Debra Prinzing

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Episode 710: Celebrating 100 years of California flower farming with Mike A. Mellano of Mellano & Co.

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025

The Southern California farm synonymous with breathtaking blooms and gorgeous flowers and foliage is celebrating its 100th year in business this year. Founded by Giovanni Mellano in 1925, Mellano & Company is embarking on “Blooming into a New Era,” a year-long celebration highlighting the generations of families and faces who have played an integral role in the company’s success throughout the years, while also looking ahead to its next century of leadership in the floral industry. I sat down with 3rd generation flower farmer Mike A. Mellano to reflect on this huge accomplishment and to discuss both memories and highlights of this influential, family-owned American floral enterprise.

Mellano & Co. bouquet label
Mellano & Co. is a Certified American Grown flower farm.

We all know that successful flower farming requires passion, grit, and endurance. It’s so rare that any U.S. flower farm can sustain those traits for a century, but Mellano & Co., is one of the few.

Early days at the Los Angeles Flower Market. The Mellano family has been involved for more than 90 years.
Early days at the Los Angeles Flower Market. The Mellano family has been involved for more than 90 years.

From their humble beginnings in the bustling Los Angeles Flower Market to becoming a trusted name in the floral industry, Mellano & Co.’s flowers and foliage are present in every niche of the floral marketplace. They are based in Southern California, but their botanicals can be found in all 50 states, from wholesale to mass market outlets.

Mike A. Mellano
Mike A. Mellano, photographed at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California

Today, I’m sharing a wonderful conversation with Mike A. Mellano, a third-generation family farmer, longtime CEO, and new Chief Science Officer. We’ll reflect on the past and look to the future of domestic floral agriculture.

https://youtu.be/9s3VxbOMgp8?si=68mNhXErwK6CmXzM

ABOVE: Watch the inspiring 15-minute documentary that Mellano & Co. produced to celebrate their centennial.

LISTEN: Mike Mellano’s first appearance on the Slow Flowers Podcast, when he was a guest on Episode 244 in 2016. I know you’ll enjoy learning more about the company whose flowers and foliage is widely used and loved.


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.

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 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 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 www.a-roo.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 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.


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; Pull Beyond Pull
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 246: Perfect Harmony with Flower Duet of Los Angeles

Wednesday, May 18th, 2016

Kit Wertz (left) and Casey Schwartz (right), sisters and design partners in Flower Duet, photographed at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, CA, April 2016.

Kit Wertz (left) and Casey Schwartz (right), sisters and design partners in Flower Duet, photographed at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, CA, April 2016.

A few weeks ago you heard my conversation with Mike A. Mellano of Mellano & Co., a third generation flower farm in based in San Luis Rey, California. If you missed that episode, check it out here.

Mike was our farmer-host of the 2nd Field to Vase Dinner held at the famed Flower Fields in Carlsbad, north of San Diego, on April 13th. We discussed his Italian heritage that brought grandfather Giovanni Mellano to the U.S., as well as the founding of Mellano & Co. in 1928. We also talked about the current landscape for American grown flowers and attempted to forecast the future of our domestic flower-farming renaissance.

The Flower Duet design team on camera at The Flower Fields.

The Flower Duet design team on camera at The Flower Fields.

Today’s guests were also intimately involved in that dinner and they are part of the reason why Mike and I feel so optimistic about the future.

It is designers like Casey Coleman Schwartz and Kit Wertz, partners in Flower Duet, who are making a conscious effort to source their flowers and foliage from local farms in Southern California.

The beautiful Field to VaseDinner table amid a sea of ranunculus, designed by Flower Duet.

The beautiful Field to VaseDinner table amid a sea of ranunculus, designed by Flower Duet.

Sisters, Casey and Kit were the featured floral designers who created a lush, textural tablescape, wowing 150 guests seated at a farm table stretching between rows of a rainbow of Mellano-grown ranunculus. So the following morning we sat down to record this conversation.

My 2013 visit to Flower Duet led to a blossoming new friendship with Casey (left) and Kit (right).

My 2013 visit to Flower Duet led to a blossoming new friendship with Casey (left) and Kit (right).

FlowerDuet_white_Logo_web1I’ve known Kit and Casey for three years, ever since they reviewed Slow Flowers for their Flower Duet monthly newsletter.

That prompted me to ask the sisters if I could schedule a book-release event at their studio as part of my Southern California tour in spring 2013. They generously agreed and we had a wonderful evening demonstration, reception and book signing for clients, students and friends.

Rich floral hues and a gold vessel, by Flower Duet.

Rich floral hues and a gold vessel, by Flower Duet.

It has been a load of fun to watch these two floral entrepreneurs take on a wide array of creative projects, including teaching at some of Southern California’s top cultural institutions, designing weddings from San Diego to Santa Barbara and everywhere between, and sharing their expertise and passion with others.

READ MORE…

Eight Days: From Santa Barbara to San Diego . . . and points in between

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

Here’s what I’ve been up to lately. I traveled to Southern California all of last week  – from Saturday, April 13th through Saturday, April 20th.  I experienced many great highlights; too many to mention. Here are some of them:

Miles of mums at Ocean Breeze

Tours focused on the entire process – from planting and growing to harvesting and grading. Mums, also known as pom poms, are one of the last commercially grown flowers still grown in soil.

My name badge

Fun to wear the VIP badge!

Chalkboard welcome

Chalkboard welcome at Padaro Floral in Carpinteria, California

DAY One: Carpinteria Greenhouse & Nursery Tour, sponsored by the California Cut Flower Commission. I was hosted by Harry and Michele Van Wingerden, the great folks at Myriad Roses and Padaro Floral Design for a day of book-signings and eco-floral demonstrations. A special thanks to the Van Wingerden family, CCFC CEO/Ambassador Kasey Cronquist and Event Planner Anna Kalins for making it a successful and enjoyable day!

botanik owner Erin Taylor

Erin Taylor, designer of flowers, interiors, landscapes and more~ The talented owner of botanik in Summerland, California hosted my lovely book event.

DAY Two: Book signing and flower demos at botanik in Summerland. Loved spending time with very talented owner Erin Taylor and her team. After several hours at botanik, I met up with Cristi Walden and we headed to Sea Crest Nursery, her father Jack Stevenson’s palm and cycad collection. It was so exciting to return to this beautiful place and hear how my talented friend is learning the business of growing and selling amazing landscaping plants (oh, and propagating, too!).

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