The Slow Flowers Podcast is the award-winning show known as the “Voice of the Slow Flowers Movement.” Launched in 2013 as the original flower podcast, we’ve devoted more than 10 years to covering the business of flower farming, floral design, and the Slow Flowers sustainability ethos. Listen to a new episode each Wednesday, available for free download here at slowflowerspodcast.com or on iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
A conversation about the native plants and sustainable land care practices of the Canadian prairies and grasslands
Last Friday, November 10th, we held a virtual members meet-up to introduce the just-announced Slow Flowers Summit in 2024.
We shared the dates — June 23-25, 2024 — the venue, beautiful Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada, surrounded by the Canadian Rockies, and highlights of our program.
We have eleven inspiring speakers, an extensive hands-on design immersion, and presentations on flower farming, floral design, floral entrepreneurship and sustainability. I can’t wait to see you there!
Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed, Becky Feasby, and Lourdes Still
I invited two of our Summit speakers, Becky Feasby ofPrairie Girl Flowers and Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed, owner of ALCLA Native Plants, a Calgary area nursery. As a surprise bonus, Lourdes Still of Masagana Flower Farm in Manitoba, who will also present at the Slow Flowers Summit, joined our conversation.
We covered the highlights of their involvement in the world of plants, flowers, and horticulture In Canada’s prairies and grasslands – and the conversation took a wonderful turn toward sustainability and regenerative practices.
Here’s a bit more about these three women:
Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed of ALCLA Native Plants
Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed is a botanist, herbalist, educator, and artist, and is co-owner of ALCLA Native Plants a native plant nursery based in Treaty 7 Territory, near Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She holds a BSc in Botany from the University of Calgary and an MSc in Herbal Medicine from Middlesex University, London, UK. She has been working with native plants for 15 years and her expertise includes identification, sustainable collection, cultivation, and ethnobotany.
In 2016 she founded Latifa’s Herbs, which primarily serves to educate the public on the edible and medicinal uses of wild plant species in both Alberta and British Columbia. Latifa is a former faculty member at Pacific Rim College in Victoria, BC where she taught Botany and Horticulture in addition to Wild Plant Nutrition.
Becky Feasby, Prairie Girl Flowers
Becky Feasby completed her gardening and landscape design training in New York, Calgary, and Chicago and has completed floral design training with many leading florists who specialize in environmental-friendly floristry and who support the Slow Flowers movement.
She previously worked as the Horticultural Therapist at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, where she oversaw the design and management of five acres of gardens. In creating prairie girl flowers, she wanted to utilize all of her training to bring sustainable beauty to Calgarians – and to cultivate a change in the floral industry. A change that makes florals better for the planet and creates opportunities for clients to make a conscious choice that supports local growers and our environment.
Becky is currently working towards her Master degree in Sustainability at Harvard University – because sustainability is not only the focus of our work, but also the reason for our existence: to create a sustainable floral business in Calgary that maintains the environmental, social, and economic integrity of the floral industry.
Lourdes Still is the owner of Masagana Flower Farm & Studio in southeast Manitoba. She grows and interacts with plants and flowers as natural dye sources, and juggles the roles of a flower grower, a natural dyer, and an experiential tourism guide at her farm. In her flagship offering, the Tinta Experience, Lourdes started as a self-taught flower grower, natural dyer, and tourism operator but has since learned and trained from industry leaders.
This is an inspiring conversation, so let’s jump right in and meet Becky, Latifa, and Lourdes!
Attend the Slow Flowers Summit in 2024!
You’ll want to take advantage of Early Bird Registration, which just opened for the 2024 Slow Flowers Summit. Save $100 off your Slow Flowers Summit registration, now through December 31st.
Hot off the Press: Slow Flowers Journal Autumn 2023
In news of the week, we have just published the Autumn 2023 issue of the Slow Flowers Journal, a beautiful 54-page digital magazine that is filled with inspiration, instruction, ideas, and news about the Slow Flowers community!
The issue settles into the coziness of the season and our stories deepen the connections between indoors and outdoors. The issue features two stories that inspire the term “Floral Hospitality.” You’ll love reading about Elizabeth Brown and Jill Redman, two Slow Flowers members who are flowering the travel, tourism, and lodging niche in creative new ways.
Meet “Slow Flowers Hero,” Kelly Morrison of Color Fields, in a profile by Tonneli Grüetter and immerse yourself in landscape architect Emily Saeger’s survey of an urban forest. We visit Stems Brooklyn as part of our Where We Bloom series and get lost in the late-season beauty of Mary Kate Kinnane’s dahlia workshop. Enjoy gorgeous floral photography in recaps of June’s Slow Flowers Summit and September’s lecture and workshops that welcomed British floral artist Shane Connolly to Seattle. We love sharing the season’s coziness in this issue of Slow Flowers Journal.
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Thank you to Mayesh Wholesale Florist. Family-owned since 1978, Mayesh is the premier wedding and event supplier in the U.S. and we’re thrilled to partner with Mayesh to promote local and domestic flowers, which they source from farms large and small around the U.S. Learn more at mayesh.com.
Thank you goes to The Gardener’s Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.
Thank you to Details Flowers Software, a platform specifically designed to help florists and designers do more and earn more. With an elegant and easy-to-use system–Details is here to improve profitability, productivity, and organization for floral businesses of all shapes and sizes. Grow your bottom line through professional proposals and confident pricing with Details’ all-in-one platform. All friends of the Slow Flowers Podcast will receive a 7-day free trial of Details Flowers Software. Learn more at detailsflowers.com.
I love all this floral goodness and I am so happy you joined me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one 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
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:
Shift of Currents; Drone Pine; Turning on the Lights; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
So wonderful to reunite with Slow Flowers friend Andrea K. Grist!
Today’s episode includes a short conversation with longtime Slow Flowers Society member Andrea Grist, of Florasource KC, based in Overland Park, KS, outside Kansas City. Andrea is a past guest of this podcast and I caught up with her in person when she had a long layover while flying through Seattle in August. Ostensibly, we met for lunch, but I couldn’t not bring along my video camera to record a quick conversation and updates on what she’s been doing.
KC Growers Market branding
Andrea discusses KC Growers Market, a new brand initiative of Florasource KC highlighting local and domestically grown cut flowers and greens. The “store within a store” concept has been long in coming and launched this past June after Florasource KC partnered with KC Flower Farmer Wholesale Market, a group of approximately 10 flower farmers in Kansas and Missouri whose goal is to get local botanicals in the hands of Kansas City area florists.
KC Growers Market flower display at the peak of summer season
I’m excited to follow this story as it unfolds. The growers set up shop at Florasource KC on Wednesday, July 5th and continued filling the buckets and tables there each Tuesday through the end of the season in late October.
We congratulate Andrea, Florasource KC and its KC Growers Market, and all the farmers of the KC Flower Farmers Wholesale Market for making this new collaboration happen. It will be fun to see where things take everyone for 2024.
Take advantage of Early Bird Registration, which just opened for the 2024 Slow Flowers Summit. Save $100 off your Slow Flowers Summit registration, now through December 31st.
General registration is $799 USD through December 31st ($899 beginning January 1st) Slow Flowers Members registration is $699 USD through December 31st ($799 beginning January 1st) Follow the link in today’s show notes or head over to SlowFlowersSummit.com to find all the details for our dates – June 23-25, 2024, the venue, beautiful Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada, surrounded by the Canadian Rockies, and read all about our speakers and program. We have eleven inspiring speakers, an extensive hands-on design immersion, and presentations on flower farming, floral design, floral entrepreneurship and sustainability. I can’t wait to see you there!
Becky Feasby of Prairie Girl Flowers (right) and native plant nursery owner Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed (left), both based in Calgary.
And speaking of our floral community traveling to Banff, we have a special Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up for November, happening this Friday on November 10th at 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. We’re hosting two Slow Flowers Summit speakers who will share lots of details about what to expect when you’re making travel plans to Alberta. Join me in conversation with Becky Feasby of Prairie Girl Flowers and native plant nursery ownerLatifa Pelletier-Ahmed, both based in Calgary. We’ll go over the highlights of their work and what they’ll be presenting at the Slow Flowers Summit. Bring all your questions!
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Thank you to Longfield Gardens, which provides home gardeners with high quality flower bulbs and perennials. Their online store offers plants for every region and every season, from tulips and daffodils to dahlias, caladiums and amaryllis. Check out the full catalog at Longfield Gardens at longfield-gardens.com.
Thank you to Rooted Farmers. Rooted Farmers works exclusively with local growers to put the highest-quality specialty cut flowers in floral customers’ hands. When you partner with Rooted Farmers, you are investing in your community, and you can expect a commitment to excellence in return. Learn more at RootedFarmers.com.
Thank you to Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds — supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnyseeds.com.
I love all this floral goodness and I am so happy you joined me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one 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
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; Nuthatch (piano melody); Turning on the Lights; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
We’re releasing today’s episode on Wednesday, November 1st, and this means you’ve probably just wrapped up your Halloween festivities. But as we turn our attention to harvest, home, and the November holidays, the seasonal decorations continue — and of course with that, orange-gold-and-rusty color palettes are ever present. With that our minds, today’s episode shares plant passions and design ideas that are perfect for this time of year.
Succulent pumpkin design by Eileen Tongson of FarmGal Flowers (left) and Marigold Garland by Caitlin Mathes of The Marigold Garden (right)
You’ll enjoy the creative session with two seasonal autumn botanicals: pumpkins + marigolds, featuring Caitlin Mathes of The Marigold Gardens in Ithaca, New York, and Eileen Tongson of FarmGal Flowers based in Orlando.
A recent FarmGal Flowers succulent pumpkin workshop with Eileen Tongson (far right) and her students.
A favorite succulent pumpkin design
We learn from Eileen, who shares her succulent pumpkins design, and discusses how she has developed her very successful autumn workshops and private classes during the entire month of October. Watch Eileen’s step-by-step designs for decorating pumpkins and gourds with a rainbow of local, Florida-grown succulents.
Caitlin Mathes of The Marigold Gardens
Marigold inspiration in color and form – from The Marigold Gardens
And we gain inspiration from Caitlin, as she shares about growing, harvesting, and preserving marigolds for autumn celebrations and beyond. You’ll learn how to make a marigold and fall foliage flower crown (which Caitlin calls a “wearigold”) and also watch hows she strings fresh marigold garlands (and discusses how to dry them).
Download The Marigold Gardens’ list of all 66 varieties of marigolds that Caitlin grows
In news of the week, It’s TIME! We’ve opened up tickets sales today, November 1st, for the 2024 Slow Flowers Summit Early Bird Registration. Save $100 off your Slow Flowers Summit registration, now through December 31st. General registration is $799 USD ($899 on January 1st) Slow Flowers Members registration is $699 USD ($799 on January 1st). Head over to SlowFlowersSummit.com to find all the details for our dates – June 23-25, 2024, the venue, beautiful Banff Centre for Art & Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada, surrounded by the Canadian Rockies, and read all about our speakers and program. We have eleven inspiring speakers, an extensive hands-on design immersion, and presentations on flower farming, floral design, floral entrepreneurship and sustainability. I can’t wait 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 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Thank you to Store It Cold, creators of the revolutionary CoolBot, a popular solution for flower farmers, studio florists and farmer-florists. Save $1000s when you build your own walk-in cooler with the CoolBot and an air conditioner. Don’t have time to build your own? They also have turnkey units available. Learn more at storeitcold.com
Thank you to Red Twig Farms. Based in Johnstown, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.
Thank you to the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, a farmer-owned cooperative committed to providing the very best the Pacific Northwest has to offer in cut flowers, foliage and plants. The Growers Market’s mission is to foster a vibrant marketplace that sustains local flower farms and provides top-quality products and service to the local floral industry. Visit them at seattlewholesalegrowersmarket.com.
I love all this floral goodness and I am so happy you joined me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one 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.
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; Greyleaf Willow; Turning on the Lights; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
We’ve just wrapped up our celebration of the 10-year Anniversary of the Slow Flowers Podcast with a retrospective of a decade that brought you more than 500 original episodes of interviews. Whew! I am in awe of the amazing guests we have featured, their passion for local flowers, their ingenuity, dedication, and contributions to the Slow Flowers Movement. Let’s see what the next decade brings!
Jodi Logue, Moss and Madder Farm
Today, we resume our weekly ritual of bringing you a new podcast episode on Wednesday. After listening to my interviews, be sure to click on over to slowflowerspodcast.com to watch my video conversation with each week’s guest or guests. We are also posting these “vodcasts” as our social media team calls them to YouTube, Facebook Live and Instagram Live – and we always try to share the link via Instagram.
Jodi at one of her local flowers pop-up events
This past weekend, I traveled to the opposite side of Puget Sound from my home – south to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and then over to the Kitsap Peninsula to a town called Olalla. I took the 45-minute trip at the invitation of farmer florist Jodi Logue, owner of Moss and Madder Farm.
“Pie and Coffee,” an autumn Flower Farmer Gathering at Moss and Madder Farm
I first got to know Jodi when she joined Slow Flowers Society and earlier this year attended the Slow Flowers Summit – it was so nice to have so many new members, many of them from the Seattle area, attend that wonderful event. Not long after the Summit, I received an email from Jodi inviting me to a gathering at her farm. She wrote: “I’ve been occasionally hosting a flower farmer meet up for folks in our area and we have a good little group of people who come out pretty regularly. We met monthly through the off season. My main goal in hosting these get-togethers has been to mostly build community but as we’ve been meeting, we’ve all voiced a common wish for a flower hub/collective type opportunity in our area. It’s something I’m working on getting started this fall. I think the flower farmers would totally be excited to if we put on a get-together and included you and any other flower friends in the area. We would love to work around your schedule to make it happen.”
Meet Jodi and Aaron Logue of Moss and Madder
What a tempting invitation! It took me a few months, but this past weekend, the date was set for a gathering at Moss and Madder Farm. It was lovely to connect with a few Slow Flowers members in attendance and several people who are new to me – their farms range from 1-year-old to a farm in its 9th season; from people who have, like Jodi, recently quit full-time jobs in careers like nursing, oceanography, and teaching; and others who are flower farming while also caregiving or parenting or working off-farm jobs. The unifying thread connecting us all was women entrepreneurs who have been drawn like bees to honey to the age-old human practice of growing flowers or tending to plants.
Moss and Madder Farm with Jodi Logue
It was a wonderful gathering and you’ll hear more in my conversation with Jodi. You see, I couldn’t join her party without inviting myself to come early and record an interview. Listen, watch, and you’ll learn all about Moss and Madder Flower Farm and the emerging floral community in and around this region south and west of Seattle.
Jodi, with George the Ford, her vintage flower truck
Learn more about George the Ford, Jodi and her husband Aaron’s vintage 1947 one-ton Ford pickup truck – beautifully restored and painted “Greenfield Green” with “Tacoma Cream” trim – another fun marketing arm of Moss and Madder Farm and available for weddings, photo shoots and party rental.
In news of the week, Slow Flowers Society is returning to the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival as the floral stage producer, an honor we have held for more than five years. The venerable show, the West Coast’s largest indoor consumer flower and garden festival, takes place February 14-18, 2024. We’re so excited that so many Slow Flowers members will be teaching and lecturing at next year’s event and I’m especially thrilled that Teresa Rao of Belle Petale and Sarah Nayami of Grow Girl Seattle will teach the hands-on floral design workshops on the Blooms & Bubbles Stage. On the seminar stage, we’ll see Misty VanderWeele of All Dahlia’d Up Flower Farm, Stefani Bittner of Homestead Design Collective, Riz Reyes of RHR Horticulture and Heronswood Gardens, Janice Cox of At Home Beauty and Tracy Yang of JARN Co. Flower Farm will all make appearances! 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 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Thank you to The Gardener’s Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-florists. Online education is more important than ever, and you’ll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.com.
Our next sponsor thank you goes Details Flowers Software, a platform specifically designed to help florists and designers do more and earn more. With an elegant and easy-to-use system–Details is here to improve profitability, productivity, and organization for floral businesses of all shapes and sizes. Grow your bottom line through professional proposals and confident pricing with Details’ all-in-one platform. All friends of the Slow Flowers Podcast will receive a 7-day free trial of Details Flowers Software. Learn more at detailsflowers.com.
Our next sponsor thank you goes to CalFlowers, the leading floral trade association in California, providing valuable transportation and other benefits to flower growers and the entire floral supply chain in California and 48 other states. The Association is a leader in bringing fresh cut flowers to the U.S. market and in promoting the benefits of flowers to new generations of American consumers. Learn more at cafgs.org.
I love all this floral goodness and I am so happy you joined me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one 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.
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; LaBranche; Turning on the Lights; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
This is our final encore episode as part of the 10-year celebration of the Slow Flowers Podcast being on the air as the original floral podcast since our debut in July 2013. Thanks for celebrating with me as we returned to the archives and shared a few of the special the stories and voices of flower farmers and florists featured in the past decade.
This week, I’m sharing a favorite encore episode from the 10th year of the Slow Flowers Podcast, a video conversation with Joanna Lutz of Bluma Flower Farm based in Berkeley, California, recorded in July 2022.
At Bluma Farm, located on a Berkeley rooftop, Joanna and her team produce hyperlocal, certified-organic flowers. Joanna grew up in Oakland and Berkeley, California, attended Berkeley High and then ventured across the country to Bard College where she majored in history and human rights.
During a study abroad program that spanned five countries in eight months, she looked at the impact of globalization on small farmers, realized the importance of small organic and diversified farms, and was inspired to create a farm of her own. She started farming in 2008 working with and learning from many long-time organic farmers in California.
Rooftop overview of Bluma Flower Farm in Berkeley, California
Bluma Farm was born in the fall of 2014. I am so happy today to re-introduce you to Joanna and her story. She recorded our interview from her farm, located six stories high and silhouetted by a brilliant summer sky.
Harvesting flowers
It’s so impressive to learn how this beautiful and sustainably-focused micro farm is cranking out gorgeous blooms on only 1/4-acre of growing area. And it’s incredibly inspiring to witness Joanna’s focus on community and on sharing Bluma Flower Farm with others.
We’ve just announced all the details, including dates, venue, program and speakers, for the seventh annual Slow Flowers Summit – It’s going to be our first international Summit, taking place June 23-25th 2024 at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
This will be such a special conference and we will have much, much more to share in the coming weeks, including speaker interviews, video tours, and travel tips for all of our folks – like you, dear listener – who might want to dust off that passport and make plans for a spectacular destination. Take note, Early Bird ticket sales open November 1st and continue through December 31st, during which time you will save $100 off the registration. And as always, Slow Flowers members always receive $100 off as a member benefit. We can’t wait to see you there!
Succulent pumpkin design by Eileen Tongson of FarmGal Flowers (left) and Marigold Garland by Caitlin Mathes of The Marigold Garden (right)
Next up, it’s October and our monthly Member Meet-Up will take place this Friday, October 20th at 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. What’s on tap? It’s all about harvest and holidays – and we’re focusing on two iconic botanicals for the October-November season – pumpkins and marigolds.
You’re invited to Lean into Halloween, Harvest, and Home Decor and learn from two Slow Flowers members who will share their tips. Meet Eileen Tongson of FarmGal Flowers as she talks about designing succulent pumpkins, and from Caitlin Mathes of The Marigold Gardens as she dives into growing, harvesting, and preserving marigolds for autumn celebrations and beyond.
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Thank you 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 goes to Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company that provides our industry the best flower, herb and vegetable seeds — supplied to farms large and small and even backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnysseeds.com.
Thank you to Mayesh Wholesale Florist. Family-owned since 1978, Mayesh is the premier wedding and event supplier in the U.S. and we’re thrilled to partner with Mayesh to promote local and domestic flowers, which they source from farms large and small around the U.S. Learn more at mayesh.com.
I love all this floral goodness and I am so happy you joined me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one 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
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; Chymique; Le Marais; Turning on the Lights; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
This week, I’m sharing an encore episode from the 9th year of the Slow Flowers Podcast, a conversation with David Brunton of Right Field Farm based in Millersville, Maryland, recorded in October 2021.
David and Lina of Right Field Farm, growing local and sustainable cut flowers in year four!
2021 was the first season during which we incorporated video interviews as part of the Slow Flowers Show; each week’s show later posted as audio-only for our Podcast listeners.
It has been so rewarding to celebrate our 10-year retrospective, featuring one guest per year during the entire past decade to commemorate this storytelling project.
Adding a video component enhanced our weekly programming, bringing viewers and listeners to flower farms, floral shops and studios, as guests of each episode brought additional “show and tell” content to you.
Growing up! Flowers and kids, with Lina and David Brunton (c) Jamie Horton Photography
And that is what you’ll hear about and see today. When David and I recorded video in our Slow Flowers virtual studio, he was in the midst of designing bouquets for Right Field Farm’s weekly subscription customers. It was so fun to actually see the bouquet come together as we discussed decisions about growing and designing for a small, home-based family flower farm.
I know you’ll enjoy the episode. Listen to my conversation with David, a longtime Slow Flowers member, and then watch the video replay posted at the top of these show notes.
RFF’s Pearl of Opar – a favorite bouquet ingredient recommended by David Brunton (c) Jamie Horton Photograph
Thanks so much for joining us today! I’ll be hosting an IG Live conversation with David today, October 11th, so check it out @slowflowerssociety. You’ll find my conversation with David and all of my Slow Flowers Podcast 10th anniversary Live Chats in the archives there.
News of the Week
First, the new October edition of our monthly newsletter – recently dropped and you’ll want to check your in-box to find it! Follow this link to read the full issue.
Earlier this week, we opened the Annual Slow Flowers Member Survey, which will run through November 3rd. We value your insights and feedback, so please check out this link to find the short survey that asks you about your floral enterprise, the shifts you’ve experienced in the current year and the changes you anticipate for the next.
The first 100 members who complete the survey and share their mailing address will receive a special 3-pack seed collection curated by our friends at Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
In addition, each Slow Flowers Society member who completes our survey will be entered into a drawing for:
(1) Complimentary Premium membership for 1 year – A standard member will be upgraded to complimentary Premium Level; if a Premium member’s name is drawn for this promotion, the member’s next 12-month period (from the current renewal date) will be complimentary.
Thank You to our Sponsors
This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 850 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms. It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.
Thank you to our lead sponsor, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $10 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.
Thank you to Red Twig Farms. Based in Johnstown, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.
Thank you to the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, a farmer-owned cooperative committed to providing the very best the Pacific Northwest has to offer in cut flowers, foliage and plants. The Growers Market’s mission is to foster a vibrant marketplace that sustains local flower farms and provides top-quality products and service to the local floral industry. Visit them at seattlewholesalegrowersmarket.com.
Thanks 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.
I love all this floral goodness and I am so happy you joined me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than one 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.
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; Chymique; Lissa; Turning on the Lights; Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions http://www.sessions.blue
