Welcome to Part Two of the Slow Flowers Podcast, Episode 522, a special bonus conversation with singer-songwriter Eva Leach. I’m honored that she’s sharing her new original music with us.
If you’ve attended Holly Chapple’sFlowerstock Festival, you’ve already been treated to live performances by Eva and her frequent collaborator (and brother) Nathan Leach. Nathan & Eva is a Musical Duo from Charleston, South Carolina. The origins of their story are pretty recent and immensely fascinating. While in school at USC Columbia, Nathan longed to get back into guitar playing, so he began to post cover songs on YouTube. Over time, he expanded the roster of featured talent to include the occasional help from his sister, Eva. In 2013, they posted a cover of Family of the Year’s “Hero”. In 2015, that video went viral. It’s mindboggling to say this, but music videos on the Nathan & Eva YouTube channel have been viewed more than 26 MILLION times.
I shared our sponsor thank you’s in Part One today, so we’ll just wrap things up by saying The Slow Flowers Show is a member-supported endeavor and I value our loyal members and supporters! If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at Slow Flowers Society.com and consider making a donation to sustain Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at slowflowerspodcast.com.
THAT FLOWER FEELING is a cooperative effort to get more Americans enjoying more flowers, more often. From upscale florists, farmers markets or grocery stores — as long as people are bringing home flowers regularly, that’s good enough for us. We want everyone to experience the impact of flowers on a daily basis. They’re a beautiful, natural dose of feel-good, so why should they be reserved for special occasions? Even the most modest bouquet of flowers can have all sorts of positive short and long term effects on how we feel — in other words, it’s that flower feeling.
In mid-January, I was invited to a virtual launch of an ambitious, new, consumer-focused flower promotional brand called That Flower Feeling.
The invitation came from CalFlowers, the floral trade association most widely known for providing its members with the lowest FedEx shipping discounts and negotiated discounts through other ground and air channels across the U.S.
One of the association’s top goals is to promote the benefits of flowers to new generations of American consumers. Slow Flowers Society is a member of Cal Flowers and we’re grateful for CalFlowers sponsorship of the upcoming Slow Flowers Summit.
I was so impressed about the brand, That Flower Feeling, and the new campaign, Flowers: Self-Care Made Easy, that I wanted to share it with our Slow Flowers Community. The campaign is a cooperative effort to get more Americans enjoying more flowers, more often. My guest, Steve Dionne, executive director of Cal Flowers, believes that whether it’s from upscale florists, farmers markets or grocery stores — as long as people regularly bring home flowers, it’s a good thing.
Let’s jump right in and meet Steve, hear about CalFlowers and how That Floral Feeling was created, and view some of the fun assets and content they’ve created — all available to you for your own marketing efforts.
Self care has become a lot of work. You gotta pamper, practice mindfulness, balance life and work, and be awesome at all of them. Flowers on the other hand are self care made easy. They won’t replace working out or eating well. But they’re a spiritual tune-up. So treat yourself to a little off-the-shelf self care.
That Flower Feeling
Three of the social media assets created to promote Flowers – Self-Care Made Easy
Coming up this Friday, March 11th at 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern, you’re invited to join our March Slow Flowers Meet-Up. Our special guest is author Teresa J. Speight and many of the Creatives featured in the beautiful and significant new title, BLACK FLORA.
This event is open to guests, so share the link with anyone in flower farming and floral design who should know about Black Flora! We’ll discuss the book, meet several of the flower farmers and floral designers who participated, and preview the stunning cover floral art and some of the interior spreads.
We’re opening up this month’s Meet-Up to guests, but everyone needs to pre-register. I hope to see you there in the zoom room!
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 $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Thank you Flowerfarm.com, a leading wholesale flower distributor that sources from carefully-selected flower farms to offer high-performing fresh flowers sent directly from the farm straight to you. You can shop by flower and by country of origin at flowerfarm.com. Find flowers and foliage from California, Florida, Oregon and Washington by using the “Origin” selection tool in your search. It’s smarter sourcing. Learn more at flowerfarm.com.
Thanks to Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. Formed in 1988, ASCFG was created to educate, unite, and support commercial cut flower growers. It mission is to help growers produce high-quality floral material, and to foster and promote the local availability of that product. Learn more at ascfg.org.
Thanks to Red Twig Farms. Based in Johnstown, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.
Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 822,000 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. 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.
Music Credits:
A Palace of Cedar; Net and the Cradle; Turning on the Lights; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions http://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
Farmer-florist Lori Poliski of Flori, photographed in front of her studio in Woodinville, Washington (c) Missy Palacol
Thank you so much for joining us today! It’s the first week of December and time to put away all the pumpkin and harvest decor aside and think about the floral palette for our winter holidays.
I’m so happy to introduce you to Lori Poliski of Flori LLC, a Slow Flowers member whose design studio is based in Woodinville, Washington, outside of Seattle.