Debra Prinzing

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Archive for the ‘Plants’ Category

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 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 752: Deb Majerus and Joel MacDonald of Minnesota’s Iron Butterfly Flower Farm

Wednesday, January 21st, 2026

On a sweet, 6-acre country parcel in Rochester, Minnesota, Deb Majerus and Joel MacDonald are creating a place of beauty and sanctuary, spreading joy to their community as an oasis just beyond busy roads, paving and residential developments all around. Minnesota natives who dated in high school and reunited years later, Deb and Joel grow spring perennials, peonies, and specialize in native plants for floral design and to create a more welcoming, regenerative habitat for their farm. I sat down with this engaging couple recently to hear more about their story and the path that led them to flower farming, inspired by their passion for the Slow Flowers Movement and their growing expertise in the benefits of native plants.

Helen the Van at Iron Butterfly Flower Farm
Meet Helen, Joel’s van from high school given to him by his grandparents, named for Grandma Helen. Deb & Joel went on some dates in this van in H.S.

At Iron Butterfly Flower Farm, native flowers and sustainable regenerative practices are at the heart of everything Deb Majerus and Joel MacDonald are doing. Their passion for the native flora and fauna of Minnesota, has prompted them to grow native flowers, grasses, trees, and shrubs to support beneficial insects with pollen and nectar, and to provide habitat and food for songbirds and pollinators.  Iron Butterly Flower Farm grows a variety of native species from early spring ephemerals to showy mid-summer blooms to late autumn sources of nectar for pollinators.

Deb Majerus
Deb Majerus
Joel MacDonald
Joel MacDonald

They offer spring bouquet subscriptions, DIY wedding and event flowers, farm tours and workshops, and sell seasonally at the Rochester Farmers’ Market.

We originally met in person when Deb and Joel attended the Slow Flowers Summit in 2024, held in Banff, Alberta, Canada, and we published Deb’s article, “Growing Native Plants to Combat Climate Change,” in the 2024 Slow Flowers Journal – see “Native Flora” below.
Read the full issue here

Native Flora article by Deb Majerus

The three of us reunited last week in Albuquerque, where we attended the ASCFG conference. I set up a little recording studio in my hotel room and they joined me to share their story.

Joel MacDonald and Deb Majerus of Iron Butterfly Flower Farm
Joel MacDonald and Deb Majerus of Iron Butterfly Flower Farm

Find and follow Iron Butterfly Flower Farm on Instagram and Pinterest

Also, if you’re looking for ideas that might inspire you to add more workshops, check out “The Art of Seasonal Flowers,” a 10-workshop series that Iron Butterfly Flower Farm has just announced, offering many ways for their community to learn about and engage with local flowers. From sun-printed botanicals to a culinary session focused on edible flowers to hand-carved block printing inspired by the farm – these are really creative ideas packaged in a beautiful way. Plus, the series generates revenue, brings people to the farm, and deepens relationships with return customers. Check it out.

Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit

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

If you’re listening to this podcast on its release day – January 21st, we’re just 9 days from the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit. We are super excited to “go live” with the 10 hours of floral education starting next Friday, January 30th. We are back for Year Two and coming to you virtually to deliver inspiration and education during the two-day online conference. The program 13 speakers near and far – at an incredible rate for $289 general registration. Remember, Slow Flowers members receive $50 off their registration at $239.

My Patio Tree flowering lilac tree

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! One more reminder. The sessions will be available for replay for three months, through the end of April, so you can watch at your leisure and rewatch to capture all the information our instructors will share. 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 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; Wingspan
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

Episode 742: Brian and Kimberley Hautau of New Jersey’s Hautau & Sons on Year-Round Growing and Supplying Local Flowers to NYC’s Wholesale Market

Wednesday, November 12th, 2025

Join me in a virtual tour of Hautau & Sons, a third-generation greenhouse grower of uncommon specialty cut flowers. Founded in 1902, Hautau & Sons is now run by Brian and Kimberley Hautau, who are both stewarding the family business that Brian’s grandfather started; it was later operated by Brian’s father and uncle, until, in 2010, Brian and Kimberley acquired the business. With Brian’s decades of experience in horticulture and landscape design-build contracting; and Kimberley’s decades in financial accounting, the couple has turned to flower farming for their second chapter. In doing so, they both honor the past and turn to future innovations in how this business serves the greater New York City region. I’ve heard about their amazing winter ranunculus for years, and because I traveled to New Jersey to lecture last week, I invited myself for a tour and conversation with these passionate Slow Flowers members. Learn how their strategic growing calendar keeps Hautau & Sons’ relevant and essential for their marketplace.

Kimberley and Brian Hautau
Kimberley and Brian Hautau

In many parts of North America, we’ve already marked what my flower farmer friends call “Frost-Mas” on the calendar. It’s that moment when you’re possibly quite exhausted at the end of the growing season . . . and then Mother Nature’s hand and the first frost of the season gives you a respite. The field crops take a hit and while the garden cleanup (and dahlia digs) are on the horizon, you can take a moment to exhale. It’s also a time, depending on your crop mix and selection of woody and evergreen plants, when your income stream may begin to look quite different from peak of summer.

A vintage sign from an earlier era
A vintage sign from an earlier era

On my visit last week to interview Kimberley and Brian Hautau in Branchville, New Jersey, I learned how these third-generation greenhouse growers celebrate Frost-Mas. They don’t skip a beat because they have a clever strategy to grow premium floral crops that bloom early or late, depending on the variety.

Dahlia greenhouse at Hautau & Sons
Dahlia greenhouse at Hautau & Sons — dahlias flourishing in early November for the NYC flower district shoppers.

Under cover of historic 1920s glass greenhouses and a few younger poly-covered structures, Hautau & Sons is still celebrating dahlia, zinnia, and marigold season. These flowers are cut, bunched, sleeved, and delivered each week to NYC’s floral district, fondly known as West 28th Street. Hautau & Sons supplies many of the established wholesale florists in this district and each stem is clearly branded with their family name.

Just-picked dahlias
Just-picked dahlias in cream and coral
"chocolate" dahlias from Hautau & Sons
A seasonal favorite: “chocolate” dahlias from Hautau & Sons

I first met Kimberley through New Jersey based floral designer TJ McGrath, and he helped facilitate our inviting Hautau & Sons to join Slow Flowers Society as members several years ago. It was thrilling to tour the greenhouses with Kimberley (who has an artist’s understanding of floral color and style trends) and fellow hort-head Brian (who is always on the hunt for an unusual landscape shrub that he can introduce to the floral marketplace).


Join us at the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit 2026

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

Don’t forget to grab your registration to the 2026 Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, taking place ONLINE January 30-31. We’re so excited to welcome many top floral experts in sustainable farming and floral design, and you’ll gain both inspiration and knowledge to directly invest into your own floral enterprise. The countdown to the Summit is underway and I encourage you to follow us on Instagram at SlowFlowersSociety or SlowFlowersSummit where you’ll see weekly IG live conversations with our speakers.


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; Blue Garden
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 738: Meet Melissa Olson of Penflora Designs, a Bay Area floral studio and lifestyle shop reflecting her love of nature, the garden, and local blooms

Wednesday, October 15th, 2025

At Penflora, sustainable floristry meets thoughtful design. Founder Melissa Olson recently hosted me for a book-signing event at her Bay Area shop where we celebrated the publication of The Flower Farmers and enjoyed her beautiful floral design demonstration. It was one stop during a full weekend of floral, garden, and book events and you’ll love joining me on a tour through Melissa’s Slow Flowers-centered business. She founded Penflora in 2017 as a design studio that has expanded into a beautiful retail shop in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco, where the goods are curated and selected for the flower lover. After my reading and short introduction The Flower Farmers, Melissa demonstrated a seasonal arrangement complete with foraged garden elements and locally-grown blooms. It’s the perfect inspiration for autumn and I know you’ll connect with Melissa and her story.

Debra Prinzing (left) with Melissa Olson of Penflora Designs (right) (c) Niesha Blancas photo
Debra Prinzing (left) with Melissa Olson of Penflora Designs (right) (c) Niesha Blancas photo

Today, you’ll learn from Melissa Olson, owner of Penflora, a design studio and lifestyle store in Burlingame, California, just south of San Francisco.

I’ve met Melissa on a few occasions, including at the Slow Flowers Summit in 2021 when it took place in her backyard at Filoli historic home and gardens, and in Seattle when she traveled here to join the design workshop with Shane Connolly a few years ago. But I’ve been wanting to spend more time getting to know her and more about her path to florals.

When I knew I would be in the Bay Area for a weekend of book events, I reached out to schedule an interview for this podcast. That turned into Melissa suggesting we hold a book-signing in her shop. We both managed to achieve our goals and today, you’ll meet Melissa, join me on a tour of Penflora, and learn about her business model.

Growing up surrounded by nature and parents who loved to entertain, Melissa developed a deep appreciation for how plants and flowers can transform a space, whether in a garden, a vase, or as part of a thoughtfully designed interior or table scape. Melissa says she loves layers! 

Penflora specializes in bespoke floral designs and is home to a unique and relaxing boutique where nature meets design through sustainable floristry and an offering of curated items and gifts. There’s a fabulous mix of vintage and contemporary items for gift giving and the home. It’s filled with a residential-style ambiance that enhances workshops, private parties, and (of course) shopping.

Melissa studied landscape design at Filoli, and she continues to provide commercial and Residential plant and floral design work for events and clients as a service of Penflora.

Find and follow Penflora on Instagram and Facebook


Join Us at the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit

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

In Slow Flowers news, remember, you still have time to grab your Early Bird ticket to the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, taking place January 30-31, 2026. The speaker lineup is truly inspiring and as we start to record and capture the tours, design demonstrations and presentations on film, I’m more excited than ever! I have been previewing the expertise you’ll soon learn from Francoise Weeks, Joan Thorndike, Max Gill, Diane Szukovathy, Katherine Raz, TJ McGrath and many other floral luminaries! I’m also excited to be partnering with Dee Hall Goodwin of Mermaid City Flowers and Black Flower Farmers, a she is curating two sessions for the Summit.

Early Bird Promotion features five free sessions from 2025
Early Bird Promotion features five free sessions from 2025

You’ll enjoy your $50 discount on registration now through October 31st and receive a link to our bonus gift for early bird registrations: A special viewing of five sessions from the 2025 Slow Flowers Summit – that’s right, five free hours of floral education from past instructors, including Pilar Zuniga, Hannah Morgan, Kristin Griffith-VanderYacht, Mara Tyler, and Toni Reale (shown above). That’s an incredible value. Check out the details and grab your discounted registration – click on the 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 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 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; Bridgewalker
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 737: Herbs for floral design (and the garden) with Stefani Bittner of Homestead Design Collective and Rose Loveall of Morningsun Herb Farm

Thursday, October 9th, 2025

Compared to the way today’s guests view the role of herb plants for the landscape, for culinary and medicinal purposes, and especially for floral design, I feel like the herb repertoire in the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden is in need of a major makeover. Learning from herb-lover and edible landscape designer Stefani Bittner of Homestead Design Collective and Rose Loveall, herb grower and nursery owner at Morningsun Herb Farm, both based in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been so eye-opening and enriching. We recently collaborated on a Flower & Herb event to celebrate The Flower Farmers book while also exploring herbs for the garden and the vase. You might be surprised at some of the herbs Stefani and Rose use for floral design, and trust me, I now have a big order of scented geraniums heading my way – just in time to get them established in my greenhouse before the season ends. Immerse yourself in today’s herbal extravaganza – I just wish you could smell all the plants we discussed.

Stefani Bittner, Rose Loveall, and Debra Prinzing at Morningsun Herb Farm
Stefani Bittner, Rose Loveall, and Debra Prinzing at Morningsun Herb Farm

Today’s episode was filmed and recorded last weekend when I was on a book tour for The Flower Farmers book. Slow Flowers members around the Bay Area partnered with me to fill four glorious days of talks, readings, floral design demonstrations, and community connections. It was a fabulous autumn weekend and I’m excited to share it with you.

My conversation with Slow Flowers member Stefani Bittner of Homestead Design Collective and her frequent collaborator, Rose Loveall of Morningsun Herb Farm took place during an herb-and-floral-filled morning at Rose’s nursery, located in the countryside of Vacaville, California, on 3 acres, between Sacramento and San Francisco.

Herb and floral arrangement designed by Stefani Bittner
Herb and floral arrangement designed by Stefani Bittner
Stefani harvesting design ingredients in Rose's cut flower garden at Morningsun
Stefani harvesting design ingredients in Rose’s cut flower garden at Morningsun

This is a two-part plant tour, followed by Stefani and Rose’s presentation on growing herbs for the cut flower garden and design tips.

Here’s a bit more about each woman:

Stefani Bittner is the owner of Homestead Design Collective, a San Francisco Bay Area landscape design firm focused on creating beautiful gardens that provide harvest. Stefani is the co-author of The Beautiful Edible Garden, Harvest: Unexpected Projects Using 47 Extraordinary Garden Plants and The Fragrant Flower Garden (all published by Ten Speed Press). She is a past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast.

Herb drying rack at Morningsun Herb Farm
Herb drying rack at Morningsun Herb Farm

Rose Loveall-Sale is owner of Morningsun Herb Farm, a family-owned nursery specializing in culinary, medicinal and specialty herbs. She has spent the last 30 years growing more than 700 varieties of herbs and perennials, starting the nursery as a weekend venture and expanding it to a plant lover’s destination, as well as a mail order nursery. Rose is originally a forester by education (University of California, Berkeley), but she discovered that herbs were her favorite plants to grow and enjoy. An M.S. in Environmental Horticulture from the University of California at Davis rounded out her education and piqued her interest in owning and operating her own nursery. Her family’s farm in northern California proved the perfect spot for her horticultural endeavors.

Rose and her team propagate and sell culinary, medicinal and landscaping herbs, as well as many unusual perennials for hummingbird and butterfly gardening, drought tolerant perennials, scented geraniums, succulents, and heirloom vegetables in the spring and fall. They specialize in a huge selection of lavender, propagating over 45 varieties in our greenhouses.

Check out Morningsun’s plant catalog – they ship across the country and are a fantastic resource.

Find and follow Homestead Design Collective on Instagram and Facebook
Read Homestead Design Collective’s Newsletter on Substack

Find and follow Morningsun Herb Farm on Instagram and Facebook

Follow the link to the waiting list for the forthcoming details for their 2026 retreat to Puglia, Italy, at Trulli Trazzonara, Stefani’s vacation rental there. I’m fascinated with their plans and want to share them with you.


Herb Resources from THE FLOWER FARMERS

As a post-script, I want to highlight The Flower Farmers’ HERB EXPERT, whose story I shared with the audience at our Herb & Flower workshop at Morningsun. I’ve been so inspired by Xenia D’Ambrosi, owner of Sweet Earth Co., whose story is featured in the book. As a bonus for you, here is Xenia’s list of her 10 favorite herbs – excerpted from her chapter – it’s a great starting point for gardeners and flower lovers and the perfect reference for your herb plant shopping!


Join Us to Tour Holland and Belgium for a Slow Flowers Experience

Flower & Garden Inspiration in Holland and Belgium
Flower & Garden Inspiration in Holland and Belgium with Debra Prinzing (top) and Lorene Edwards Forkner (bottom)

Speaking of garden travel, remember that I’ll be leading a luxury garden and floral river cruise and tour through Amsterdam and Belgium next spring. Lorene Edwards Forkner, author of Color in and Out of the Garden, will be my partner and our artist in residence on this excursion scheduled for April 19-29, 2026. Nearly half of the cabins are already spoken for on this one-of-a-kind tour, so check out the link below to learn more. It’s a Slow Flowers Experience and I hope you can join us!


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; Celestial Navigation
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 735: The magic of dahlias with Anne Long of The Dahlia House

Wednesday, September 24th, 2025

Anne Long likes to call herself a cheerleader for dahlias and many other flowers that she wants gardeners and growers to experience. “I love ridiculously gorgeous flowers that look like they are out of a high-end magazine,” she proclaims. “And I want my neighbor to have them on her kitchen table.” At the peak of dahlia season here in the Pacific Northwest, I sat down with this passionate founder of The Dahlia House in Mount Vernon, Washington, to learn more about her gardening hobby-turned-tuber business. The gorgeous display of thousands of vibrant, healthy dahlia varieties was mesmerizing, with about 500 different cultivars for the 2026 tuber season. Anne also devotes an area of her field to showcase unique selections from her favorite dahlia hybridizers, Kristine Albrecht of Santa Cruz Dahlias, and Hailey Sly of River Merle Farm. The Dahlia House has expanded its catalog to include ranunculus and anemone corms, seeds, floral art, as well as freesias and gladiolas for 2026. Join me on a visual tour and an insightful conversation that left me thinking I should rip out everything in my raised beds and devote my life to dahlias!

Anne Long, owner of The Dahlia House in Mt. Vernon, Washington

For the past three years or so, I have connected annually with Anne Long of The Dahlia House at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. Her award-winning retail booth was located quite close to the Blooms & Bubbles mainstage, where I produce the daily floral design workshops. So a friendship began with our mutual interest (and my admiration for the beautiful display created by Anne and her team). I mean, how do you make dahlia tubers look sexy in February? At The Dahlia House display, the booth resembled a charming white cottage-style farmhouse, complete with framed art photographs of the flowers for which you can order tubers and corms.

Dahlia season at The Dahlia House
Dahlia season at The Dahlia House

Anne joined Slow Flowers as a member and I made a note to schedule a visit to see her flowers in person and learn more about her story. In early September, I we spent a morning in the dahlia fields.

Anne Long of The Dahlia House
When your sneakers match your flowers! Anne Long of The Dahlia House

You can read the full story of Anne’s highs and lows as a dahlia gardener on her website. LINK is here so you can dive in and read more. The narrative includes this recap: By 2020, when Anne was feeling like “a Flower Boss Queen,” something drastic happened. And she had to dig out of a few devastating years of failed crops. Anne decided to start a flower business, mainly to have a business license so she could afford to replace her tuber stock at wholesale prices. She ordered up all of her favorites and listed the extra tubers for sale on my website. The story continues, as Anne writes: Guess what? I was completely sold out! Dahlia mania is real. 

Anne Long with Stephanie Ware
Anne Long with Stephanie Ware of Melodic Caring Project

At the end of the episode, we added a five-minute bonus interview when Anne introduces her friend and farm host, Stephanie Ware, of Melodic Caring Project, a nonprofit organization that serves patients worldwide through live-streaming musical performances and more. The Dahlia House and Melodic Caring Project have teamed up for several years to promote this important cause, and it was really interesting to learn more about this collaboration.

Anemones with a selection of Pots by Emma (daughter Emma Long's pottery company)
Anemones with a selection of Pots by Emma (daughter Emma Long’s pottery company)
Dahlias with a Pots by Emma vessel
Dahlias with a Pots by Emma vessel

Thank you for joining me today! I’m so grateful to Anne Long of The Dahlia House  for her support and membership in the Slow Flowers Society.

Dreamy dahlia flat-lay
Dreamy dahlia flat-lay

Sign up for The Dahlia House’s newsletter
Find Pots by Emma here
Find and follow The Dahlia House 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 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. Learn more at a-roo.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; Polycoat
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 734: 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

Wednesday, September 17th, 2025

At The Little Farm on Olga Road on Orcas, Carol Wetzel and Allan Tone live in a small house and have devoted much of the surrounding three acres to growing a food-herb-and-flower farm and seasonal plant nursery to serve their neighbors and island visitors, including destination wedding clients. The Little Farm is a Big Endeavor that began when Carol and Allan arrived at the beginning of the Pandemic. The move was possible because they also own a small software company and are able to operate it remotely. So you might think The Little Farm is a side hustle, but it’s much more than that, as the couple embraces permaculture, environmental biodiversity, and organic practices while caring for a once-neglected hayfield turned magical, plant-centered experience for everyone who enters its gates. Join us on a tour of The Little Farm and a conversation with Carol – I know you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Allan Tone and Carol Wetzel, founders of The Little Farm on Olga Road, Orcas Island, Washington
Allan Tone and Carol Wetzel, founders of The Little Farm on Olga Road, Orcas Island, Washington

I recently mentioned that I’ve been busy in the field, gathering stories and interviews to share with you in anticipation of my upcoming 2-week trip to Japan, so today, you’re in for a real treat – a visit to The Little Farm on Olga Road, based in Eastsound on Orcas Island and owned by Carol Wetzel and Allan Tone. I reached this gorgeous destination in a tiny airplane piloted by Allan. The short but breathtaking flight in and of itself was like a luxury vacation to one of the most popular of the beautiful string of islands that make up the San Juan archipelago.

Specialty Cut Flowers from The Little Farm on Olga Road
Specialty Cut Flowers from The Little Farm on Olga Road

Overlooking a beautiful bay on Orcas Island, The Little Farm on Olga Road offers a spectacular seasonal array of perennials and annuals to enjoy in a multitude of ways. Carol and Allan’s cutting garden bounty begins in early spring with tulips, anemones, hellebores and irises; summertime welcomes fragrant sweet peas, followed by zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, and specialty dahlias – all of which were thriving at their seasonal peak when I arrived. To come, the arrival of more than 60 varieties of heirloom chrysanthemums later this fall.

A social media post tells the story of The Little Farm's origins
A social media post tells the story of The Little Farm’s origins
The Little Farm Soap Co.
The Little Farm Soap Co. features all local and natural ingredients

What I learned on my visit is that The Little Farm is not just a flower farm. With three distinct orchards, a mini vineyard of wine and table grapes, hardy kiwi, and seasonal vegetables, the gates open to visitors who can enjoy a You Pick experience or shop in the Farm Stand that’s also stocked with fresh farm eggs, plant starts and a selection of the farm’s soap and skincare line made from locally sourced-tallow and essential oils pressed from the flowers. 

The golden hour at The Little Farm and Carol Wetzel
The golden hour at The Little Farm (left) and Carol Wetzel (right)

Carol, a lifelong gardener and educator with a Doctorate in Education, says her real delight is the joy her garden creations bring to friends, neighbors and visitors on Orcas Island, people who want to immerse themselves in the wonderful world of flowering perennials and annuals. 

Allan’s role at The Little Farm is evident everywhere you look, including artfully built barns, farm stand, hoop houses, and an innovative irrigation system. Allan is the President of Orcas Aviation Association, which provides Mercy Flights for individuals and family members that need a quick flight off the island for non-life-threatening treatment such as chemotherapy or other medical emergencies.  He and a handful of volunteer pilots fly thousands of missions each year.  

Some of what you'll discover at The Little Farm on Olga Road
Some of what you’ll discover at The Little Farm on Olga Road

Their commitment to community and their Little Farm is inspiring and I’m delighted to share it with you today. I’m so grateful to Carol and Allan for their hospitality and for their membership in the Slow Flowers Society. I left my 24-hour visit to The Little Farm filled with a shared sense of wonder. As Carol and Allan continue to work hard and pay great attention to what brings joy to their visitors, their original vision for The Little Farm and what it represents is taking shape beautifully.

Subscribe to The Little Farm’s newsletter mailing list and follow The Little 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 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; Lissa
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