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Our episodes this month have included a series of studio tours with holiday decor demonstrations — and today you’ll be treated to another inspiring visit. I’m delighted to welcome Polly and Mike Hutchison, owners of Robin Hollow Farm in Saunderstown, Rhode Island.

I first met Polly and Mike in 2012 when the annual Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers conference was held in Tacoma, close to me. I had donated a feature article to the auction for the ASCFG Foundation and Polly was one of the successful bidders. The following year in August 2013, I was on the east coast and invited myself to visit Robin Hollow Farm. I had literally just started the Slow Flowers Podcast the month before, and proposed that the three of us record a conversation for an episode. Polly and Mike were gracious hosts, as I not only stayed with them at Robin Hollow Farm, they also toured me around as they harvested and delivered flowers. It was a pivotal visit for me — and really influenced my understanding of what was possible for a viable enterprise based on local flower agriculture.

You can listen to that conversation in Part 2 of Episode 104 (Polly and Mike’s segment starts at 15:45). You’ll want to go back and listen to our earlier conversation, which will bring Polly and Mike’s inspiring story into further focus.

In what feels like a “where are they now?” segment, I connected virtually with Polly and Mike last week to celebrate their new retail venture. Robin Hollow Flowers is located in Providence, about 25 minutes away from the farm, but much closer to their subscribers and to their farmers’ markets.

I asked them to give us a tour of Robin Hollow Flowers and discuss the evolution of their business. As a holiday bonus, Polly shares her design skills as she creates a signature wild and colorful holiday wreath — you’ll be sure to pick up some tips on a wide range of topics, from managing growth to building infrastructure to seeking funding from the USDA.

As Florist-Farmers, Robin Hollow Farm produces the majority of the flowers used in their designs. Robin Hollow Farm grows a wide range of gorgeous flowers in their fields and greenhouses, as well as a few special herbs and plants.

The studio at Robin Hollow Farm provides full-service floral design for all types of weddings and events. Known for using their flowers and sourcing domestic flowers when needed, Robin Hollow’s specialty is to listen carefully and create gorgeous arrangements that reflect the vision of their clients. “Our point of view is to focus on the flowers themselves, with an opulent, fresh style, whether the event is modern or romantic, large or small. We specialize in unusual and botanical design,” Polly says.  

You can find and follow Robin Hollow Farm at these social places:

Robin Hollow Farm on Facebook

Robin Hollow Farm on Instagram

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Slow Flowers Summit 2022 – Early Bird Ticket Prices Expire Soon!

There’s just two more weeks to take advantage of the early-bird pricing for attending the Slow Flowers Summit — our fifth gathering, which takes place June 26-28, 2022.

You can find all the details at slowflowerssummit.com, and if you act now and register before the end of December, you’ll receive the lowest price ever — $749. Registration to the 3-day event includes breakfasts, lunches, refreshments and an opening day welcome cocktail party reception.

Here’s what a few of our past attendees shared about the Slow Flowers Summit:

The Slow Flowers Summit is such a well curated, unique experience filled with such meaningful and important conversations, ideas and connections. I plan to continue to attend each year!

I would definitely recommend attending the Slow Flower Summit, and joining the Slow Flower Society. The content is unbeatable and presentations amazing and inspirational…..always some practical take-away!

The 2021 Slow Flowers Summit was pure fuel for the creative mind—so encouraging to pursue more sustainable business practices, collaboration, and floral experimentation. the summit is a treasure trove and will continue to boost my work throughout the year.

Those are just a few of the wonderful raves we received for this past year’s event — and our 2022 venues and programming will be equally rave-worthy. We’d love you to join us! You can add the exclusive farm to table culinary experience of dinner at Blue Hill Restaurant to your Summit registration for an additional savings. You can find all the details at Slow Flowers Summit (www.slowflowerssummit.com) and we will share the links in today’s show notes.

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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.

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 johnnysseeds.com.

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Thanks so much for joining us today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor, downloaded more than 795,000 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.

If you’re new to our weekly Show and our long-running Podcast, check out all of our resources at SlowFlowersSociety.com and consider making a donation to sustain 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:

Betty Dear (Piano Feature); Horizon Liner; 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

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I met up with New York City-based floral entrepreneur Taylor Patterson while spending a few days in New York and Brooklyn while en route to join the festivities at Holly Chapple’s Flowerstock in Virginia. And I’m so incredibly glad for the time I spent with Taylor, today’s featured guest.

I adore Taylor and am enthralled with what she has accomplished through Fox Fodder Farm, her urban floral design business with multiple services and an elegant, high-style, yet farm- and seasonally-inspired aesthetic.

To learn about the origin of her business name Fox Fodder Farm, you’ll have to listen in to hear from Taylor herself. She has developed the business over the past eight years, evolving it into a studio that serves weekly business accounts, local floral deliveries, weddings and special events and a small retail kiosk at Canal Street Market.

I met Taylor this past March at the beautiful and inspiring Gathering Rose Workshop, hosted by Danielle Hahn of Rose Story Farm and Felicia Alvarez of Menagerie Farm and Flower, and held at Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria, outside Santa Barbara. It was a one-of-a-kind creative event focused entirely on the rose, growing, cultivation, selection and design. As I mention during my conversation with Taylor, my story about the workshop appears in a recent issue of Florists’ Review, which you can find here.

And I was touched and very much encouraged that after we met, oh so briefly, there, Fox Fodder Farm joined Slow Flowers as a member. Her support only served to increase my interest in learning more about her and her floral enterprise. So you’re the lucky recipient of my curiosity.

As with most of my interview subjects, I’m not always sure what direction the topics and themes we’ll take. The wonderful dialogue with Taylor left me thinking about the power of female leadership in our floral marketplace. The power to use beauty to influence sustainable choices, ethical flower farming, and a bold independence in such a crowded and cluttered marketplace. I hope you draw at least one idea from my interview with Taylor to employ or consider for your flower farm or studio. It’s a privilege to continue bringing fresh voices and new perspectives to this forum.

Find and follow Taylor and Fox Fodder Farm on Instagram and on Facebook

And a program note. You may remember this past May when I featured my mystery-writer friend Marty Wingate in the Slow Flowers Podcast, Episode 402.

In it we discussed her forthcoming new series – and the first book in her First Editions series was released this past week: You can order The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate from all online booksellers, or find a copy in your local independent book store or library.

Marty has two other British garden and nature-themed mystery series, which you’ll also want to check out. So proud of my friend and you met her first, here at the Slow Flowers Podcast.

Now, let’s visit Rhode Island and meet Julie Christina of Christina Flower Co. as we continue the Fifty States of Slow Flowers Series.

Julie is a floral designer with an emphasis on local and seasonal plant materials. The end result is a unique, earthy, and refined aesthetic. Hailing from Ohio, Julie first fell in love with nature, plants, and all things garden-related when exploring her family’s 10-acre property as a child. This love of the outdoors stuck with her as she went on to pursue a Bachelor of Science in landscape horticulture from Ohio State University, where she was able to study horticulture and garden design, as well as explore some of the finest English style gardens abroad at Myerscough College in England.  

Julie has an impressive career in horticulture and public gardens, including, since 2008, serving as Education Program Manager at Blithewold Mansions, Garden & Arboretum, where she is continually inspired by the history, the people who lived here, and of course, the abundant gardens.

Julie has expanded Blithewold’s educational offerings, which is how I first met her five years ago as a speaker and workshop leader there. Blithewold has played a huge role in her own family, and she is now able to experience the full circle of sharing her and her husband Dan’s love of nature with their adorable, clever, curious, and fun-loving sons, Jack and Owen.

Find and follow Christina Flower Co. on Instagram and Facebook.

Thank you so much for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast has been downloaded more than 528,000 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.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Florists’ Review magazine. I’m delighted to serve as Contributing Editor for Slow Flowers Journal, found in the pages of Florists’ Review. It’s the leading trade magazine in the floral industry and the only independent periodical for the retail, wholesale and supplier market. Take advantage of the special subscription offer for members of the Slow Flowers Community

Arctic Alaska Peonies, a cooperative of family farms in the heart of Alaska working together to grow and distribute fresh, stunning, high-quality peony varieties during the months of July and August – and even September. Arctic Alaska Peonies operates three pack houses supplying peonies throughout the United States and Canada. Visit them today at arcticalaskapeonies.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 syndicatesales.com.

FarmersWeb. 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 www.farmersweb.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:
Cymbal Patter; Betty Dear; Gaena
by Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.bluehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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

In The Field
audionautix.com