Debra Prinzing

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Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category

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 761: 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

Wednesday, March 25th, 2026

The theme of today’s episode is straight from our Slow Flowers Floral Insights and Industry Forecast – an insight that identifies cutting garden plants as an important business channel. Flower farmers are translating their expertise into new revenue streams by growing and selling cut flower seedlings and starts to flower lovers and fellow growers. Last fall, we produced a report for Johnny’s Seeds’ newsletter on this trend and today, three of the growers featured in that story share more about their cutting garden plant collections. As the idea of “gardening like a flower farmer” has taken off, and as home gardeners and floral enthusiasts ask for the unique cultivars that the pros grow, we’re thrilled that more gardeners want to jump-start their cutting gardens with flowers sown by someone else. For the consumer, this means having a cut flower garden without the grit and grind of farming. For flower farmers and farmer-florists it means trading your time and knowledge for a rewarding new revenue stream.

Kate Skelton, Fawn Rueckert, and Carol Wetzel
Kate Skelton, Fawn Rueckert (pictured in overalls), and Carol Wetzel

It’s the season for plant sales and for encouraging customers to grow cutting gardens! Today, you’ll learn from three Slow Flowers members as they discuss the market potential of growing and selling cut flower seedlings!

cut flower seedlings for profit
Cut flower seedlings for profit

Flower Farmers: Learn how you can translate your expertise into a revenue stream when you grow and sell cutting garden plants to flower lovers and fellow growers. 

Florists: Get in on the act and offer locally-grown cut flowers as an add-on for workshops and special events!

As special thank-you to our expert panelists, Kate Skelton of Edgewood, Washington-based Gratitude Flowers; Carol Wetzel of The Little Farm on Olga Road in Eastsound-Washington on Orcas Island; and Fawn Rueckert of Sego Lily Flower Farm in Jordan, Utah, who is also the resident flower farmer and educator at Snuck Farm.

This session was recorded as part of the March Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up and we wanted to share it today for our viewers and listeners. It’s a follow-up to our November 2025 feature article in Johnny’s Seeds’ JSS Advantage Newsletter. Let’s dive into cutting garden plants and learn new ways you can profit from your farming expertise!

LEARN MORE: Enjoy our past Slow Flowers Podcast episodes with these experts
Episode 489 (January 20, 2021): Fawn Rueckert of Sego Lily Flower Farm, an urban micro farm in Utah
Episode 652 (March 6, 2024): Building a niche supplying flower seedlings for farmers and gardeners with Kate Skelton of Gratitude Flowers
Episode 734 (September 17, 2025): A visit to The Little Farm on Olga Road, with Carol Wetzel and Allan Tone, where customers are welcomed to harvest the beauty of flowers, herbs, and vegetables

FIND/FOLLOW:
Sego Lily Flower Farm
on Instagram and Facebook
Snuck Flowers on Instagram
Gratitude Flowers on Instagram and Facebook
The Little Farm on Olga Road on Instagram and Facebook


Join us at the ULTIMATE CUTTING GARDEN PLANT SALE

2026 Ultimate Cutting Garden Plant Sale
2026 Ultimate Cutting Garden Plant Sale

And head’s up if you’re in the Seattle area on May 3rd, please attend the Ultimate Cutting Garden Plant Sale, produced in partnership with the Seattle Growers Market. As you heard, Kate Skelton of Gratitude Flowers will be back with her soil-block cutting garden collections, as well as annuals, perennials, tubers and seeds – and possibly a few ornamental woody plant surprises – from dozens of the Market’s member growers and more Slow Flowers members. This is a free event – just bring your wagon and boxes to transport your purchases. You can find more details and the signup/RSVP link in today’s show notes! I hope to see you there!


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.

Our final sponsor thanks goes 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; Paper Feather
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 759: “Beautiful Roses,” with author Janice Cox of Natural Beauty at Home

Wednesday, March 11th, 2026

Everyone loves roses, and Janice Cox proves why in her new book, “Beautiful Roses: A Guide and Workbook for Growing, Using, and Enjoying America’s Favorite Flower.” The book covers rose growing but also the endless ways you can integrate roses into cooking, crafting, and wellness. A nationally recognized expert in natural beauty, DIY skincare, and gardening for health and wellness, Janice is author of five books, and she has created a series of hands-on workbooks focused on growing, using, and enjoying herbs and flowers. A longtime Slow Flowers member, she shares her newest book with us today – combining the beauty, fragrance and creativity that roses, rose gardening, and cultivation can bring to your life and your floral enterprise.

Janice Cox, author of Beautiful Roses
Janice Cox, author of Beautiful Roses

Today’s interview is the third 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.

Cooking with Roses
Cooking with Roses

I’m so happy that we can learn from Janice Cox, Oregon-based author and expert on the natural use of so many beloved plants. She calls herself “the original DIY-er,” meaning that long before DIY was even a term, Janice turned to plants, nature, and the garden to make what other people purchase in plastic bottles or jars, as well as to cook with and make functional, everyday items.

Natural Beauty with Roses
Natural Beauty with Roses

I love how she has created a meaningful, plant-filled and flower-filled life and career. In our conversation, you’ll learn not only volumes about America’s favorite flower, the rose, but also (surprisingly) about Luffas. The common thread is that both the rose and the luffa plant can be grown and harvested for many uses. And sprinkled throughout this episode are delightful plant facts – stories of history, symbolism, and tradition – along with practical tips for preserving their blooms, petals, stems, and fruit.

Crafting with Roses
Crafting with Roses

Find and follow Janice Cox at these social places:
Instagram and Facebook
Order “Roses” and Janice’s other books here


Join us at the Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up

Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up for March 13

In news of the week, there’s still time to sign up and attend our March Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up – coming up this Friday, March 13th at 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. The topic is one that’s particularly appealing to both growers and farmer-florists, but also to home gardeners. We’ve invited three of our members to share their experience, advice, and tips in a session called Growing Flower Seedlings for Profit. You’ll learn from Kate Skelton, Fawn Reuckert, and Carol Wetzel as they discuss how you can translate your expertise into a revenue stream when you grow and sell cutting garden plants to flower lovers and fellow growers. And florists will be encouraged to get in on the act and offer locally-grown cut flowers as an add-on for workshops and special events! Pre-registration is required for this Zoom meeting. Click the signup link below, or find a link in our Instagram linktree bio for Slowflowerssociety. Hope to see you there!


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 Flower Growers. 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; Rose Ornamental
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 757: Briana Selstad Bosch of Blossom and Branch Farm on her new book, “The Regenerative Gardener’s Handbook.”

Wednesday, February 25th, 2026

In her new book, “The Regenerative Gardener’s Handbook: Essential Techniques for Growing a Garden that Leaves the Land Healthier Than You Found It,” farmer-florist, YouTube influencer, and educator Briana Selstad Bosch translates her practices at Blossom and Branch Farm into backyard and residential gardening ideas for readers who want to change their relationship with the soil and with nature. In addition to sharing ways that she has eliminated chemicals and plastic from her farming practices, Briana inspires readers to prioritize the health of their own ecosystems, no matter the size. She advocates for planting more native varieties and establishing a closed-loop garden that’s self-sustaining. This is a book for gardeners, for sure, but it will also give flower farmers and farmer-florists new ideas for having a regenerative mindset of their own.

Aerial view of Blossom and Branch Farm
Aerial view of Blossom and Branch Farm
The Regenerative Gardener's Handbook by Briana Selstad Bosch

Today’s interview is the first in a 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.

When Jeff Swenson, the flower festival’s general manager and seminar and judging manager LaManda Joy, offered me my own room for Slow Flowers gatherings during the five-day event, I realized it would be perfect for podcast recordings.


Slow Flowers Podcast LIVE

But with so many people coming to the flower festival, why not invite them to join in? We created Slow Flowers Podcast LIVE, a four-day series featuring a daily interview with a Slow Flowers member and author who was at the festival to launch a new gardening or floral book. The addition of an audience was so positive and we invited people to ask questions of our guests after my interview.

Today’s guest is Briana Selstad Bosch, the founder of Blossom and Branch and a longtime Slow Flowers member. She is a past guest of this podcast – we recorded an interview in 2022 (Episode 570). Briana also participated as a presenter of last year’s Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, speaking on “Building a Sustainable Brand,” and she’s featured in our 2025 book, “The Flower Farmers.”

Blossom and Branch is a two-acre microfarm in Colorado that uses organic and regenerative processes to grow flowers, vegetables, and native plants that provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators. Briana teaches regenerative gardening workshops online and in person.

Page from The Regenerative Gardener's Handbook
A peek inside The Regenerative Gardener’s Handbook
The Regenerative Gardener's Handbook inside spread
Plant for Biodiversity, from “The Regenerative Gardener’s Handbook”

In eight chapters of “The Regenerative Gardener’s Handbook,” Briana outlines the key principles of having a regenerative gardening mindset, through which readers – gardeners and flower farmers alike – can reframe their perspective on how to garden alongside nature.

Order “The Regenerative Gardener’s Handbook”
Follow Blossom and Branch (and Briana Selstad Bosch) on YouTube and Instagram

In 2025, Briana offered two garden retreats to France and her retreats and workshops continue for 2026. These special, small-group garden retreats are designed for those who love gardens, travel, beauty, and meaningful connection. The Paris Garden Tour is already sold out, but here are two others to check out:

First, an on-farm retreat at Blossom and Branch Farm, April 15-18, 2026, which includes a 4-night, 3-day immersive stay at the farm, hands on learning, gardening, growing, and eating farm to table with fellow garden lovers! Learn more about the on-farm retreat here!

And that’s followed by A Garden in France is a 5-day retreat (September 5-10, 2026), which combines gardening and great local food. The retreat is hosted by Chateau de Freyssinet – a castle nestled in the quiet green hills of the Limousin – an undiscovered part of France. You can find links to both events 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 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.

Our next sponsor thanks goes to Longfield Gardens, which provides home gardeners with high quality flower bulbs and perennials. Their online store offers plants for every region and every season, from tulips and daffodils to dahlias, caladiums and amaryllis. Check out the full catalog at Longfield Gardens at longfield-gardens.com.


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; Waterbourne
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 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 748: Flowers & Ceramics, creating a floral enterprise that combines one artist’s passions, with Michelle Hartney

Wednesday, December 24th, 2025

In 2018, we named Slow Pottery one of our ten floral insights of the year, and the interest in combining locally-grown flowers with curated pottery and vase collections has only continued to gain momentum. The demand for American-made pottery first caught our attention in a 2015 New York Times article titled “The Budding Ceramics-to-Table Movement,” with the subtitle: “Why handmade ceramics are white hot.” The story noted that ” . . . the rejection of factory-produced sameness in dinnerware and vases reflects a desire to get back to something more essential.”
Over the past decade, Slow Pottery has continued to be a theme of interest in the Slow Flowers movement. We hosted several of our members who make pottery or collaborate with ceramic artists in 2023, for a Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up, highlighting the importance of artisan pottery for artisan bouquets. Clearly, we LOVE this topic! And today’s guest, Michelle Hartney, owner of a Chicago-based micro flower farm and a ceramics studio, brings it all together, melding and harmonizing all of her interests and talents in an inspiring conversation that you’ll love and learn from.

Michelle Hartney of Flowers & Ceramics
Michelle Hartney of Flowers & Ceramics

This is a perfect episode to watch while you’re cozied up for the winter holiday week, because if you’re like me, you’re already beginning to fill your notebook with lists of ideas for the New Year – may you have a bit of quiet time this week to do just that, as you dream and imagine your own list of goals for 2026. Perhaps, making Slow Pottery that helps your Slow Flowers shine is on that list – for me, today’s guest is the catalyst for that exercise!

Michelle Hartney of Flowers and Ceramics in her Chicago micro farm
Michelle Hartney of Flowers and Ceramics in her Chicago micro farm

Michelle Hartney is an artist, activist, and flower farmer based in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, where she creates handmade ceramics and grows specialty cut flowers. Her work is grounded in a deep connection to both the land and the materials she uses—everything begins with her hands in either clay or soil.

Handmade pottery by Flowers and Ceramics
Handmade pottery by Flowers and Ceramics

Working primarily with stoneware, Michelle combines wheel-throwing and hand-building techniques to create both functional objects and sculptural works. Many of her vases are designed with specific blooms in mind, shaped to hold a particular stem or to echo the natural gesture of a plant.

Flowers and Ceramics, an urban micro farm in Chicago
Flowers and Ceramics, an urban micro farm in Chicago

After learning about the floral industry’s impact on climate change, Hartney began merging her love of flowers, art, and activism into a single practice. She grows flowers on her micro-flower farm in Chicago and hydroponically in her basement, offering flower subscriptions to her local community. Through this work, she aims to raise awareness about the flower industry’s carbon footprint, provide ethically grown flowers year-round, and spread beauty as an act of resistance and care.

Flowers and Ceramics dahlia patch
Flowers and Ceramics dahlia patch

Among other influences, Michelle says her practice is deeply influenced by the Slow Flowers Movement, which resonates strongly within her own mission to connect art, ecology, and activism through the language of flowers. I’m so excited to share today’s conversation with you – as the art of growing flowers and the art of designing with flowers converge with Michelle’s hand-made vessels!

Flowers and Ceramics sidewalk flower stand
Flowers and Ceramics sidewalk flower stand

Thanks so much for joining me today! I am moved by what she writes on her website: “Each ceramic piece I create is either wheel-thrown or hand-built in a beautiful studio in Chicago. I love working with white stoneware and I’m interested in designing vases with integrated flower frogs to eliminate the need for toxic floral foam or wasteful chicken wire when creating arrangements.”

Flowers and Ceramics - this photo says it all
Flowers and Ceramics — artisan flowers and artisan vesselw — this photo says it all

Find and Follow Flowers and Ceramics on Instagram and Facebook

Follow Michelle Hartney Art on Instagram


Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit news

2026 Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit Speakers
2026 Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit Speakers

Things are getting exciting as we approach 2026, when the second online edition of our Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit takes place ONLINE January 30-31 – and I hope you check out the details in our show notes – or just log onto slowflowerssummit.com to register.

The reason I say things are getting exciting, is that I’ve been working closely with all of our presenters, as they prepare and film their presentations for you. From Shane Connolly and Cel Robinson in the UK to presenters across the country – all Slow Flowers members – you will gain more than 10 hours of flower growing and designing education for just $289 (and remember, Slow Flowers members always receive a discounted registration – this year, that will be $239). And hey, thanks to the $199 gift of a flowering tree, which our lead sponsor, mypatiotree.com will send you, this conference practically pays for itself. And, did I mention that we’ve partnered with Black Flower Farmers to develop the content? It’s inspiring and expansive and you can find more details and the Summit registration link below!


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; Stanza in Fuchsia 
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 744: Abbie Zabar’s new book, BOUQUET: Floral Arrangements at the Metropolitan Museum

Wednesday, November 26th, 2025

For ten years, New York-based artist and illustrator Abbie Zabar had unique, early-morning access to the Great Hall at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. With colored-pencils and a small square of paper, Abbie drew the dramatic floral arrangements on display in the Great Hall, designed by Chris Giftos, the Met’s floral master who served from 1970-2004.
Now, Abbie’s tiny masterpieces are collected in a beautiful new book called BOUQUET: Floral Arrangements at the Metropolitan Museum. From holiday arrangements of magnolia leaves, red berries and flyaway branches to summertime fiestas of palm leaves, red-hot pokers, and birds of paradise; in the hands of their secret chronicler, each floral arrangement comes alive on the page, expressing all the joy of nature. Including Abbie’s own notes on the compositions of the bouquets, as well as the story of her time as the museum’s quiet observer, Bouquet is inspiration for florists, gardeners, and fans of botanical art everywhere. I visited Abbie at her New York apartment and studio a few weeks ago, and I’m delighted to share our conversation with you today.

Abbie Zabar and Debra Prinzing in Abbie's NYC apartment
Abbie Zabar and Debra Prinzing in Abbie’s NYC apartment. Some of her original drawings appear on the shelves behind us.
Bouquet cover artwork with Abbie's charming hand-illustrated inscription
Bouquet cover artwork with Abbie’s charming hand-illustrated inscription

Ten years ago, I hosted Abbie Zabar on the Slow Flowers Podcast in Episode 196 (June 3, 2015). And today, we welcome her back to the show. In that conversation, Abbie talks about her decade-long practice of observing and drawing the gorgeous flower-filled urns, in the Metropolitan Museum’s great hall. To use Amy Stewart’s description of appointing oneself an artist-in-residence, Abbie did just that, quietly observing and sketching Chris Giftos’ magnificent flower-filled urns. At first, she sat on the floor, leaning against the wall and sketching in her lap. After a museum guard tried to shoo her off because she couldn’t sit on the floor, Abbie procured a small stool and later befriended the museum guards who became her advocates and supporters, even letting her into the Metropolitan Museum before opening hours to draw without interruption. What a glorious story!

A peek outside to see Abbie's rooftop garden in the city
A peek outside to see Abbie’s rooftop garden in the city
Enter Abbie Zabar's rooftop garden in New York
Enter Abbie Zabar’s rooftop garden in New York

Abbie is an acclaimed artist, illustrator, and garden designer, and the author of six books. Her first book, The Potted Herb (1988), is now considered a gardening classic. She has created garden and graphic designs for numerous prestigious companies and organizations, including Bergdorf Goodman, Daniel Boulud’s restaurants, and PS 198. Her landscape collages have been represented by Allan Stone and BlumHelman, and her Flowers in the Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art series has been represented by Ursus Books & Prints and the Horticultural Society of New York.

Abbie’s artwork has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the Parrish Museum, the International Paper Corporation, the Louvre, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (London) and the Vigeland Museum (Oslo), and is part of the permanent collections of the Mead Paper Corporation of America, the Brooklyn Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and the Smithsonian Museum. Abbie’s illustrated articles have appeared in Garden DesignHorticultureFine GardeningGourmet and The New York Times, as well as in numerous esteemed British publications. She received the 2010 Award for Best Newspaper Writing from the Garden Writers Association (now GardenComm).

Some of the drawings have been exhibited in the past, including at the Wave Hill show in 2015 that was the theme of my prior interview with Abbie. But now, just in time for gifting to yourself or your favorite flower lover, these drawings and accompanying essays are collect in a new book, aptly called BOUQUET.

Join me for a delightful conversation with Abbie, filmed in her New York apartment, where we look at the book, see some original art, and discuss this important practice of observing nature.

Details on how you can order a signed copy of BOUQUET from Abbie’s favorite neighborhood bookseller, The Corner Bookstore (1313 Madison Avenue at 93rd Street, New York). When you contact them, say you’d like to order a personally signed copy of the book!
Call: 212-831-3554
Email: cornerbook@aol.com
Web: cornerbookstorenyc.com

Find and follow Abbie Zabar on Instagram


Hot off the Press: Fall 2025 issue of Slow Flowers Journal

In Slow Flowers news, we’ve just published the Fall 2025 issue of Slow Flowers Journal for Harvest and Holiday season. This beautiful quarterly magazine is filled with articles and inspiration featuring our members and their creative endeavors in the world. We feature contributing designers, writers, and columnists from across the Slow Flowers World, and you’ll want to check out your free copy of the magazine (read above). I’m especially wowed by the cover artwork, a dried floral installation at Lyndhurst Mansion in New York, designed by Muriel Poure of Muriel Fleurs, who we will soon host on this podcast.


Slow Flowers Summit Cyber Monday Giveaway!

Coming up soon, you are invited to join us at the 2026 Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, taking place ONLINE January 30-31.

My Patio Tree.com logo
My Patio Tree

We’re celebrating Cyber Monday with something extra special! Purchase your Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit ticket between December 1–7, and our lead sponsor, MyPatioTree.com, will send you a patio-ready flowering tree (value $199) as a complimentary gift this spring.

MyPatioTree.com grows premium patio-sized ornamental trees: compact, elegant standards designed to bring beauty and structure to any small space. Grown on a third-generation family nursery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, these exceptional trees are known as the “gold standard of standards,” and we know you’ll love yours. Each one ships directly from the farm so it arrives fresh to your door for an effortless, elevated outdoor experience.

After you register, you’ll receive a link in January to claim your free tree. If you’ve already purchased your ticket, you’re automatically included. Trees can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.


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; Topslides
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