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Today, I’m happy to share my recent conversation with Julio Freitas, owner of The Flower Hat, an event floral design studio and flower farm based in Bozeman, Montana. A longtime Slow Flowers member and past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast, we’ve been eager to bring Julio to the Slow Flowers Summit stage – ever since our first year in 2017.

Julio’s passion for floral design grew into flower farming when he realized he could successfully grow flowers despite Montana’s challenging climate. In our conversation, we discuss how as his floral enterprise evolves and changes, he continues to develop educational resources to teach others how to succeed in business and thrive in floral design and farming. Julio grows flowers for his own designs, devotes one-half of the farm’s production area to dahlia tubers for The Flower Hat’s successful online sales program, and trials bulbs for fall sales.

At the Slow Flowers Summit, Julio will headline Day Two, presenting a one-hour mini-version of The Flower Hat’s popular workshop series, tailored for florists, growers, and farmer-florists. He will share insights on The Flower Hat’s unique business model and design a centerpiece in his unique style.

Featured in numerous national and international publications, the common thread of The Flower Hat’s weddings and events are LOCALLY GROWN FLOWERS, which Julio credits as a major distinctive for his studio’s aesthetic and brand. Despite a short season (USDA Zone 4b) and limited acreage, The Flower Hat maximizes production by carefully selecting crops that elevate arrangements — including hard-to-ship and hard-to-find varieties that bring floral designs to life.

Julio can chat about business while also designing a floral arrangement — what a feat! Enjoy the design demonstration and watch Julio’s process as he creates a centerpiece using a low, footed bowl and a ball of chicken wire, along with statice, watsonia, carnations, ranunculus and no foliage. It’s a fabulous tutorial.

Thank you so much for joining me today! As always, I feel like I could chat with Julio for hours. And I wanted to mention, you heard a few other voices in this episode, including Tonneli Gruetter of Salty Acres Farm, our Slow Flowers Membership manager. She helped facilitate our June Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up and I asked her to field questions and make sure that our attendees comments were shared during the session.

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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. And just for you attendees of the upcoming Slow Flowers Summit on June 26-27, the folks at Farmgirl Flowers have given us a lovely travel candle that you’ll find in your gift bag.

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. CoolBot has generously donated a system, valued at $375, as a doorprize at the Slow Flowers Summit, so if you’re in attendance, your name might be drawn for this incredible gift!

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. Summit attendees will find a creative gift from Red Twig Farms in your gift bag – a combo water bottle, drinking cup + travel towel perfect for summer camping or any outdoor floral activity.

And a final 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. The SWGMC is providing the flowers that Julio will use in his Slow Flowers Summit demonstration – and co-hosting our after hours tour and reception with Mayesh Wholesale Florist on Tuesday afternoon. We’re so grateful to them!

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News of this week:

If you’re still thinking about attending the Slow Flowers Summit, we’re just two weeks out and there are only 10 spaces left before we sell out. Remember, Slow Flowers Members, you enjoy $100 off as a member benefit, so that’s great savings. One of you might go home with a coveted gift from The Flower Hat – a floral cap from Julio!

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So much floral goodness happening!  Thanks so much for joining 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

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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!

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Music credits:

Drone Pine; Rodney Skopes; Turning on the Lights; Gaena
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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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I have a very special treat for you. Earlier this month, I traveled to Missoula, Montana, where I gave the opening presentation to the Montana Cut Flower Workshop. The conference planners asked me to share a national overview of the insights and forecast for the Slow Flowers Movement, including flower farming and floral design trends.

Immediately following my presentation was Julio Freitas, a longtime Slow Flowers member and owner of The Flower Hat, based in Bozeman. Julio originally entered the floral world as the designer of phenomenal weddings and events, but that pat led him to flower farming. He shared the how and why that happened in his lecture, which he graciously permitted me to record to feature today.

The Flower Hat is a floral design studio and flower farm located in Bozeman, MT. In Julio’s very short season, he grows thousands and thousands of beautiful flowers for use in dozens of weddings throughout Spring, Summer and Fall.

The farming side of his business originated on a 1,800 sq ft parcel when Julio couldn’t get his hands on the quality of botanicals he needed for design work. Over the years, that growing space expanded to 1/4 acre, including leased land, to accommodate The Flower Hat’s demand for more flowers.  Today, The Flower Hat occupies five acres in Bozeman, Montanta.

I’m excited for you to hear from Julio about his approach to selling flowers to fellow florists. I know it will be beneficial. If you’re a florist, you’ll learn a thing or two about how to source from local flower farmers; and if you’re a grower, the tips Julio shares are priceless.

Below you will links to Julio’s social places. Visit his website to sign up for his newsletter, which means you’ll be the first to learn about the fall bulb sale that starts in just a few weeks on October 15th, and get advance details on Julio’s 2022 workshop series.

Check out “Montana Mentor,” my feature about The Flower Hat workshops that appeared in the January 2020 issue of Slow Flowers Journal for Florists’ Review (link below).

Follow The Flower Hat on Instagram

Find The Flower Hat on Facebook

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BLOOM Imprint New Releases: Pre-Orders Open

Just a little news to share with you about BLOOM Imprint, our book publishing division of Slow Flowers. We have just posted pre-ordering for two new books, out later this year. Pre-orders are open for A Life in Flowers, by Holly Heider Chapple, which will be released at the end of October. Be inspired by Holly’s story and learn all about her floral design aesthetic, her innovations, her mentorship and community building, and Hope Flower Farm in Virginia, where she has established a center for floral education.
You also can pre-order Felicia Alvarez’s new book on growing garden roses for the floral design, called Growing Wonder, based on her experience as a rose farmer and educator. This is the only rose book developed with our Slow Flowers Community in mind — because it is focused on rose selection, cultivation, harvest, post-harvest care and crop management for cutting gardens and flower farms. This book will be released in January. And if you’re over at bloomimprint.com, you can also order my signed copies of our first book, Where We Bloom, perfect for the gardener and flower lover in your life.

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Thank you to our Sponsors

This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 880 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.  It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

Thank you to our lead sponsor for 2021, Farmgirl Flowers. Farmgirl Flowers delivers iconic burlap-wrapped bouquets and lush, abundant arrangements to customers across the U.S., supporting more than 20 U.S. flower farms by purchasing more than $9 million dollars of U.S.-grown fresh and seasonal flowers and foliage annually. Discover more at farmgirlflowers.com.

Roadie, an on-demand delivery company offering affordable same-day and scheduled delivery. With a network of friendly, local drivers who handle each delivery with care, and one-on-one support from a designated account manager, Roadie guarantees a smooth and reliable delivery experience–from pickup to delivery. Sign up for your first delivery at Roadie.com/slowflowers and use promo code slowflowers–that’s one word–to get five dollars off.

Flowerfarm.com, a leading wholesale flower distributor that sources from carefully-selected flower farms to offer high-performing fresh flowers sent directly from the farm straight to you. Find flowers and foliage from California, Florida, Oregon and Washington by using the “Origin” selection tool in your search. It’s smarter sourcing. Learn more at flowerfarm.com.

The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. Formed in 1988, ASCFG was created to educate, unite, and support commercial cut flower growers. It mission is to help growers produce high-quality floral material, and to foster and promote the local availability of that product. Learn more at ascfg.org.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast has been downloaded more than 767,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much. As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too.

I value your support and invite you to show your thanks to support Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right at debraprinzing.com

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I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Show & Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more Slow Flowers on the table, one stem, one vase at a time. The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. You can learn more about Andrew’s work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

Turning on the Lights; Gaena
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; Redwood Trail
audionautix.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

It’s that time again, Welcome to our annual Slow Flowers Holiday Music Special!

I’m so happy today to bring you an audio gift of music. Please enjoy my conversation with Bozeman, Montana-based Remy Brault, who with her husband and partner Fred Brault own the contemporary floral boutique Labellum Flowers. The couple originally met through music and formed a singer-songwriting duo called Nest of Seven when they lived and worked in Los Angeles.

I’ll chat with Remy about how music has influenced her path, how she has taken a long hiaitus away from music, and how she’s finding her way back to music.

We’ll hear three songs from Remy and Fred’s album, “In the Valley of the Red Sparrow,” and more!

Enjoy meeting and hearing from this multi-talented creative! And if you missed my conversation with Remy earlier this year, have a listen here (Episode 459).

Thank you, Remy, for sharing your musical influences and your floral journey — I wish you a creatively fulfilling 2021! By the way, I continue to be on the lookout for musical guests to feature each December, so if you’re a Slow Flowers member with a song to share (or even an album!), please reach out and let me know!

Here is a list of our past Holiday Music Episodes!

2019: Carolyn Kulb of Folk Art Flowers

2018: Nathan Leach and Eva Leach of Nathan and Eva

2017: Scott and Kristen Prinzing of EarthShine

2016: Ellen Zachos of Backyard Forager

2015: Dennis Westphall of Jello Mold Farm

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Next week, on Wednesday, December 30th, the final episode of 2020, I’ll share our 2020 Year in Review with you. On the horizon, the first episode of the New Year, Wednesday, January 6th, will feature our 2021 Slow Flowers Floral Insights and Industry Forecast. I’m so excited to share both of these reports with you as we say goodbye to 2020 and eagerly anticipate 2021.

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The Slow Flowers Podcast has been downloaded more than 670,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much.

As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of our domestic cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us and we have continued to deliver fresh, original content to you through the Slow Flowers Podcast, week in and week out — since 2013!

If every listener contributes just $2, the funds will add up quickly to cover our out-of-pocket costs to record, edit, host and promote the Slow Flowers Podcast. Would you consider making a year-end donation?

Not counting all of the time invested in developing the topics, guests and content, we spend more than $10k annually to bring you this award-winning internet radio program. Your financial support can ensure we continue into 2021. I value your support and invite you to show your thanks to support Slow Flowers’ ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column in the right column!

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Thank you to our Sponsors

This podcast is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to 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.

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.

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.

Syndicate Sales, an American manufacturer of vases and accessories for the professional florist. Look for the American Flag Icon to find Syndicate’s USA-made products and join the Syndicate Stars loyalty program at shop.syndicatesales.com.

I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more American grown flowers on the table, one vase at a time. And If you like what you hear, please consider logging onto iTunes and posting a listener review.

The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. Learn more about his work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

Victory Day; Red Sparrow; and Release
From “In the Valley of the Red Sparrow,” by Nest of Seven

Dance Of Felt; Turning on the Lights; Gaena
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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Please meet Remy Brault of Labellum, a contemporary floral boutique based in Bozeman, Montana.

Remy and I first met in September 2017 at a conference called Rocky Mountain Gardening Live, produced by Rocky Mountain Gardening magazine. She shared a beautiful tabletop floral demonstration featuring all Montana-grown flowers, and later led a fun hands-on workshop to teach participants how to make miniature floral pieces as place settings. I was there to talk about the Slow Flowers Movement from a gardener’s point of view.

Soon after that, Remy joined Slow Flowers as a member and I’ve been wanting to have her as a guest on the Podcast for quite a while. It seems like perfect timing to do that right now, with something fun to celebrate — including her centerpiece and bridal bouquet featured in The Slow Flowers Journal Book.

Here’s more about Remy Brault and Labellum:

Labellum is a retail flower shop in downtown Bozeman, which also specializes in event florals. With a style that is hip, modern and organic, Remy writes this on Labellum’s web site: “We love mixing natural elements and incorporating rich textures into our work. With artistry and imagination, each arrangement tells a story and is as unique as our clients. We are inspired by the ever changing seasons with all of their natural textures.

“Impact is everything and our footprint matters to us. We work with gardeners and farmers in our area during the warmer months in Montana to combine as many vibrant local flowers as possible into our designs. We also grow many flowers on our own and whenever possible we love foraging respectfully and ethically in the forest or along the river beds for awesome drift wood, rocks, and anything that has fun textures and shapes. We have recently become beekeepers and added two bee hives to our little ever changing urban ‘farm.’ Our hope is to help with pollinating our neighborhood,  increasing bee populations and of course produce a delicious organic wildflower honey.” 

By the way, the word “Labellum” is the center petal of an orchid. A beautiful name and brand for an organically-focused floral shop.

Above, please enjoy two stunning creations by Remy Brault in Slow Flowers Journal – Volume One book.

Find and follow Remy Brault at these social places:

Labellum on Facebook

Labellum on Instagram

Today, on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, we’re kicking off my new book, the Slow Flowers Journal – Volume One, and I couldn’t be more excited to share the news with you! I’m celebrating the launch in a few ways — in-person with my Seattle community at a socially-distanced book-signing event at the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, and online, with our Slow Flowers Community everywhere via a virtual book launch on Zoom. Click here to order copy of Slow Flowers Journal – Volume One — our bookstore is open for orders.

The virtual Launch Party and Happy Hour will take place at 4 pm Pacific/7 pm on June 24th and we will welcome many special guests who appear in the book’s pages. Here’s the invitation — and you’re invited to join us!

In coming weeks, I’ll be showcasing the talents and stories of many of the members featured in our new book — and if you’re interested in submitting your floral designs and the story of your floral enterprise for possible inclusion in Slow Flowers Journal – Volume Two, please reach out! We are beginning to plan our next book in the series and would love to consider you for its pages. More details to follow later this summer, but you can submit you ideas to: debra@slowflowers.com.

On Sunday, June 28th, we kick off the sixth annual American Flowers Week, with a full calendar of online, virtual events. Keep an eye out for details on our Slow Flowers Facebook and Instagram pages, as we will announce new content, interviews, design demonstrations, floral installations and tours each day, June 28th through July 4th!

Here’s how you can help out the campaign:

Take photos of your flowers — on the farm, in the studio, and in your customers’ hands.
Post those photos to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter (or all three!) and please tag #americanflowersweek and #slowflowers, in addition to the tags you usually use. On Instagram & Twitter we are @myslowflowers. On Facebook, we are SLOW FLOWERS.

Download free American Flowers Week graphics, badges and other resources at americanflowersweek.com

See you on Social Media during June 28-July 4 and Enjoy those Red, White & Blue Blooms!

Thank you to our Sponsors

This podcast is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, nationwide online directory to florists, shops, and studios who design with American-grown flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.  It’s the conscious choice for buying and sending flowers.

And thank you to Florists’ Review magazine. I’m delighted to serve as Contributing Editor for Slow Flowers Journal, found in the pages of Florists’ Review. Read our stories at slowflowersjournal.com.

FarmersWeb software makes it simple for flower farms to streamline working with their buyers. By lessening the administrative load and increasing efficiency, FarmersWeb helps your farm save time, reduce errors, and work with more buyers overall. Learn more at  farmersweb.com.

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.

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.

The Slow Flowers Podcast has been downloaded more than 617,000 times by listeners like you. Thank you for listening, commenting and sharing – it means so much.

As our movement gains more supporters and more passionate participants who believe in the importance of the American cut flower industry, the momentum is contagious. I know you feel it, too. I value your support and invite you to show your thanks and with a donation to support my ongoing advocacy, education and outreach activities. You can find the donate button in the column to the right.

I’m Debra Prinzing, host and producer of the Slow Flowers Podcast. Next week, you’re invited to join me in putting more American grown flowers on the table, one vase at a time. And If you like what you hear, please consider logging onto iTunes and posting a listener review.

The content and opinions expressed here are either mine alone or those of my guests alone, independent of any podcast sponsor or other person, company or organization.

The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Brenlan. Learn more about his work at soundbodymovement.com. 

Music Credits:

Heartland Flyer; Glass Beads; Gaena
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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS | More