Debra Prinzing

Get the Email Newsletter!

Archive for the ‘floral design’ Category

Episode 763: Colleen McCoole Payne on collective flower selling through Kansas City Flower Farmers Wholesale Market

Wednesday, April 8th, 2026

Collective flower selling is on the rise and we continue to see numerous models across the continent and even abroad. The origin comes from traditional farmers’ markets and has since diversified to include cooperatives, co-marketing ventures and solo-run farmer-to-florist hubs. The structures reflect the desires and business objectives of their founders, and today you’ll hear from Colleen McCoole Payne, co-founder and chief administrator of the Kansas City Flower Farmers Wholesale Market. The KC Flower Farmers Wholesale Market is a mouthful, but was intentionally named to distinguish this venture in the local market. Colleen owns FarmStrong Flowers, a regenerative specialty cut flower farm in Bucyrus, Kansas. I recently spoke with her about the market model she and 21 fellow growers have developed, which she describes to florists as similar to shopping a farmers market and paying for the product from each farm that they buy from. The Market has a new lease and a new location, and as Colleen says, “it’s still a work in progress and we are evolving to make it work better!” 

Dahlias from FarmStrong Flowers
Dahlias from FarmStrong Flowers

More than 20 flower farmers in Kansas City, Missouri, and in Kansas City, Kansas, and beyond are part of the KC Flower Farmers Wholesale Market, now in its fourth year as a wholesale collective serving approximately 200 floral customers from operations on both side of the Missouri-Kansas state line. The woman behind this endeavor, Colleen McCoole Payne, a Kansas grower and owner of FarmStrong Flowers, joined me recently to record today’s interview.

Opening Day and Why Shop with Us?

The group has signed a lease to move into a permanent location, a cause for celebration after numerous temporary and pop-up sites in past seasons. Colleen and I dive right into discussing the unique model developed for this specific flower hub. And you’ll have thoughts, I’m sure – especially if you’re part of a collective or cooperative yourself.

Here’s a bit of the narrative, as was posted on the market’s Instagram account: “Every year we searched high and low for that perfect landing spot. So much gratitude goes out to the locations we placed our buckets in prior to finding our dream space. We truly were bootstrapping it those first three years.

We could not have come this far selling our locally-grown flowers wholesale without our fabulous buyers. So many of you have embraced our products and encouraged us to keep growing. We hope to become your one-stop shop for quality, locally-grown flowers. In other news, the market has open hours two days per week —  Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM to 1 PM. Also added: what they believe is the first-ever VIP buyer option for 24-hour self-serve access to “Shopping the Cooler” for local flowers and foliage.
The new venue also accommodates floral design work space and cooler space for rent.

Participating Flower Growers:

  • Bee & Co. 
  • C-Us-Bloom
  • Castle Hill Farm
  • FarmStrong Flowers
  • Fern’s Farmette
  • Julie Pal Peonies
  • Laura’s Flower Farm
  • Long Acre Farm
  • Mainstream Meadows
  • Morningstar Flower Farm
  • Nurturing with Nature 
  • Oskaloosa Flower Farm
  • Patina Meadows
  • Red Barn Blossoms
  • Ruthie Mae Blooms
  • Shelti Farms
  • Soul of Soil Farm
  • St. Clair Stems 
  • Triple S Homestead
  • Whistle Stop Peonies
  • Wild Thistle-Flowers
  • Wyld Heart Flower Farm 

Find and follow Kansas City Flower Farmers Wholesale Market on Instagram and Facebook
Find and follow FarmStrong Flowers on Instagram (as @laylasmarket) and Facebook


You’re Invited to Join Us: April 10th Member Meet-Up

April 10th Slow Flowers Member (Virtual) Meet-Up
Farmer-florist and educator Xenia D’Ambrosi of Sweet Earth Co.

And head’s up, our April Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up is right around the corner on Friday, April 10th at 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern.

You’ll meet farmer-florist Xenia D’Ambrosi of Sweet Earth Co. Xenia will share how she developed an online course, The Eco-Friendly Cutting Garden, to teach students how to plant a backyard flower garden that benefits the environment. The course evolved from a series of in-person , on-farm workshops, adapted to an online format to serve a wider population of cutting garden students. Xenia will discuss how she developed the course, the demographic of her students, and the ways this course reinforces her brand as a sustainable cut flower grower and designer. This meet-up is free to attend, but you must pre-register. Join us to discover new, creative ways to teach home gardeners and share your expertise with a new population of customers. The signup link can be found in the linktree bio on our @slowflowerssociety page on Instagram. Or, click below to RSVP:


Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Royal Anthos Lily Bulbs

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 My Patio Tree: Expertly Grown Plants, Perfectly Designed to Elevate Your Garden. This second-generation family tree farm has curated the best-performing, cutting-edge, multi-zone varieties to enhance your garden, patio or special event. Every tree purchased supports Plant With Purpose, a nonprofit organization that restores hope by reversing global poverty and environmental damage. Learn more at mypatiotree.com.

Thank you to the Association of Specialty Cut Flowers. The ASCFG is a gathering place for specialty cut flower growers of all levels of experience. It is a hub of knowledge, where seasoned experts and budding enthusiasts come together to learn, share, and support one another. The ASCFG is dedicated to empowering its members with the knowledge and resources needed to thrive in the world of cut flower farming. From educational workshops and conferences to online resources and publications, they provide a wealth of information and support for all things related to growing exceptional cut flowers. Learn more about the ASCFG and how to be a part of it at www.ascfg.org!


Slow Flowers Podcast Logo with flowers, recorder and mic

Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 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.


Debra in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden
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!


Music credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; Come On Over
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Episode 762: Sarah Nayani of Grow Girl Seattle on teaching gardeners how to plan and plant their backyard cutting gardens

Wednesday, April 1st, 2026

After several years of farming in an urban space – including on the paved driveway, sidewalk strip, and backyard at her Seattle home – Sarah Nayani has carved out a niche teaching gardeners how to grow a bounty of cut flowers, herbs, and foliages in residential environments. The founder of Grow Girl Seattle, Sarah encourages workshop students to create a thriving home cutting garden by focusing on sustainable techniques and small space growing. She shares the rewards of connecting with the seasons’ rhythms and how flower-growing helps people appreciate the role of pollinators up close. My conversation with Sarah includes the numerous ways her business has transitioned to fit her lifestyle, how she focuses on the parts of farming and floristry that give her the most joy, and income-generating tips for the farmer-florist side hustle.

Sarah Nayani of Grow Girl Seattle
Sarah Nayani of Grow Girl Seattle

We have been focused on an inspiring theme here at the Slow Flowers Podcast! For the early weeks of 2026 we’ve been highlighting members who serve not only the professional floral market, but the home gardener in search of cut flowers, flower seedlings, education, and inspiration. Capturing the attention of this often-overlooked population is not hard these days. Home gardeners and flower lovers are avid followers of social media’s influential growers and designers. They are the principal buyers of books about cut flower gardening and about growing specific types of flowers, as well as the shoppers who eagerly line up to buy cutting garden plants at retail prices not always seen at garden centers.

Garden bouquet by Sarah Nayani
Garden bouquet by Sarah Nayani

Since the first of the year, we’ve highlighted the voices and stories of a number of people tapping into this major consumer shift. In March alone, we featured Growing Flower Seedlings for Profit, with Kate Skelton of Gratitude Flowers, Carol Wetzel of The Little Farm on Olga Road, and Fawn Rueckert of Sego Lily Flower Farm and Snuck Flowers; and The Beginner’s Cut Flower Garden,” with author Elizabeth Brown of Foxglove Farmhouse.

Our upcoming April 10th member meetup will feature Xenia D’Ambrosi of Sweet Earth Co., on how she has developed a course called “The Eco-Friendly Cutting Garden,” and you’ve all heard me promote the upcoming May 3rd Ultimate Cutting Garden Plant Sale, scheduled to take place in partnership with the Seattle Growers Market.

Scenes from a petite "driveway" cutting garden with volumes of blooms
Scenes from a petite “driveway” cutting garden with volumes of blooms

Today’s guest is situated at the convergence of all these topics, as well. I was delighted to recently sit down with Sarah Nayani of Grow Girl Seattle. She is an urban farmer-florist who teaches home gardeners, including members of local garden clubs and horticulture societies, all about starting flowers from seeds and planning their cutting gardens. Sarah enhances the workshop experience by offering her seedlings of hard-to-find, hard-to-grow, and uncommon cool and warm-season annuals. These revenue streams help fund her garden expenses and these events keep Sarah connected with her community.

Raised beds on the sidewalk strip at Grow Girl Seattle's residential property
Raised beds on the sidewalk strip at Grow Girl Seattle’s residential property

I joined the audience at Sarah’s fantastic recent workshop sponsored by the Northwest Horticultural Society and held at Seattle’s Dunn Gardens, an exquisite garden whose origins date to 1915 as one of the unique Olmsted-designed landscapes in the Pacific Northwest. Thank you to both organizations for permitting me to attend and use the Dunn Gardens classroom for our recording.

An urban field of flowers
An urban field of flowers

Thanks so much for joining me today. You’ll want to watch the replay video of this session under Episode 762 at slowflowerspodcast.com or on our YouTube channel. If you’re interested in learning more, register for future email notices about events and classes, including how to register for Sarah’s May 30th workshop at the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture called “Grow a Cut Flower Garden at Home.”

Find and follow Grow Girl Seattle on Instagram


Slow Flowers NEWS

2026 Ultimate Cutting Garden Plant Sale

And don’t forget to RSVP to attend our May 3rd event — the Ultimate Cutting Garden Plant Sale, produced in partnership with the Seattle Growers Market. This is a free event – just bring your wagon and boxes to transport your purchases.


Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Royal Anthos Lily Bulbs

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 Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds — supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnyseeds.com.

Thank you to Charles Little & Company for supplying our industry with some of the most beautiful and sustainably-grown design ingredients, available nationwide through their website at charleslittleandcompany.com. Based in Eugene, Oregon, the farmers at Charles Little & Company have been growing and drying flowers since 1986. New products and dried flower collections are added to their website at the first of each month. Check it out at charleslittleandcompany.com.


Slow Flowers Podcast Logo with flowers, recorder and mic

Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 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.


Debra in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden
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!


Music credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; Town Market
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Episode 760: “The Beginner’s Cut Flower Garden,” with author Elizabeth Brown of Foxglove Farmhouse

Wednesday, March 18th, 2026

Foxglove Farmhouse is a small, regenerative flower garden in coastal Maine. If you follow the tidal York River from the sea, up along the winding salt marshes to the west side of town, there you will find owner Elizabeth Brown and her flowers. Her purpose is a simple one — to grow sustainable local flowers, and to encourage others to do the same. Elizabeth believes flowers have the power to heal, connect, and bring joy, especially when we need it most. Through her community-based Foxglove Garden Club for home gardeners, and through her role as Resident Gardener at Cliff House Maine, Elizabeth shares her belief that the best flowers are those grown with your own two hands. Join me today as Elizabeth and I discuss her story and her new book, “The Beginner’s Cut Flower Garden.”

Elizabeth Brown (c) Lindsay Fairchild
Elizabeth Brown (c) Lindsay Fairchild

Today’s interview is the final in our series of four conversations filmed in February at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival in Seattle, where Slow Flowers has long been involved producing floral education and programming.

In her gorgeous new book, The Beginner’s Cut Flower Garden, certified therapeutic horticulturist and cut-flower expert Elizabeth Brown, reveals how growing your own show-stopping bouquet does not require abundant yard space, gardening expertise, or an overwhelming time commitment, just an eagerness to start. Introducing gardeners of all skill level to the vibrant world of floral gardening, The Beginner’s Cut Flower Garden offers step-by-step seasonal advice, easy-to-grow bloom profiles, flower arranging tips, floral crafting activities, and more. 

Flizabeth at her Foxglove Farmhouse garden
Flizabeth at her Foxglove Farmhouse garden (c) Lindsay Fairchild

Beyond just teaching how to nurture florals, Brown reminds why we should, inviting all to enjoy the healing, connection, and delight derived from a hand-grown bouquet. We featured Elizabeth, a longtime Slow Flowers member and owner of Foxglove Farmhouse, in the fall 2023 issue of Slow Flowers Journal, in a beautiful story about her role growing cut flowers and providing floral experiences at Cliff House, a coastal Maine resort. You can read that story here (see pages 25-29). It was no surprise to me that a book project soon followed after we featured Elizabeth. She had already been working with photographer Lindsay Fairchild and they shared some lovely images to illustrate that story, too.

Floral experiences at Cliff House Maine with Elizabeth Brown of Foxglove Farmhouse
Floral experiences at Cliff House Maine with Elizabeth Brown of Foxglove Farmhouse (c) Lindsay Fairchild

Here’s a bit more about Elizabeth:

She is a certified therapeutic horticulturist and Maine Master Gardener Volunteer. After growing and gifting hundreds of blooms to essential workers in her community during the pandemic, Elizabeth created Foxglove Farmhouse, a quarter-acre cut flower garden in her backyard. This garden’s mix of annual and perennial blooms are cultivated without chemicals and pesticides, providing sustainable local flowers to florists and markets. Elizabeth regularly gives workshops on cut flower garden design, floral arrangements, and seed sowing and created the Foxglove Garden Club, a year-long virtual subscription-based garden education program for beginner gardeners. Brown also works as the Resident Gardener of Cliff House Maine. In 2023, she released a curated 100% organic cut flower seed line, highlighted in the Boston Globe and Down East Magazine’s seasonal gift coverage. 

Table of Contents by Season
Table of Contents by Season
flowers for cutting
Flowers for Cutting
Favorite Harvest Tools
Favorite Harvest Tools

I’m delighted that we were able to sit down and record an episode for our special event, Slow Flowers Podcast LIVE. Thanks to everyone who attended – it was our best-attended session and we loved the interaction with friends and peers in the audience.

Find and follow Foxglove Farmhouse on Instagram


Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Royal Anthos Lily Bulbs

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 My Patio TreeExpertly Grown Plants, Perfectly Designed to Elevate Your Garden. This second-generation family tree farm has curated the best-performing, cutting-edge, multi-zone varieties to enhance your garden, patio or special event. Every tree purchased supports Plant With Purpose, a nonprofit organization that restores hope by reversing global poverty and environmental damage. Learn more at mypatiotree.com.

Thank you to the Seattle 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 seattlegrowersmarket.com.


Slow Flowers Podcast Logo with flowers, recorder and mic

Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 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.


Debra in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden
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!


Music credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; Tripoli
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Episode 758: “Modern Floriography: Flowers, Gardens, and Gifts Inspired by the Language of Flowers,” with author Teresa Sabankaya

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026

Teresa Sabankaya believes that today’s technology gives us endless ways to communicate, yet we are often left searching for words when faced with a declaration of love, the loss of someone dear, or the marking of a pivotal moment. For centuries, people have turned to the language of flowers to express their most heartfelt emotions. In Teresa’s new book, “Modern Floriography,” she honors this enduring tradition while inviting readers to discover fresh, creative forms of expression. Teresa recently joined our Slow Flowers Podcast LIVE series, held at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival in Seattle where she spoke, taught, signed books, and met hundreds of fans. A longtime Slow Flowers member and pioneer of the slow flowers movement, Teresa shared generously with our live audience and with all of you today.

Today’s interview is the second in our series of four conversations filmed in February at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival in Seattle, where Slow Flowers has long been involved producing floral education and programming.

The Posy Book and its author Teresa Sabankaya

I’m thrilled that Teresa Sabankaya brought her message of the language of flowers to this year’s festival, including at the Blooms & Bubbles workshop. Before we dive into the interview, here’s a bit more about Teresa:

Teresa’s floral career began in 1999 when she became a farmer-florist who designed flowers that she herself grew – a practice not widely known among consumers. She added retail floristry with Bonny Doon Garden Co. in Santa Cruz, California, in 2003.

Modern Floriography by Teresa Sabankaya
Modern Floriography by Teresa Sabankaya

One of the most innovative floral designers in the SF and Monterey Bay areas, Teresa has exhibited her floral art at museums and flower show, including Bouquets to Art at the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, the Monterey Museum of Art, and at Filoli Mansion and Gardens, where she teaches floral design regularly.

She was a speaker at our first Slow Flowers Summit in 2017 and is a past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast. Her first book, The Posy Book, was published in 2019.

She was featured in Michael Pollen’s PBS documentary, The Botany of Desire and Amy Stewart profiled Teresa in her 2007 book, Flower Confidential. And so much more.

I know you’ll enjoy today’s wide-ranging conversation that begins with designing posy gardens and illustrating those gardens for her new book, and ends with my asking Teresa to reflect on the arc of her incredible career and journey through flowers.

Interior pages from Modern Floriography (1)
Interior pages from Modern Floriography (2)
Interior pages from Modern Floriography (3)

Also, we have a giveaway copy of Modern Floriography, so if you’d like to add your name to the drawing, please comment here and share the meaning of your favorite flower. Or, comment on our IG account about this episode, @slowflowerssociety. We will draw the name of one lucky winner on Monday, March 9th at midnight Pacific Time.


Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Royal Anthos Lily Bulbs

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.

Thank you to Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds — supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnyseeds.com.


Slow Flowers Podcast Logo with flowers, recorder and mic

Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 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.


Debra in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden
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!


Music credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; Game Hens
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Episode 756: Sarah Coldwell of Honeybee Grove Flower Farm – on building a destination floral enterprise on U-Pick, farmers’ and makers’ markets, and seasonal flower festivals

Wednesday, February 18th, 2026

Nestled in the heart of Somers, New York, about one hour north of Manhattan, Honeybee Grove is a cozy little flower farm offering cut-your-own flowers, small events, workshops, retail pop-ups, and more. As owner Sarah Coldwell enters her fifth season, she joined me to share her story and discuss the benefits of planning a full year of events while managing the flow of production, sales, and customers. In addition to flowering her community with local blooms, Sarah incubates other small, local creative businesses through her weekly summer farmers’ markets and seasonal holiday markets that bring out the public. The season kicks off soon – on April 26th for Daffodil Day, a celebration that puts thousands of spring-flowering bulbs in the hands of her customers. And you’ll learn a thing or two about how to choose the best flowers for U-Pick programs and how to make your premium flowers more exclusive through a subscription program. She’s smitten with flowers so let’s join in and learn more.

Daffodil Day at Honeybee Grove Flower Farm
Daffodil Day at Honeybee Grove Flower Farm

For Sarah Coldwell, Honeybee Grove Flower Farm began as an inkling of an idea and rapidly grew into a frenzied obsession: “I must bring a cut-your-own flower farm to our small town!”

She could not get the dream out of my head after coming across a little roadside cutting spot in New York’s Finger Lakes area while vacationing with her family.

With a background in marketing, branding and graphic design, and as a lifelong gardener, Sarah wanted to share the joy that she feels when harvesting blooms that have been carefully nurtured from seeds or bulbs. Honeybee Grove Flower Farm occupies rented land that was once part of a larger working vegetable farm in Sarah’s village. When she felt the itch for a new adventure, while simultaneously obsessing over the idea of a cut-your-own flower farm, Honeybee Grove Flower Farm was born in 2021.

To Sarah, Honeybee Grove Flower Farm is about offering others an experience that they may not be able to create on their own – giving them the magical feeling of stepping into a field brimming with color and fragrance, that is buzzing with bees and butterflies. To slowly walk through rows of flowers to carefully select your own recipe for a bouquet. It is an experience that forces one to slow down, savor the natural beauty and harvest flowers with intention.  

We initially planned on talking about the upcoming season launch – Daffodil Day – but Sarah and I went further down the garden path to discuss farm dinners and popup sales events, retail versus wholesale, and the allure of U-Pick. I learned so much and I can’t wait for you to hear today’s episode, so let’s jump right in and get started.

Some parting thoughts from Sarah – that answer her “why” question: She writes: “I believe in bringing people together within a community. Our two larger artisan markets at the beginning and end of our season extend an opportunity to local artisans, artists and makers to sell their wares to the surrounding community.  With the success of our larger markets reaching a wider audience, I was eager to bring the town its own centrally-located Farmer’s Market. It gives our surrounding farms and food-product makers a weekly space to sell their crops and goods. It gives our community a chance to buy locally-raised meats, locally-grown produce and support small businesses from their own community.” What a beautiful mission!

Find and follow Honeybee Grove Flower Farm on Instagram and Facebook


Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Royal Anthos Lily Bulbs

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 Charles Little & Company for supplying our industry with some of the most beautiful and sustainably-grown design ingredients, available nationwide through their website at charleslittleandcompany.com. Based in Eugene, Oregon, the farmers at Charles Little & Company have been growing and drying flowers since 1986. New products and dried flower collections are added to their website at the first of each month. Check it out at charleslittleandcompany.com.

Thank you to the Association of Specialty Cut Flowers. The ASCFG is a gathering place for specialty cut flower growers of all levels of experience. It is a hub of knowledge, where seasoned experts and budding enthusiasts come together to learn, share, and support one another. The ASCFG is dedicated to empowering its members with the knowledge and resources needed to thrive in the world of cut flower farming. From educational workshops and conferences to online resources and publications, they provide a wealth of information and support for all things related to growing exceptional cut flowers. Learn more about the ASCFG and how to be a part of it at www.ascfg.org!


Slow Flowers Podcast Logo with flowers, recorder and mic

Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 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.


Debra in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden
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!


Music credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; Chicory Honey
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Episode 755: Developing a Tree and Plant Rental Service with Anne Bradfield of Analog Floral and Analog Plant Rental and Chris Robinson of My Patio Tree

Wednesday, February 11th, 2026

Expert tree growers Chris Robinson of My Patio Tree and designer Anne Bradfield of Analog Floral recently joined me to share their insights on how florists and wedding and event designers can integrate flowering trees into their menu of services. Analog Plant Rental is the sister company to Anne’s Seattle-based design business, Analog Floral, which she’s operated for more than two decades. As a spinoff company, her plant-and-tree service primarily supports corporate conferences and events — and the venture has really taken off. After My Patio Tree joined Slow Flowers as a major sponsor for 2026, It only seemed natural to bring Anne and Chris together for a conversation about the economic potential of bringing trees into the floral world! Our conversation will give you lots of great ideas for your floral enterprise – whether you’re a grower or a designer!

My Patio Tree flowering lilac tree
Flowering lilac tree from My Patio Tree

As I said in my opener, this episode brings trees, specifically flowering trees, into the world of floral design. I’ve long been curious about Anne Bradfield’s foray into tree and plant rentals, a service she added to her established floral design studio, Analog Floral. When My Patio Tree joined Slow Flowers as a major sponsor of our programs, the timing was perfect to invite tree-growing expert (and co-founder of My Patio Trees) Chris Robinson to join Anne and me for some inspiring tree talk!

Tree rentals from Analog Plant Rentals
Tree rentals from Analog Plant Rentals

Anne Bradfield will introduce us to her business and discuss why and how she decided to add plant and tree rentals to Analog Floral. As Analog Plant Rentals, she’s essentially formed a sister business to serve a new channel of customers. Anne also discusses how trees and plants meet the needs of mostly corporate clients for special events, parties, openings, and conferences. We also touch on who her customers are and key considerations for selecting and caring for trees that will be rented; then stored; and then rented again?

My Patio Tree flowering hydrangea tree
Quick Fire (R) Tree Hydrangea from My Patio Tree

Chris introduces us to the story of My Patio Tree, a second-generation tree nursery based in McMinnville, Oregon, as he shares how flowering trees became a specialty. We’ll also discuss what types of flowering trees are available and what they bring to the garden and patio space – as well as their potential for decorating weddings and event installations.

There are, of course, care and feeding recommendations to be aware of anytime you bring nature indoors, so take note and be prepared to do your homework if this new business channel sounds appealing. This episode was originally recorded and shared as a bonus educational session for the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit held at the end of January. I was so inspired by our conversation that I wanted to share it with the wider Slow Flowers community as a podcast episode.

I know this topic resonated with those who sat in during the Summit. One Slow Flowers member who hosts boutique weddings on her property commented: “Wow, this is so exciting! I will talk to the local tree growers in my area and see if they will rent.” Another reminisced about using plants and trees for her own wedding ceremony – plants that later helped create the basis for her garden. And a third guest asked what we were all thinking – when can we get a tour to visit My Patio Tree? The answer is YES – we will schedule something; most likely in late August in conjunction with other tours taking place around the green industry Farwest Show in Portland, so stay tuned!

Find and follow:
Analog Floral on Instagram

My Patio Tree on Instagram and Facebook


SLOW FLOWERS PODCAST LIVE

Slow Flowers Podcast LIVE

I’m getting super excited about Slow Flowers Podcast LIVE at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival — February 18-21, 2026. For the first time ever, you are invited to join the studio audience to watch and listen during a recording of the Slow Flowers Podcast.

Meet four Slow Flowers Members who will be in Seattle to lecture at the festival and promote her new garden or floral book coming out this spring. The guests include:

Briana Bosch, Blossom & Branch Flower Farm (Colorado), with new book: The Regenerative Gardener’s Handbook
Theresa Sabankaya, theresasabankaya.com (California), with new book: Modern Florigraphy
Janice Cox, Natural Beauty at Home (Oregon), with new book: Beautiful Roses
Elizabeth Brown, Foxglove Farmhouse (Maine), with new book: The Beginner’s Cut Flower Garden.

SLOW FLOWERS PODCAST LIVE Entry is FREE to Slow Flowers Members (guests are welcome) BYOD: Bring your own hot beverage or cold drink.


Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Royal Anthos Lily Bulbs

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 Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds — supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnyseeds.com.

Thank you to A-ROO Company, your one-stop shop for in-stock floral packaging. From sleeves and wraps to labels and tags, visit www.a-roo.com for their full selection of eco-friendly items or to start the process of developing a look that is uniquely yours.


Slow Flowers Podcast Logo with flowers, recorder and mic

Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 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.


Debra in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden
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!


Music credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; Fig Tree
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Episode 754: Slow Flowers Floral Insights and Industry Forecast for 2026

Wednesday, February 4th, 2026

As we enter the 13th year of publishing our Slow Flowers Floral Insights and Industry Forecast, new impressions continue to infuse our mindsets and enthuse us. The Year 2026 presents a consequential time in our industry. We have been impacted by economic challenges that affect consumer confidence and spending choices; we’ve been clobbered by supply chain and tariff constraints; and we’ve continued to see consolidation and closures among large-scale players in the marketplace. As we look at “what’s next,” I believe we have even more reasons to feel confidence that Seasonal, local, and sustainably-grown flowers are more than relevant and essential for the present day. During the coming year, when little is certain and the terrain is uneven, consumers are drawn to what they can control. The notion of “Taking Control” is a remedy, an antidote, to the pressures and distractions that abound. As I share the 2026 forecast, you may recognize some of the themes as an affirmation of what’s taking place in your floral enterprise – I would love to hear how this inspires you for the coming year.

Debra Prinzing
Debra Prinzing (c) Mary Grace Long photography

I recorded my introduction to this episode on Monday morning, February 2nd, just 36 hours after we wrapped up the second annual Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit on January 30th and 31st. It was an unqualified success and the raves for our fabulous presenters and educational content are pouring in. We designed the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit to inspire and inform, include and instigate, and most of all to provide you with new Ideas for your floral enterprise! One hundred eighteen attendees joined us virtually – from 24 US states and the District of Columbia; from four Canadian provinces; and from Australia, the UK and Chile. What an enriching experience and an affirmation of the power of creativity and community.

In addition to 10 hours of floral education designed for growers, florists and farmer-florists, we presented five bonus sessions. Today’s episode is a replay of the session I shared to introduce the 2026 Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Forecast. Working with my frequent collaborator Robin Avni, creative director of BLOOM Imprint, we identified three themes for 2026. We also reviewed this project’s 100 past insights and singled out one primary theme from each year — 2015 to 2025. There isn’t an expiration date to these insights. They don’t go away; but rather, they evolve, moving from being an alternative or fringe idea towards one that simply reflects a cultural shift toward the mainstream.

Thanks so much for joining me today as we journeyed through 12 years and 103 insights to inspire you. As we move forward, new topics of interest in the Slow Flowers Movement will continue to be leading edge, ones that early-adopters embrace and ones on which you’ll put your own spin. They also will reflect an evolution that may be subtler and less over-the-top as more people in floristry and flower farming learn from one another, and adopt our values as their own.

Please let me know if any of this resonates with you and thanks for joining me in the conversation! A special thanks to Robin Avni for co-producing this year’s report. We’ll have the full report to share as a PDF with links in the coming days.


Slow Flowers Podcast LIVE at the NWFGF

Slow Flowers Podcast LIVE

After connecting with so many of you virtually, I’m excited to share that we have a great opportunity for you to connect with me and so many other Slow Flowers member at Slow Flowers Podcast LIVE at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, February 18-21, 2026. For the first time ever, you are invited to join the studio audience to watch and listen during a recording of the Slow Flowers Podcast with Debra Prinzing. The tapings take place once per day, during the Festival. Meet four Slow Flowers Members who will be in Seattle to lecture at the festival and promote her new garden or floral book coming out this spring.

The guests includeBriana Bosch, Blossom & Branch Flower Farm (Colorado), with new book: The Regenerative Gardener’s Handbook; Theresa Sabankaya, theresasabankaya.com (California), with new book: Modern Florigraphy; Janice Cox, Natural Beauty at Home (Oregon), with new book: Beautiful Roses; and Elizabeth Brown, Foxglove Farmhouse (Maine), with new book: The Beginner’s Cut Flower Garden.

SLOW FLOWERS PODCAST LIVE Entry is FREE to Slow Flowers Members (guests are welcome) BYOC: Bring your own hot beverage or cold drink.


Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Royal Anthos Lily Bulbs

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 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 seattlegrowersmarket.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.


Slow Flowers Podcast Logo with flowers, recorder and mic

Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 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.


Debra in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden
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!


Music credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; Rue Severine
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Episode 751: Ranunculus Growing Secrets with Brooke Palmer of Jenny Creek Flowers

Wednesday, January 14th, 2026

According to Brooke Palmer, the ranunculus is THE iconic bloom of early springtime. A seasoned grower and owner of Jenny Creek Flowers, based outside of Ithaca, in New York’s Finger Lakes Region, Brooke grows a wide array of specialty cut flowers that she sells through her flower CSA and a seasonal U-Pick program. Students take her workshops in person, including a successful dahlia-growing course, and she sells bulbs, tubers and plants to avid gardeners. After trialing the best ways to grow ranunculus, Brooke has landed on a successful approach that tailors her methods to the grower, depending on issues like zone and geography. Last week, Brooke revealed her ranunculus-growing secrets with the Slow Flowers community during our monthly meet-up session. Today, you’re in luck, because we’re sharing the replay recording from that session. Learn Brooke’s tips and techniques for success with growing ranunculus, the gorgeous, spring-blooming flower.

Brooke Palmer of Jenny Creek Flowers
Brooke Palmer of Jenny Creek Flowers

In 2024, Brooke Palmer of Jenny Creek Flowers shared her approach to growing winter tulips. We hosted her on a podcast episode after she contributed a wonderful article to the Slow Flowers Journal. This high school English teacher-turned-flower farmer is a researcher at heart. So it was no surprise when Brooke told me that she recently packaged her ranunculus-growing lessons into a new online course.

Ranunculus from Jenny Creek Flowers
Ranunculus from Jenny Creek Flowers

Brooke narrates the romance of ranunculus this way:

You step into your garden on a cool spring morning, coffee in hand — and there they are. Ranunculus you grew yourself. Layered, ruffled, so beautiful they almost don’t seem real. You pause; everything else slipping away as you think: “I did this.” For anyone who has dreamed of growing beautiful ranunculus, Brooke wants to show you how — with a simple, clear path.

As a ranunculus super-fan, Brooke brings more than 20 years as an educator and teacher to her work. She likes to break things down into simple, doable steps — the same way she taught students and supported teachers for two decades.

Grow Ranunculus Right

Since moving from longtime gardener to full-time flower farmer, Brooke says she learned to grow ranunculus the hard way — years of trial and error and more lost corms than she cares to admit. When things finally clicked for her, Brooke turned her insights about what worked into a clear, step-by-step path so others don’t have to figure it out alone.

Join me today and gain inspiration and confidence to plant your own beautiful ranunculus. You’ll also find a link to a free ranunculus quiz: Should you Fall-Plant Ranunculus or Wait Until Spring?

We’re excited to see more ranunculus arrangements out in the world and I’m just going to reiterate the wish I spoke out loud during last week’s Meet-Up session. I would LOVE to see a botanical couture look created with fresh ranunculus blooms as part of our 2026 American Flowers week floral fashion collection. Just putting it out there. If this idea appeals to you, please reach out! Can’t you just see how dreamy that would look?!

Follow Jenny Creek Flowers on Instagram and Facebook


Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit is coming!

Slow Flowers Summit 2026

The countdown continues because our Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit is coming up in less than three weeks! We are back for Year Two and coming to you virtually to deliver inspiration and education during the two-day online conference.

The program includes 10 hours of education from 13 speakers near and far – an incredible rate for $289 general registration. Remember, Slow Flowers members receive $50 off their registration at $239. All registrants with US addresses will receive a spring-flowering tree from our lead sponsor, My Patio Tree – a $199 value, which means attending the Summit practically pays for itself! Find all the details in our show notes or visit slowflowerssummit.com.


Thank you to our SPONSORS

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Royal Anthos Lily Bulbs

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.


Slow Flowers Podcast Logo with flowers, recorder and mic

Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 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.


Debra in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden
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!


Music credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; A Pleasant Strike
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Episode 750: Susan Chambers of San Francisco-based bloominCouture – a luxury florist designs with seasonal and local flowers

Wednesday, January 7th, 2026

Luxury floral designer Susan Chambers, owner of San Francisco-based bloominCouture. She’s a longtime Slow Flowers member whose high-end residential and corporate clients support her sustainable values, which do not compromise her design aesthetic or her approach to seasonal sourcing. Many of you first met Susan when she and her shop appeared in our 2021 book, Where We Bloom. Since opening doors of her postage-stamp-sized storefront in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood in early 2020, Susan has provided bespoke florals with an emphasis on locally-grown, foam-free designs. Later, she expanded bloominCouture to include a production and workshop space, just one door down, where a team of designers works daily to fulfill standing orders from a number of luxury retailer brands and residential clients. You’ll be inspired listening to Susan and watching her process ~ I know I was!

Susan Chambers in Where We Bloom
Susan Chambers featured in Where We Bloom

I have been saving today’s podcast to share with you since I filmed it in early October, and it feels like the first week of 2026 is an ideal time to share this beautiful dose of New Year’s design inspiration with our community.

bloominCouture's floral arrangement featuring seasonal California-grown botanicals
bloominCouture’s floral arrangement featuring seasonal California-grown botanicals

My guest, Susan Chambers, owns San Francisco-based bloominCouture, a jewel box of a flower and gift shop. That’s where she hosted a book-signing event for “The Flower Farmers” in early October. A highlight of this episode includes Susan’s design demonstration of a low, lush centerpiece and a conversation about her maximal approach of layering color upon color; texture upon texture. You’ll want to both listen and watch this episode – and enjoy every moment.

Local roses for Susan Chambers' design demonstration
Local roses for Susan Chambers’ design demonstration

Susan is a California native and former global fashionista who moved from couture to flowers by studying with the top master florists both in the U.S. and in London. Susan brings her vision, honed by her McQueens Flower School of London training, experiences living overseas, years working in high fashion and her passion for finding beauty in all organic materials to creating truly bespoke arrangements.

Susan is a proud member of the Slow Flowers community and committed to sustainability. The focus of bloominCouture is to combine the beauty and aesthetics of a proper European luxury florist with the relaxed elegance of California living, in the heart of San Francisco.

Find and follow Susan Chambers at bloominCouture on Instagram and Facebook

LISTEN to my past interview with Susan Chambers: March 1, 2023
Episode 599: Sustainable Luxury Floral Design with Susan Chambers of San Francisco’s bloominCouture


Join Us on January 9th: Learn about RANUNCULUS!

Learn successful ranunculus-growing techniques from Brooke Palmer (Jenny Creek Flowers)
Learn successful ranunculus-growing techniques from Brooke Palmer (Jenny Creek Flowers)

Coming up this Friday, January 9th, we’re returning to our ongoing Slow Flowers Member Meet-Ups! The timely topic of our January Meet-Up will help jump-start your early-spring floral enterprise. Brooke Palmer of Jenny Creek Flowers will present ‘LET’S GROW RANUNCULUS.” Brooke will share her practical tips and expert advice to help you grow beautiful ranunculus. Bring your questions!
P.S., we’ll have a drawing for one free spot in Brooke’s upcoming course: Grow Ranunculus This Spring: A Step-by-Step Course for Stunning Blooms. Join us this Friday, January 9th (9:00 a.m. PT/Noon ET). We hope to see you there!


Lowest Slow Flowers Summit Pricing Expires on January 11th

Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2026 speaker lineup
Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2026 speaker lineup

And there are just a few more days to take advantage of our New Year-New You gift — a special $50 Off savings when you register for the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit.

We are back for Year Two and coming to you virtually to bring you inspiration and education during the two-day online conference. The program includes 10 hours of education from 13 speakers near and far – an incredible rate for $289 general admission and $239 for Slow Flowers members. You can register for an additional $50 off – now through January 11th with the Promo Code: $50OFFWORLDWIDE

Learn from some amazing creative professionals, thought leaders, and voices of sustainability as part of the progressive Slow Flowers Community. Learn more in our show notes or visit slowflowerssummit.com.


Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Royal Anthos Lily Bulbs

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 Association of Specialty Cut Flowers. The ASCFG is a gathering place for specialty cut flower growers of all levels of experience. It is a hub of knowledge, where seasoned experts and budding enthusiasts come together to learn, share, and support one another. The ASCFG is dedicated to empowering its members with the knowledge and resources needed to thrive in the world of cut flower farming. From educational workshops and conferences to online resources and publications, they provide a wealth of information and support for all things related to growing exceptional cut flowers. Learn more about the ASCFG and how to be a part of it at www.ascfg.org!

Thank you to the Seattle 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 seattlegrowersmarket.com.


Slow Flowers Podcast Logo with flowers, recorder and mic

Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 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.


Debra in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden
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!


Music credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; Cast in Wicker
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com

Episode 749: Floral Tourism visits historic gardens and modern-day flower festivals of Holland and Belgium, with Debra Prinzing, Lorene Edwards Forkner and Lois Moss

Wednesday, December 31st, 2025

As a special year-end episode of the Slow Flowers Podcast, you’re invited to join me today in conversation with garden tour producer Lois Moss, and my dear friend, Lorene Edwards Forkner, artist, author, and regular contributor to the Seattle Times. Together, we are planning a one-of-a-kind botanical tour in Spring 2026 – a unique Slow Flowers Experience that takes us to Holland and Belgium in April for a 7-day river boat cruise, plus several optional floral excursions and festivals.
Here at Slow Flowers, we declared Floral Tourism a top insight in 2017 and in the subsequent nine years leading up to 2026, the allure of traveling and touring floral and garden destinations has been an important facet of our profession. Part education and research; part rest and retreat, when we visit botanical gardens, flower farms, and floral festivals, there’s something vital about these experiences. Tourism combined with fellow flower and garden lovers enriches our lives far beyond connecting with nature.
We’re getting excited and you’re invited to join me on this special tour this coming spring. Seek new inspiration as you engage with the world and explore creative expression in 2026 – and listen on for updates because there’s new pricing just announced for the cruise portion of the tour.

Come to Holland and Belgium with Slow Flowers
Come to Holland and Belgium with Slow Flowers during tulip season!

I took my first trip to Amsterdam in 2005 when I joined a press tour for a small group of garden writers during tulip season. It was an unforgettable experience. The flowers, landscapes, and floral designs left a lasting impression on my own aesthetic and deepened my love of bulb gardening and designing with those blooms. Last year, in 2024, I returned, visiting Amsterdam during Dutch Lily Days! That journey greatly influenced my newfound love affair with lily gardening and floral design with lilies.

Lorene Edwards Forkner (left) and Debra Prinzing (right)
Lorene Edwards Forkner (left) and Debra Prinzing (right)

Imagine my delight to now be planning an intimate, customized garden and floral tour that I will co-host with Lois Moss of Tour 2 Explore More and our artist-in-residence Lorene Edwards Forkner, author of Color In and Out of the Garden. Yes, we are heading to Holland and Belgium for a very special excursion that is 100% tailored to the garden, flower, and art lover.

Ama Waterways riverboat
Ama Waterways riverboat

I’ve always wanted to take a European river cruise. Combining some of Holland’s and Belgium’s most exclusive gardens and floral venues with traveling onboard an AmaWaterways ship will be truly special. Lois, Lorene, and I will take you to inspiring garden and floral destinations and cultural sights, with custom shore excursions for our group. Lois has developed and led numerous international tours and we are in great hands with Tour 2 Explore More.

Slow Flowers Experiences go to Holland and Belgium
Slow Flowers Experiences go to Holland and Belgium. The charming map at right was illustrated by our very own Jenny M. Diaz
Floral figures on a Bloemencorso parade float
Floral figures on a Bloemencorso parade float

The main tour will be April 19-29 and includes a 7-night river cruise with custom shore excursions plus 3 nights in the charming city of Utrecht. 

There will be an optional 2 day pre-tour for those who want to experience the famous Bloemencorso Bollenstreek flower parade on Saturday night.

And if you just want to join us for just the 7-night cruise, that option is now available.  Our group pricing is more than $1,000 lower than the regular retail price.  AmaWaterways is a fan favorite and their river cruises get rave reviews for their gourmet food and all-inclusive shore excursions

Registration for the tour and the $1000 discount is only available until January 20.  Act soon if you want to join us! Today’s episode dives deep into the destinations and details about the river cruise, the gardens, and floral excursions, and more. Lorene and I joined Lois to look at the tour route as we discuss our excitement and address some frequently-asked questions from our travelers.  

Color studies with Lorene Edwards Forkner
Color studies with Lorene Edwards Forkner

Thanks so much for joining me today! In addition to learning about gardens and floral design with Debra, Lorene will bring an artist’s sensibility to our tour! With Lorene’s personal approach to “seeing,” you will explore the power of language and mark-making to enlarge your travel experience. You’ll be inspired to capture garden moments and memories with a variety of simple prompts to pique curiosity and hone observation. No previous experience necessary.

Floral performers at Bloemncorso parade
Floral performers at Bloemncorso parade

All the tour details are covered in the show notes and you can always reach out to Lois to get your questions answered. I’ve included her information in our show notes, as well as an updated link to reserve your cabin on our tour! Registration for the tour and the $1000 discount is only available until January 20.  Act soon if you want to join us!


Countdown to the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2026

Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2026 speaker lineup
Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2026 speaker lineup

Our New Year-New You gift to you is a special $50 Off when you register for the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit.

We are back for Year Two and coming to you virtually to bring you inspiration and education during the two-day online conference. The program includes 10 hours of education from 13 speakers near and far – an incredible rate for $289 general admission and $239 for Slow Flowers members.

You can register for an additional $50 off – now through January 11th with the Promo Code: $50OFFWORLDWIDE

Learn from some amazing creative professionals, thought leaders, and voices of sustainability as part of the progressive Slow Flowers Community.


Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Royal Anthos Lily Bulbs

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 A-ROO Company, your one-stop shop for in-stock floral packaging. From sleeves and wraps to labels and tags, visit www.a-roo.com for their full selection of eco-friendly items or to start the process of developing a look that is uniquely yours.

Thank you to Charles Little & Company for supplying our industry with some of the most beautiful and sustainably-grown design ingredients, available nationwide through their website at charleslittleandcompany.com. Based in Eugene, Oregon, the farmers at Charles Little & Company have been growing and drying flowers since 1986. New products and dried flower collections are added to their website at the first of each month. Check it out at charleslittleandcompany.com.


Slow Flowers Podcast Logo with flowers, recorder and mic

Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 1.5 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.


Debra in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden
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!


Music credits:

Drone Pine; Gaena; Bitter Bit
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

Lovely
by Tryad 
http://tryad.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In The Field
audionautix.com