Episodes

Since Slow Flowers Society's roots were established in 2013, there is a perennial question I've been asked over and over: How Do We Know if Consumers Care about Local Flowers?I strongly believe having a statistically-accurate snapshot of people's attitudes is one important way the Slow Flowers Movement can demonstrate and help move the needle on this subject. Yet, I’m aware of only two surveys that ever asked consumers about their attitudes toward domestic and local cut flowers -- one in 2013 co...

The Wild Mother Creative Studio, based in Oklahoma City; from left, Callie Palmer (seated, left); Lauren Palmer (standing) and Leah Palmer (seated, right) | All photography (c) Rachel Maucieri @maucierivisualsco Today, I have a very special episode for you and I'm thrilled to share it! Please meet the three siblings who together are called The Wild Mother: Leah Palmer, Lauren Palmer and Callie Palmer. They are based in Oklahoma City and call their enterprise a Creative Studio, which encompasses ...

Here's the COVER with the book jacket flap fully opened to reveal Cynthia Zamaria's charming floral studio. (c) Robin Stubbert Welcome to a very special episode of the Slow Flowers Podcast -- Episode 500 -- in our weekly podcast series about Slow Flowers and the people who grow and design with them. Since we launched this special program in July 2013, I have regularly featured the voices of influencers, stylemakers, pioneers and heroes in the Slow Flowers Movement -- and today we celebrate an im...

Floral and Plant retail entrepreneur Katherine Raz of The Fernseed (left) and a peek at the shop's Stem Bar (c) Devon Michelle Photography (right) I'm excited about today's guest, not only because her enterprise is located right in my backyard, in Tacoma, Washington. Please meet Katherine Raz of The Fernseed. The Fernseed is a modern plant shop and floral studio with two storefront locations in Tacoma. Grab N Go Stem Bar at The Fernseed (c) Devon Michelle Photography This boutique is home to lus...

Hanna Rose Muller of Full Belly Floral (c) Sarah Ching Photograph Today's guest have been on my wish list to interview ever since we met in person at a Slow Flowers gathering in 2018, hosted by Scott Paris of High Hand Nursery, past guest of this podcast. Please meet Dru Rivers, co-founder of Full Belly Farm, one of the first certified organic farms in California, and her daughter Hannah Rose Muller, who created their sister venture Full Belly Floral. They are based in Guinda, in Northern Califo...

A quick note for you garden-lovers! We are giving away five virtual tickets to the Great Grow Along, a new, three-day, virtual gardening festival taking place this weekend, March 19-21 - online, of course. The Great Grow Along features more than 40 sessions across six topic tracks and YOU might win a free ticket to attend. The first five listeners who post a comment below will receive the complimentary registration, valued at $29.95. Be sure to tell us what's growing in your garden in the commen...

Victoria and Taij Cotten at Perry-winkle Farm Cathy Jones captured an iPhone photo of that "meeting" between Taij and Victoria Cotten and me at the ASCFG conference in September 2018 (I just found this photo on her IG feed!) In 2018, at the most recent Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers' national conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, I met a young couple named Taij and Victoria Cotten. It was serendipity that placed us together at the banquet table, the night of ASCFG's 30th Birthday C...

Lindsey Cummins of Dancing Flower Farm on Lopez Island, Washington -- showing off her first early spring bouquet of the year! Last month, I was treated to a lovely *workcation* opportunity to join two friends at a home they rented to work remotely through the covid pandemic. They promised me my own bedroom and bathroom, a dining table with a view of sea, mountains and islands, an friendly golden retriever named Rocky (who seemed in constant need of a human beach-walking companion, lots of good c...

Growers' bunches from Amelia Ihlo of Reverie Flowers and Rooted Farmers Today, we have two great guests involved in Rooted Farmers. You first met Amelia Ihlo, founder of this innovative platform for selling flowers, a little more than a year ago when Rooted Farmers launched. What a year to launch, right? As the resilience of flower farmers large and small was tested in 2020, it was surprisingly a good year for launching the new Rooted Farmers platform. Here's the "buyer view" showing varieties a...

My conversation with today's guests is helping me to turn my gaze to spring 2021, with a new version of the Fleurvana Online Summit, a multi-day online floral conference that Shawn Michael Foley and Gina Thresher debuted in August of 2020. I'll tell you more about them before we jump to the full episode, but first, the headlines: This is the third Fleurvana conference and the theme is "Regeneration and Sustainability," entirely fitting for a new year and a new season of growth. Fleurvana is dedi...

GIVEAWAY Details Below -- Share a Comment and Your Name Will Be Added to the Drawing for The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers I don't know about you, but I've got spring gardening on my mind! The hellebores are already blooming; the daffodil bulbs are pushing out of the soil an inch or so. I can even see the tiniest bump of my peonies' deep maroon tips at the crown of each plant. So, sure we're still 39 days until spring arrives, but who's going to let the calendar hold us back, r...

Kelly Marie Thompson of Fleur Inc., shown here on a farm in Tuscany, scouting her upcoming Italy workshop If you want to walk through a case study of a boutique retail florist and special events florist, today's guest is here to share! I'm so pleased to welcome Kelly Marie Thompson, owner of Fleur Inc., based in Chicago. Fleur Inc is a diversified lifestyle boutique and special event design studio. Wedding flowers by Fleur Inc. Kelly formed the enterprise 19 years ago when she was just 22 years ...