the end of our conversation.
Thanks so much for joining us today. If you’re interested in learning more about Details, visit detailsflowerssoftware.com for a free 7-day trial. And take advantage of a 20%-off discount for your first year — use the promo code Corinne offered — it’s SlowFlowers22.
As I mentioned, Details is one of our sponsors for the 2022 Slow Flowers Summit, and to learn more, you’ll want to subscribe to our Summit newsletter — Here is the link to subscribe. We update our registrants and followers on the 15th of each month, so I’ll also share a link to the January 15th newsletter — with lots of news on the venue, and answers to all the FAQs you might want to ask. June will be here before you know it and I’m so excited to see you there!
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, returning for 2022, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $11 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
And 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.
Thank you to Rooted Farmers, working 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 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.
Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 806,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too.
If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com
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. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization.
The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com.
It’s that time again — our chance to review and reflect on all we achieved and experienced in the year that’s just come to a close — this time, 2021. I’m joined by two key members of the Slow Flowers Team — Karen Thornton, our operations and events manager, and Niesha Blancas, our social media manager, who helped review our highlights and wrap things up for 2021. As historians have taught us, you can’t plan for the future without knowing the past, right?!
Karen and Niesha are such valuable members of our team and I’m so grateful for their talents and commitment to the Slow Flower Mission! This year, rather than taking a chronological, month-by-month walk through 2021, we thought it would be useful to touch on each of our programs, channels and activities by topic.
Membership:
In 2021, we achieved our highest level of membership since the launch of Slowflowers.com in 2013 — 880 members in all 50 states and most Canadian provinces. What a wonderful growing community of progressive, sustainably-minded, flower people.
Our monthly Member Meet-ups were a highlight for me — beginning last January when we hosted Rachel Johnson of Simply Grounded, who led our session on Sogetsu Ikebana. The monthly meet-ups averaged 50 attendees all year long — some more, some less. Sometimes we had a number of presenters; other times we included break-out sessions. The meet-ups began in 2020 as a way to connect with each other during the early days of the COVID pandemic. None of us realized how valuable these Zoom calls would become over the ensuing months. In 2021, we averaged 50 attendees each meet-up, and the replay videos have been watched more than 1,200 times.
Continuing with Membership, one of my favorite accomplishments of the year was designing and producing the Member Marketing Toolkit, a digital 42-page booklet that answers all the questions our members might have regarding ways to participate and get the most out of your membership. And more recently, during October Member Appreciation Month, we produced a special Member Benefits Booklet with discounts and coupons from Slow Flowers Society and our sponsors.
Member Survey:
The Slow Flowers Member Survey informs our planning and forecasting for the year to come. Here are some highlights:
Annual member survey
4.6 satisfaction rating
2021
75.26% (73 people) rate the value of their Slow Flowers membership as high value or very high value
78.35% (76 people) are very satisfied or extremely satisfied with their Slow Flowers membership
82.48% (80 people) are very likely or extremely likely to renew their membership in the upcoming year
Congratulations to our Winners! Everyone who completed the Survey and shared their details was included in a special drawing for two prizes.
Complimentary Slow Flowers Premium Membership for 1 year ($249 value): April Vomfell, Flathead Farmworks
Free Slow Flowers Dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns – June 27, 2022 in Pocantico Hills, New York ($350 value): Jennifer Kouvant, Six Dutchess Farm
Slowflowers.com
At Slowflowers.com, our original home online, we invested in some important upgrades to the software platform. Just unveiled in December, we’re calling it Slowflowers.com 3.0. It was our goal to improve user experience for the consumer and functionality for our members. We are planning a virtual “spring cleaning” later in January to share some of the ways our members can maximize their profile and brand through Slowflowers.com 3.0, so keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks. We’ll be sure to record the tutorial for replay viewers.
American Flowers Week
American Flowers Week – June 28-July 1
12 botanical couture looks
# of downloads of the Botanical Couture Webinar: 45
local and national press generated
Plus, we celebrated Canadian Flowers week – 7 day Instagram series July 15-21, 2021
The American Flowers Week looks were featured in the digital edition of Slow Flowers Journal “Botanical Couture.” This was the debut of a digital flip book, and we’re excited to launch the quarterly magazine in 2022, with our winter edition coming later this season. Our members have contributed articles to the slowflowersjournal.com website over the past few years — a popular feature — and now we expect to get more members involved in the new project, which we’re publishing in conjunction with BLOOM Imprint (more on that later).
Slow Flowers Summit
Two years in the making, the Slow Flowers Summit was our 4th annual gathering. When I asked Karen to share her feedback, she gave it in one word: Wowzer
What a memorable and successful gathering last June at Filoli Historic House & Garden in Woodside, California.
I have to thank Niesha Blancas for going to Filoli in June 2020, during what would have been our Summit there, and taking beautiful video and photography, as well as filming a design session with Emily Saeger and my IG live interview/tour with Jim Salyards — all while masked, of course! You pulled of a social media feat in 2020 and again in 2021 when the rescheduled Summit took place!
We are especially grateful to our friends at Filoli, who were incredibly supportive in welcoming Slow Flowers and the Summit to their amazing grounds.
Social Media and Communications
Ninety-one percent of our members follow Slow Flowers Society on Instagram, while more than 45 percent follow us on Facebook.
We renamed our Instagram home: @slowflowerssociety
Followers: 39.1K
Reach: 2.4 Million
Impressions: 2.6 Million
We launched a new Instagram account: @slowflowerssummit
Reach: 18.5K
Impressions: 17K
New Video
There are so many ways that we share inspiring news and resources with you. In 2021, we invested in a short 3-minute Slow Flowers video to introduce the organization to potential members, strategic partners and supporters. The video was filmed and edited by Alayna Erhart of Alayna Erhart Studio. It features me clipping flowers in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden, the fabulous gathering of members at Filoli Historic House & Garden at the recent 2021 Slow Flowers Summit and a visit to the UW Farm with member Riz Reyez of RHR Horticulture. Special thanks to the members who share their voices of endorsement and support, including Sarah Reyes of Wildflower & Fern, Tobey Nelson of Tobey Nelson Events and Design and Laura Gonzales of Swallows Secret Garden! Look closely – do you see yourself here in our community!? We’re ready to welcome you as a member!
Storytelling, Newsletter, Original Content
We love producing our monthly newsletter to send to you at the beginning of each month. The Slow Flowers newsletter is a popular resource for our members — in fact, in the recent survey, more than 3/4 of you tell us you usually or always read it! Our content is rich, informative and inspiring — and newsletters keep you up to date on events and PR opportunities available to members. I like to treat the newsletter as a chronicle of all we’ve achieved from month to month, and the archives are easy to find in the footer of slowflowers.com.Subscribe to the newsletter here.
Stories about our Members: Whenever I’m asked to write for another floral or farming publication, I make it a priority to feature our members and their expertise as my sources. In 2021, that meant including you in several articles for Johnny’s Seeds’ newsletter called JSS Advantage; a guest piece for Details Flowers Software; guest articles for Florists’ Review, Growing for Market and Longfield Gardens, among other outlets.
You could file these stories under Slow Flowers advocacy and outreach, and I’m especially excited about our partnership with the National Gardening Association and GardenResearch.com to include cut flower questions in the 2021 National Gardening Survey.
The findings were published in April, revealing encouraging national attitudes about local and domestic cut flowers. And in 2022, we’re joining with NGA to dig deeper into attitudes and consumer behavior — this time about where people buy their local and domestic flowers — can’t wait to share with you!
Our ongoing commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Ongoing support of women business owners
Updated Slow Flowers Manifesto
BIPOC and LGBTQ+ presenters and speakers at meet ups and Summit
Female BIPOC AFW artist
BIPOC botanical couture models
To proactively pursue equity, inclusion and representation in the floral marketplace, intentionally valuing Black floral professionals (farmers, floral designers and vendors) in our business practice with as much support as we give to environmental sustainability.
new Slow flowers manifesto statement (2021)
Education
In addition to our Monthly Member Meet-Up, other educational offerings include offering you free access to webinars with our partners, including Johnny’s Seeds, Bloom Imprint, AIFD and Fleurvana Floral Summit. We also taught the Slow Flowers Creative Workshop in January and helped so many aspiring writers flex their writing muscles and learn new skills.
BLOOM Imprint
In 2021, we launched our publishing branch of Slow Flowers — BLOOM Imprint. As a boutique publisher, we are committed to producing floral lifestyle books by and about our Slow Flowers members.
Where We Bloom published (May)
Virtual book launch
Garden Design magazine webinar
Mornings with Mayesh webinar
A Life in Flowers published (Oct)
Growing Wonder & Black Flora coming up and more books to follow with Slow Flowers members like Adam and Jennifer O’Neal of PepperHarrow Farm and Cynthia Zamaria of House + Flower
Slow Flowers Podcast
Finally, we must note all of our Podcast achievements. If you watched this conversation that Niesha, Karen and I are having on Facebook Live or YouTube, you’ll realize this is one of our new initiatives for 2021 — since our 8th anniversary in late July, we have added video interviews aka Vodcasts to the mix.
This is the weekly podcast about Slow Flowers and the people who grow and design with them. It’s all about making a conscious choice and I invite you to join the conversation and the creative community as we discuss the vital topics of saving our domestic flower farms and supporting a floral industry that relies on a safe, seasonal and local supply of flowers and foliage.
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, returning for 2022, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Lead Sponsor: Farmgirl Flowers Major Sponsors: Longfield Gardens, Johnny’s Seeds, The Gardener’s Workshop, FlowerFarm.com, Red Twig Farm, Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, and Rooted Farmers Channel Sponsors: Mayesh Wholesale, CalFlowers, Roadie.com, Details Flowers Software, CoolBot and Scenic Place Peonies.
Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 804,000 times by listeners like you. I value our loyal members and supporters! If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right.
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. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization.
The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com.
Thanks so much for joining us today and I’ll see you next week!
Music Credits:
For We Shall Know Speed; Turning on the Lights; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
We recorded today’s show last week as the final video episode of 2021, so for Podcast listeners, it’s our first episode of 2022 — and you are in for a real treat. I’m so happy to welcome Gina Lett Shrewsberry of Inspirations by Gina, a Slow Flowers member and floral designer based in Northern California, and her colleague Valerie Chrisostomo, an Atlanta-based florist and founder of the new organization Black Girl Florists.
Gina Lett Shrewsberry (left) and Valerie Chrisostomo (right)
Here’s a bit more about Gina: Inspirations by Gina is a floral and event design studio based in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. Gina has designed weddings and events all around Northern California, including at San Francisco City Hall, in Sacramento, Carmel, Lake Tahoe, Napa, and beyond. As a floral and event designer, she is committed to helping every client discover a unique style that encompasses their vision. Gina loves bringing celebration-worthy events to life. In addition to designing weddings and events, she also specializes in flower and plant deliveries and weekly or monthly floral subscriptions.
Here’s a bit more about Valerie: Valerie is the owner of One Soul Events + Flowers, based in Atlanta. Before she was surrounded by beautiful bouquets, timeless table settings, and phenomenal floor plans, her journey began at Florida State University where she studied Hospitality and minored in Business. There Valerie became passionate about meeting and event planning and learned the ins and outs of catering and world travel. One Soul Events & Flowers is a floral, wedding, and event planning company that produces stunning events through sophisticated planning.
Early in 2021, Valerie’s vision for creating community and nurturing other Black female florists led to the creation of Black Girl Florists. Black Girl Florists supports and celebrates Black women in floristry. In this nurturing community, members nurture their businesses and talents, all the while connecting with other Black women florists. It’s a very special space to celebrate and support Black women-owned businesses in the floral industry.
Thanks so much for joining us today. The Slow Flowers Society is committed to equity, inclusion and representation in the floral profession, and we celebrate and honor Valerie for the launch of Black Girl Florists — and thank Gina, one of our members, for making the important connection between our two organizations.
Here are the details about the first Black Girl Florists Conference in Atlanta in March 2022. Slow Flowers Society has just signed on to sponsor the amazing gathering of Black Girl Florists.
January Slow Flowers Meet-Up
And a calendar note. You’re invited to join our January Slow Flowers Meet-Up on Friday, January 14th at 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. It will be a very special session introducing the Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Forecast 2022, which I will present with my publishing partner Robin Avni, creative director of BLOOM Imprint. Our members and listeners will be the first to preview the forecast for 2022.
For the eighth year, Slow Flowers Society heralds 2022 with predictions of breakout themes, topics and categories for the floral marketplace. Our report has become an important gauge for our members, as well as for the greater floral marketplace and business media, to evaluate the prevailing cultural shifts, notable changes, and emerging ideas for floral design and flower farming.
And as we gaze toward 2022, a number of key topics of interest have caught our attention that we want to share with you. We are thrilled that Robin Avni is joining Slow Flowers to develop and report the forecast for 2022. Robin has successfully managed innovative, award-winning teams and high-profile projects as well as receiving numerous national design awards. In 2004, following several successful years managing design teams for Microsoft, she founded bricolage*, an independent creative consultancy specializing in visual communications and content development, trend analysis, and creative strategy. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies, national advertising agencies and award-winning media properties, applying timely lifestyle insights to their businesses. You must pre-register for the January 14th session and you can find a link in today’s show notes at slowflowerspodcast.com for Episode 539 — and it’s always in our Instagram profile link at @slowflowerssociety.
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, returning for 2022, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Thank you to Flowerfarm.com, a leading wholesale flower distributor that sources from carefully-selected flower farms to offer high-performing fresh flowers sent directly from the farm straight to you. You can shop by flower and by country of origin at flowerfarm.com. Find flowers and foliage from California, Florida, Oregon and Washington by using the “Origin” selection tool in your search. It’s smarter sourcing. Learn more at flowerfarm.com.
Thank you to the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. Formed in 1988, ASCFG was created to educate, unite, and support commercial cut flower growers. Its mission is to help growers produce high-quality floral material, and to foster and promote the local availability of that product. Learn more at ascfg.org.
Thank you to Red Twig Farms. Based in Johnstown, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.
Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 800,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too.
If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com
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. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization.
The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com.
Today’s guest, Carlee Donnelly of The Rusted Vase Co.
Click on the video above to see Carlee’s beautiful botanical couture fashion and watch our recorded interview. At the conclusion, I added a video peek at all of the Fleurs de Villes creations by Seattle area Slow Flowers members.
December’s series of holiday-themed episodes concludes with a celebration of botanical couture by Fleurs de Villes.
Listeners of the Slow Flowers Podcast met Karen Marshall and Tina Barkley, creators of FLEURS DE VILLES, when they brought the first collection of floral mannequins to the 2020 Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. This month, they partnered with Pacific Place and sponsor the Four Seasons Hotel, both venues in downtown Seattle, to produce Fleurs de Villes Noel. The exhibition ran from December 17 through 27.
Today, you will meet Carlee Donnelly of The Rusted Vase Co., as Seattle wedding and event designer and past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast. When Carlee mentioned that her Fleurs De Villes botanical gown would be on display at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Seattle, I invited myself for a visit — and we recorded a short video tour of her beautiful and elegant winter-inspired look. It was the first thing guests of the Four Seasons saw upon their arrival. We also recorded a conversation in which Carlee discussed her foam-free design process and shared a surprise update about her upcoming studio branding change for 2022.
And, as a bonus, watch Carlee as she designs in the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market “Farm to Florist” educational series featuring Dan’s Dahlias. It will give you a good sense of her aesthetic and floral personality.
Slow Flowers Summit – Last Chance for Early Bird Pricing
There are just two more days to take advantage of early-bird pricing for your ticket to the Slow Flowers Summit — our fifth gathering, taking place June 26-28, 2022.
You can find all the details at slowflowerssummit.com, and if you act now and register before the end of December, you’ll receive the lowest price ever — $749. Registration to the 3-day event includes breakfasts, lunches, refreshments and an opening day welcome cocktail party reception.
We’d love you to join us! You can add the exclusive farm to table culinary experience of dinner at Blue Hill Restaurant to your Summit registration for an additional savings. You can find all the details at Slow Flowers Summit (www.slowflowerssummit.com) — don’t miss out!
Thank you to our Sponsors!
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
This week we welcome three new sponsors who are joining us for 2022!
First, let’s welcome and thank Details Flowers Software, a platform specifically designed to help florists and designers do more and earn more. With an elegant and easy-to-use system–Details is here to improve profitability, productivity, and organization for floral businesses of all shapes and sizes. Grow your bottom line through professional proposals and confident pricing with Details’ all-in-one platform. All friends of the Slow Flowers Podcast will receive a 7-day free trial of Details Flowers Software. Learn more at detailsflowers.com.
Our next sponsor welcome is for Store It Cold, creators of the revolutionary CoolBot, which you just heard Carlee mention as a new addition to her studio. 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.
and finally, let’s welcome and thank CalFlowers, the leading floral trade association in California, providing valuable transportation and other benefits to flower growers and the entire floral supply chain in California and 48 other states. The Association is a leader in bringing fresh cut flowers to the U.S. market and in promoting the benefits of flowers to new generations of American consumers. Learn more at cafgs.org.
Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 799,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too.
If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com
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. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization.
The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com.
Music Credits:
Betty Dear; For We Shall Know Speed; Le Marais; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessionshttp://www.sessions.blue
We are continuing December’s series of studio tours with holiday decor demonstrations with a visit to Seattle florist Melissa Mercado-Denke of Campanula Design Studio. We’ll be discussing how she differentiates her floral business with a gifting component and she’ll show us a few of her designs for the holidays.
Melissa is the Founder and Creative Director of Campanula Design Studio. With a degree in accounting and business administration, Melissa started her floral career not as a designer but as the Operations Manager for a retail flower shop in Seattle. Over the years, working with clients and helping them express their emotions through flowers taught Melissa to truly appreciate the importance of showing love and gratitude for one another through the simplest of gestures. A single perfect bloom, small gift, or short note can transform a mood. Combining a love for event planning and hosting celebrations, an eye for design, and a desire to bring people together in meaningful ways, Melissa founded Campanula in 2019.
Campanula wooden gift basket
The Campanula flower is said to symbolize gratitude, humility, and everlasting love. The products that Melissa collects for her one-of-a-kind floral gift baskets are carefully vetted as she seeks handmade, small batch artisan products.
Festive holiday gift basket by Campanula Design Studio
As a core value, Campanula uses ethically and sustainably sourced flowers, supporting growers, markets, and farms that share THEIR commitment to fair labor practices and the environment. She adds, “We offer organically grown products when it is available and feasible to do so. We support local farmers as much as possible and make informed choices to lessen our impact on the environment when we cannot.”
Campanula’s team hand-makes their signature wooden gift baskets using mostly reclaimed wood. Return clients are encouraged to participate in the gift basket recycling program. With every wooden basket returned to the studio for reuse, Campanula send them a gift certificate for $10 off of a future order.
Melissa mentioned her participation in Fleurs de Villes Noel at Seattle’s Pacific Place. The festive installation continues through December 27th, where you will find floral-dressed mannequins, floral-festooned doorways and counter installations, flower-bombed displays, food and beverage with a floral twist and unique pop-ups and demonstrations. The fresh floral, socially-spaced holiday experience features the designs of top local florists, including Campanula Design Studio, and we’ve just heard a little preview from Melissa. It’s a free event and if you’re in the Seattle area, be sure to stop by while you’re out on the town. I hope to see you there!
Find and Follow: Campanula Design Studio on Instagram
Top row, from left: Nicole Cordier, Xenia D’Ambrosi and TJ McGrath Middle row, from left: Philippe Gouze and Shannon Algiere Bottom row, from left: Ronni Nicole Robinson, Frances Palmer and Debra Prinzing
There’s just nine more days to take advantage of early-bird pricing for your ticket to the Slow Flowers Summit — our fifth gathering, taking place June 26-28, 2022.
You can find all the details at slowflowerssummit.com, and if you act now and register before the end of December, you’ll receive the lowest price ever — $749. Registration to the 3-day event includes breakfasts, lunches, refreshments and an opening day welcome cocktail party reception.
Here’s what a few of our past attendees shared about the Slow Flowers Summit:
The Slow Flowers Summit is such a well curated, unique experience filled with such meaningful and important conversations, ideas and connections. I plan to continue to attend each year!
I would definitely recommend attending the Slow Flower Summit, and joining the Slow Flower Society. The content is unbeatable and presentations amazing and inspirational…..always some practical take-away!
The 2021 Slow Flowers Summit was pure fuel for the creative mind—so encouraging to pursue more sustainable business practices, collaboration, and floral experimentation. the summit is a treasure trove and will continue to boost my work throughout the year.
Those are just a few of the wonderful raves we received for this past year’s event — and our 2022 venues and programming will be equally rave-worthy.
We’d love you to join us! You can add the exclusive farm to table culinary experience of dinner at Blue Hill Restaurant to your Summit registration for an additional savings. You can find all the details at Slow Flowers Summit (www.slowflowerssummit.com).
Thank you to our Sponsors!
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Thank you to The Gardener’s Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important this year than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.
Thank you to Mayesh Wholesale Florist. Family-owned since 1978, Mayesh is the premier wedding and event supplier in the U.S. and we’re thrilled to partner with Mayesh to promote local and domestic flowers, which they source from farms large and small around the U.S. Learn more at mayesh.com.
Thank you to Roadie, an on-demand delivery company offering affordable same-day and scheduled delivery. With a network of friendly, local drivers who handle each delivery with care, and one-on-one support from a designated account manager, Roadie guarantees a smooth and reliable delivery experience–from pickup to delivery. Sign up for your first delivery at Roadie.com/slowflowers and use promo code slowflowers–that’s one word–to get five dollars off.
Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 797,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too.
If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com
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. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization.
The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com.
Music Credits:
Betty Dear; One Little Triumph; Turning on the Lights; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
Our episodes this month have included a series of studio tours with holiday decor demonstrations — and today you’ll be treated to another inspiring visit. I’m delighted to welcome Polly and Mike Hutchison, owners of Robin Hollow Farm in Saunderstown, Rhode Island.
Mike and Polly Hutchison of Robn Hollow Farm and the NEW Robin Hollow Flowers retail store in Providence, Rhode Island
I first met Polly and Mike in 2012 when the annual Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers conference was held in Tacoma, close to me. I had donated a feature article to the auction for the ASCFG Foundation and Polly was one of the successful bidders. The following year in August 2013, I was on the east coast and invited myself to visit Robin Hollow Farm. I had literally just started the Slow Flowers Podcast the month before, and proposed that the three of us record a conversation for an episode. Polly and Mike were gracious hosts, as I not only stayed with them at Robin Hollow Farm, they also toured me around as they harvested and delivered flowers. It was a pivotal visit for me — and really influenced my understanding of what was possible for a viable enterprise based on local flower agriculture.
You can listen to that conversation in Part 2 of Episode 104 (Polly and Mike’s segment starts at 15:45). You’ll want to go back and listen to our earlier conversation, which will bring Polly and Mike’s inspiring story into further focus.
The new Robin Hollow Flowers storefront in Providence’s Farm Fresh retail destination
In what feels like a “where are they now?” segment, I connected virtually with Polly and Mike last week to celebrate their new retail venture. Robin Hollow Flowers is located in Providence, about 25 minutes away from the farm, but much closer to their subscribers and to their farmers’ markets.
A delicious summer wedding palette — grown and designed by Robin Hollow Farm (c) Laura Klacik Photography
I asked them to give us a tour of Robin Hollow Flowers and discuss the evolution of their business. As a holiday bonus, Polly shares her design skills as she creates a signature wild and colorful holiday wreath — you’ll be sure to pick up some tips on a wide range of topics, from managing growth to building infrastructure to seeking funding from the USDA.
More beautiful floral designs by Polly Hutchison of Robin Hollow Farm
As Florist-Farmers, Robin Hollow Farm produces the majority of the flowers used in their designs. Robin Hollow Farm grows a wide range of gorgeous flowers in their fields and greenhouses, as well as a few special herbs and plants.
The studio at Robin Hollow Farm provides full-service floral design for all types of weddings and events. Known for using their flowers and sourcing domestic flowers when needed, Robin Hollow’s specialty is to listen carefully and create gorgeous arrangements that reflect the vision of their clients. “Our point of view is to focus on the flowers themselves, with an opulent, fresh style, whether the event is modern or romantic, large or small. We specialize in unusual and botanical design,” Polly says.
Seasonal flowers for a local wedding, designed by Polly Hutchison of Robin Hollow Farm
You can find and follow Robin Hollow Farm at these social places:
There’s just two more weeks to take advantage of the early-bird pricing for attending the Slow Flowers Summit — our fifth gathering, which takes place June 26-28, 2022.
You can find all the details at slowflowerssummit.com, and if you act now and register before the end of December, you’ll receive the lowest price ever — $749. Registration to the 3-day event includes breakfasts, lunches, refreshments and an opening day welcome cocktail party reception.
Here’s what a few of our past attendees shared about the Slow Flowers Summit:
The Slow Flowers Summit is such a well curated, unique experience filled with such meaningful and important conversations, ideas and connections. I plan to continue to attend each year!
I would definitely recommend attending the Slow Flower Summit, and joining the Slow Flower Society. The content is unbeatable and presentations amazing and inspirational…..always some practical take-away!
The 2021 Slow Flowers Summit was pure fuel for the creative mind—so encouraging to pursue more sustainable business practices, collaboration, and floral experimentation. the summit is a treasure trove and will continue to boost my work throughout the year.
Those are just a few of the wonderful raves we received for this past year’s event — and our 2022 venues and programming will be equally rave-worthy. We’d love you to join us! You can add the exclusive farm to table culinary experience of dinner at Blue Hill Restaurantto your Summit registration for an additional savings. You can find all the details at Slow Flowers Summit (www.slowflowerssummit.com) and we will share the links in today’s show notes.
Thank you to our Sponsors
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Thank you to Longfield Gardens, which provides home gardeners with high quality flower bulbs and perennials. Their online store offers plants for every region and every season, from tulips and daffodils to dahlias, caladiums and amaryllis. Check out the full catalog at Longfield Gardens at longfield-gardens.com.
Thank you to Rooted Farmers. Rooted Farmers works exclusively with local growers to put the highest-quality specialty cut flowers in floral customers’ hands. When you partner with Rooted Farmers, you are investing in your community, and you can expect a commitment to excellence in return. Learn more at RootedFarmers.com.
Thank you to Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds — supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnysseeds.com.
Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 795,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too.
If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com
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. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization.
The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com.
Music Credits:
Betty Dear (Piano Feature); Horizon Liner; Turning on the Lights; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
