SLOW FLOWERS with Debra Prinzing

This past week took Slow Flowers to Southern California, where I combined business, pleasure, flowers and friends, in a whirlwind five days. I successfully cornered Mud Baron, one who rarely slows down himself, to record today’s interview. I’ve wanted to have Mud on the podcast for more than a year, ever since I visited Muir Ranch, the school garden he manages at John Muir High School in Pasadena. You may not know him as Mud Baron. Yes, his nickname is Mud! But if you’re a follower of beautiful flower images on Instagram, you may know him by Co-Co-Zoe-Chee, or @cocoxochitl, his alias there, with 4,500 followers and thousands of posts. And many contain the hashtag #flowersonyourhead – one of Mud’s gleefully subversive campaigns to place photos on one’s head and snap a photograph, Frida Kahlo-like, for Instagram and other places. As we discuss in the interview, I have succumbed to Mud’s flowers on your head shenanigans and also witnessed Mud at work, getting complete strangers to comply with his outrageous (and quite poignant ) requests. Check out his gallery of portraits by searching #flowersonyourhead. Here’s a bit of what I wrote in August 2013, after a visit to Muir Ranch. I hope it round out this introduction of Mud. In 2011, a dedicated team of volunteer teachers and students began converting 1.5 acres of Pasadena, California’s John Muir High School campus into a school-based farm. Today, Muir Ranch grows a variety of flowers, vegetables and fruits that are included in weekly CSA boxes as well as school cafeteria lunches. Students can complete community service or internship graduation requirements by enrolling in classes at the Ranch. Muir Ranch also provides paid internships to students, which are funded by private donations, special events, farmer’s market sales, and subscriptions to the produce box program (CSA).   Every week, Muir Ranch CSA subscribers get a box or bag of about 7-10 different types of fruit and vegetables grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Customers pick their shares up at central distribution sites throughout Pasadena. Muir Ranch CSA partners with several local farms for seasonal fruit and vegetables to supplement what they can produce, providing tax-deductible weekly boxes to over 100 subscribers. It is the CSA program that generates much of the income that keeps this place operating. Mud Baron, a passionate school garden advocate who serves as the Executive Director of Muir Ranch, is one of the people at the hub of this endeavor. That sounds like a high-falutin’ title, but in all reality, he is true to his nickname. Mud gets down and dirty – and REAL – with his kids, teenagers whose horizons are much brighter after they’ve learned to grow and sell food and flowers to local customers. How did this former design-build contractor end up teaching gardening and farming skills to urban youth? I’m still trying to figure out the exact path of Mud’s career, but suffice it to say he’s in his element growing food and flowers. Many programs besides the CSA are supported under the umbrella of Muir Ranch, such as partnerships CSAs run by with other local schools and learning gardens. Muir Ranch also and hosts monthly “Plug Mobs” to help other groups in the community plant their own gardens. In Mud’s mind, no Southern California-based teacher should go wanting for school garden supplies. “The Plug Mob program means that finding seeds and plants is no longer a factor for 2,000 schools,” he says. Muir Ranch operates like a plant nursery, helping source and distribute seeds, bulbs and flats of plant starts. Like modern-day Johnny Appleseeds, Mud and his supporters share what they have and spread around the love. As more young people “connect the dots,” they become involved in how food is grown, distributed, and finally cooked into healthy meals. Besides being a center for education, Muir Ranch hosts a variety of ongoing and special events.

It is my pleasure to introduce you this week to Chet and Kristy Anderson, veteran flower farmers and owners of The Fresh Herb Co., based in Boulder, Colorado. If you're a member of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers or if you've read the "Rocky Mountain Flowers" chapter in The 50 Mile Bouquet, you're already familiar with the Anderson name -- and their beautiful flowers. The Fresh Herb Company is a specialty grower of culinary and ornamental greenhouse crops and fresh field-cut flowers, proudly serving the Rocky Mountain West local market for over 30 years. Chet and Kristy grow fresh greenhouse and field-cut flowers May through October. They market field fresh bouquets, peonies, phlox, sunflowers, zinnias, delphinium, larkspur, and many more varieties to customers throughout the Rocky Mountain Region -- including grocery chains, weddings and special events., as well as at the Boulder County Farmers Market, Warm, intelligent, creative and engaging, this couple has been so generous over the years in sharing their home and time with me. I visited their farm in May 2011, after being part of a lecture series at the Denver Botanic Garden. We reconnected in November 2012, when Kristy and Chet came to the ASCFG national conference that was held in Tacoma. And when it turned out that I was going to fly through Denver on my way to a conference for professional speakers this past November, well . . . I basically invited myself to Longmont, about 20 minutes from Boulder, where the Andersons live on the most picturesque flower farm. Chet emailed me back almost immediately, saying "yes." Hi Debra…..we would love to see you. Let's count on seeing you here at the farm at 12:ish.  We’ll have a bite here and get you on the road in time to make it to the Springs by 4:00. Sound ok? Thanks, C. I was eager to see Kristy and Chet and to get an update on how things had progressed in the previous 12 months. You see, in mid-September of 2013, we got word that an autumn storm in their area caused devastating floods from Lefthand Creek, wiping out a huge portion of The Fresh Herb Co.'s farm. Right after the disaster, Chet wrote this in an email: " . . . pretty bad here. House is fine; greenhouse is mostly OK. Barn and coolers are still taking on water but are mostly OK. Pump house is gone. The pond is FULLY silted in (very amazing!). All roads to and from our facilities are gone and there is only one way out of here to town. Flower fields very rough….not sure what will survive, though the peonies fared the best (ya gotta love peonies, eh?). Biggest bummer may be that I have 3,000 bunches of sunflowers and nearly 500 beautiful bouquets in the cooler with no place to go! Dang! . . . " And then he concluded with a few words that tell you volumes about Chet's rather upbeat outlook on life: "As we all know, things could always be worse. Very thankful that family and friends, and house are all safe. Now simply the cleanup." I always say that American flower farmers are tenacious and resilient. Listen to our conversation as evidence. After a delightful lunch featuring butternut squash soup (so beautiful that I had to photograph it!), we walked the farm, saw the enlarged and repaired greenhouse, now 17,000 square feet in size, admired all the new peonies and perennials that were in the ground, ready to hunker down through winter in anticipation of spring. Then Kristy, Chet and I sat outdoors on their stone patio. Yes, it was early November in Colorado, and yes, it snowed just a few days later at the conference where I was, at least, in Colorado Springs. But I felt the sunshine on my shoulders and was truly warmed by our conversation. Thanks for listening in . . . I'd love you to read the entire story about Chet and Kristy, as included in The 50 Mile Bouquet. Download the PDF of their chapter here: Rocky_Mountain_Flowers_The_50_Mile_Bouquet

Last week's featured guest was Fran Sorin, gardening and creativity expert, and author of the just-released 10th Anniversary edition of Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening. Fran graciously contributed a copy of her book for me to give away to our listeners. The lucky recipient from our drawing is Wendy Gorton. In her comment on my web site, Wendy shared her earliest memory of flowers or nature - and I know that when Fran hears this, it will bring a huge smile to her face. Wendy wrote: I’m adopted and lucky enough to have had an adoptive mother who loved working in the garden. She would take me out with her at a very early age, where we would plant vegetables and flowers and make mud puddles. This time with my mother was such a gift and taught me how to reconnect to what is important in life. A beautiful story in relation to this…my mother told me that one time, after one of our sessions in the garden where we both came in just covered in mud, the social worker stopped by, as was the case with adoptions. My mother was mortified and tried to explain why we were covered filthy. The social worker just smiled and said, “no worries; it looks like this little one is having a healthy childhood.”  Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment and I hope you come back to win something in one of our future drawings! I'm super excited to introduce you to today's guest, Emily Calhoun. A farmer-florist who owns Floriography, Emily has established her growing fields and design studios in two locations -- Albuquerque and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Albuquerque is in the center of the state and Las Cruces is in that little niche near El Paso, Texas where New Mexico, Texas and Mexico come together. We're talking 235 miles apart! Floriography blossomed in 2012 when Emily saw the need, even a thirst, for responsibly grown flowers and a fresh, new design aesthetic that was modern, yet steeped in tradition (just like her!). She proudly produces and utilizes stunning heirloom flower varieties alongside all-time favorites like sunflowers and tulips. Floriography’s business model is unique in that Emily collaborates with other growers, landscapers, and home owners to harvest many local and native plants, cacti, and foliage, bringing a special touch from New Mexico's beautiful landscape through her floral designs to table, event, or special occasion. Sourcing botanicals locally eliminates many of the extra costs associated with the floral industry, thus making it affordable to enjoy the benefits of fresh flowers. Floriography is the expression of Emily’s pleasure and skill in providing beautiful, unique, natural, and innovative floral design while honoring her agricultural heritage through sustainable best growing practices. The name Floriography (while it is indeed a mouthful!) reinforces Emily's belief that flowers carry profound meaning for the thoughtful giver and the lucky recipient. Floriography, defined as the language and the art of communicating through flowers, gained popularity in the days of Victorian England. This interest in the language of flowers had roots in Ottoman Turkey, when during the first half of the 18th century the court in Constantinople became obsessed with tulips . Floriography is founded on this powerful and romantic notion that flowers are such wonderful communicators. "Our mission is to help our clients express their fondest thoughts, hopes, and feelings through our flowers and design," she says. “I believe in flowers…” Emily continues, and this is excerpted from the Floriography web site: "I am constantly in awe of the natural beauty that surrounds us in the Rio Grande valley. I love walking through the farm land and down the drainage ditches collecting pods, grasses, and other unique vegetation.  After living around the country, working in Latin America and Europe as a travel guide and cook,

Before we get started, I want to announce our new Slow Flowers Podcast Sponsor for 2015 - the California Cut Flower Commission. The Commission is committed to making a difference as an advocate for American Grown Flowers. I'll be working closely ...

Welcome to the final Slow Flowers Podcast of 2014. Every single week this year; in fact, every single week for the past 18 months, I've had the immense privilege of hosting a dynamic and inspiring dialogue with a leading voice in the American floral industry. The segment I recorded one year ago, for the January 1st episode, asked: Will 2014 be the year we save our flowers? In reflecting on that and other questions I posed, I have to say that over the past 12 months we've witnessed some amazing and encouraging strides in the Slow Flowers Movement. Here are a few highlights: The formation of the Congressional Cut Flower Caucus. Co-chaired by a bipartisan leadership team of Representatives Lois Capps and Duncan Hunter, this new endeavor is both strategic and symbolic as it engages policymakers in a tangible program to promote cut flower farming in their own districts and states. I was privileged to speak alongside Capps and Hunter, as well as with two American flower farmers Lane DeVries and Diane Szukovathy, at the February 2014 press conference announcing the Congressional Cut Flower Caucus on Capitol Hill. That remarkable experience is a milestone for all of us, one we'll reflect on as this movement gains further momentum in the hearts of American consumers around the country - as they make conscious choices at the cash register, at the farmers' market, at the florist and from online e-commerce sellers who identify domestic and local flower sources. Also in February, the White House used American flowers and foliage to decorate a State Dinner hosting French president Francois Hollande. Beautiful domestic flowers from across the country - grown in California, Florida and other states, adorned the event and even prompted a feature article in the New York Times. As I wrote at the time: I predict this is beginning of a White House commitment to give as much attention to the origins of its flowers as it does the origins of the food and wine it serves to guests. There's much more ground to gain when it comes to White House flower procurement. Yet, I believe that State Dinner was just the beginning of many more occurrences where American flowers at the White House represents so much more than simple decoration choices. It will represent American jobs, the American farm, the Environment, Economic Development and a Sustainable Floral Industry here at Home. In May, after nearly a year of planning and development, I launched Slowflowers.com. Slowflowers.com is the directory I'd been dreaming of creating for several years. We launched with fewer than 250 listings and now, by year-end, there are 435 businesses -- flower farms, floral shops, studios and designers who grow and create American grown floral beauty, coast to coast. We've had more than 52,000 page views and more than 11.5 thousand unique visits to the site. In 2015, with your help, I hope to expand this online directory to include one thousand members - companies that grow, design with and sell American flowers. I can't take any credit for the success of Slowflowers.com without thanking the 229 contributors who helped me raise $18,450 on the crowd-funding site Indiegogo. All of those funds have been used to build, develop and promote this site. I'm humbled and awed at the groundswell of support from individuals and small businesses alike. Slowflowers.com has so much potential as THE single resource to connect consumers with American grown flowers. And I look forward to making Slowflowers.com even better in the coming year. Certified American Grown Flowers Motivated to promote domestic flowers and foliage in a new and strategic way, the American Grown Flowers & Foliage Task Force developed and launched a single domestic floral brand in 2014. The ad-hoc group included flower farms large and small, established and emerging. A cross-section of support came from many groups, including the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market,

Emily Thompson is an iconoclast, an anything-but-predictable designer and artist - and owner of the NYC studio and shop that bears her name, Emily Thompson Flowers. Three years ago at this time, the flower world was celebrating the fact that Emily and her team helped Michelle Obama achieve her dream of bringing the outdoors inside the White House at Christmas. This year, Emily is settled into her charming new emporium in lower Manhattan, a huge space compared to her former flower-closet in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood. I arrived to meet her early one October morning, a totally spontaneous visit prompted by the designer's invitation when I took her class the evening before at Flower School New York. As I wrote on my blog at the time, it was so gratifying to be introduced to Emily at her workshop and realize she'd been wanting to meet me, too. That two-hour workshop was thoroughly inspiring. Every single word that Emily uttered was like listening to a Master instructor in a MFA program. I jotted down these lovely Emilyisms: “I want to make things that are impractical. That are surprising to me.” “The proportions I design with are more akin to the natural garden or landscape. I’m looking for powerful contrast, for things that resist one another. That draw the eye in and push it away.” “I love to work with seasonal flowers, with things of our landscape. And then I’ll add bits of the exotic.” “So much of design is done in selection of materials. I want a flower arrangement to feel like you’ve dug through the wilderness to find a treasure.” As I mentioned, Emily invited me to visit her brand new shop on Beekman Street, so the following morning we squeezed in a shared cup of tea/coffee and a tour of the new digs. I asked permission to turn on the recorder (natch) and Emily agreed. Here's a bit more about Emily: Raised in Vermont, in a place she calls "the Northeast Kingdom - a place of uncompromising beauty," Emily was deeply influenced by that sense of place, of the natural wildness of her childhood. She was educated at the Pennsylvania Academy for the Arts, the University of Pennsylvania and UCLA, where she earned her Masters of Fine Arts in sculpture. Emily is fascinated with the decorative arts and their history as she continues to collaborate with the rough hand of nature. Her flowers and banquet decor balance the uncultivated organic world with the delicacy of classical ornamental design. These pieces burst with unconventional materials like wild smilax, peaches and real butterflies, and always maintain sculptural grace. And most importantly, they are built in harmony with the space where they are displayed - as if they grew there. Emily likes to cite William Gilpin, 18th century theorist of the picturesque, who directed builders of follies and artificial ruins, "to do so as if these ruins were not designed but naturally chosen." What's more, writes Gilpin, "they must be in magnificent style." Emily's work, like her ideal faux ruin, evokes nature in magnificent style. Emily Thompson Flowers provides custom designs for special events and for all occasions. Using the freshest seasonal flowers, fruit, and foliage as well as unconventional and wild materials, each project or arrangement is individually conceived to suit the architecture and palette of its setting or to transform a room entirely. At Emily Thompson Flowers in the Historic Seaport district of Manhattan, you can find flower arrangements and bouquets, artist-designed decorative objects, and all kinds of wildly beautiful things. The new shop is on a sunny corner in a building erected in 1865 by George B. Post (architect of the Stock Exchange), which is adorned with cast iron starfish and terra cotta sea monsters. If you're lucky enough to live in the New York area, you can order arrangements for delivery, but if you're not a resident, visit Emily Thompson's web shop to peruse the art, objects,

One of the largest consumer marketplaces in the U.S., where floral design is a huge business, is sadly a little disconnected from where flowers grow. There is a cadre of flower farmers and floral designers who are working creatively to change that situation. And today's podcast guest, Molly Culver, is at the forefront of this momentum. Molly Culver is the owner of Molly Oliver Flowers, which she runs with partner Deborah Greig. In their day jobs, both women are deeply involved in urban agriculture. When the weekends roll around, you can probably find them designing bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces and more - for couples who love their fresh-from-the garden style. Together they create beautiful botanicals for New York area weddings with a huge emphasis on local. I'm so sorry Deborah couldn't join us for this interview, recorded in late October when I was in New York for just a few days. Molly graciously helped me coordinate a Slow Flowers gathering - an after-hours affair that drew floral designers, flower farmers and one intrepid lifestyle blogger to 61 Local in Brooklyn. Over delicious food and beverages, we talked about our individual projects and collective vision for using and promoting American grown flowers. Molly brought the most lovely late-autumn floral arrangements to decorate the tables, wowing everyone with what she harvested from the growing fields that late in the season - the 3rd week of October. Before I share our interview, let me share a little more about Molly Culver: Molly has been working as a local food and flower activist in New York City since 2005. Early in her career, she kicked off a brand new CSA chapter and farmers market in the poorest congressional district in the US, and hasn't stopped working to make growing food and eating local accessible to all. Molly has managed both rural and urban farms since 2009, and currently manages the 1-acre Youth Farm in Crown Heights, Brooklyn where she oversees flower production and sales and runs educational programming and farm training for adults. She is Farm School NYC's Farm Manager and Director of the Urban Farm Training Program. Molly has taught the 5-week course "Growing Soils" for Farm School NYC since 2011, and has made a soil worshipper out of many an urbanite. Molly holds a degree in Ecological Horticulture from the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, UC-Santa Cruz and sits on the Board of Farm School NYC. As I mentioned, Molly and Deborah Greig are partners in Molly Oliver Flowers, a sustainable floral design company launched in 2012. They are bringing new meaning to the term 'green weddings.' I hope that you'll hear from Deborah in a future interview. She's also the agriculture director for East New York Farms, a Brooklyn nonprofit that since 1998 has been working with youth, gardeners, farmers, and entrepreneurs to build a more just and sustainable community. Yes, growing food is essential, especially when it feeds people who don't otherwise have  access to fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs. But then there's flowers, which as Molly explains account for a significant portion of her work at Farm School NYC. "Flowers are food for the soul; they feed me," she says. I couldn't agree more! My personal goal is to put more American grown flowers on the table, one vase at a time. I promise that when you tune in next week, you'll hear another insightful and educational episode of the Slow Flowers Podcast. Listeners like you have downloaded the Slow Flowers Podcast more than 27,000 times. If you like what you hear, please consider logging onto Itunes and posting a listener review. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Wheatley and Hannah Holtgeerts. Learn more about their work at hhcreates.net.

Today's episode was recorded on October 20th at the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers conference held in Wilmington, Delaware - and it is our fourth featured segment from that event. "Wild World of Weddings" is a panel showcasing four voices that may be quite familiar to listeners of this podcast. You'll hear Jennie Love, of Love 'n Fresh Flowers, based in Philadelphia; Sarah Ryhanen of Brooklyn-based Saipua; Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers in Baltimore and Sullivan Owen, owner of Sullivan Owen Floral & Event Design, also based in Philadelphia. This free-ranging panel was left unstructured so that audience members could ask ANYTHING they wanted to know about growing, designing and selling local flowers to the bridal and wedding marketplace. The panel wasn't moderated per se, but you will first hear Jennie Love, who co-chaired the entire conference with Becky Devlin. Remember, like all of our episodes from ASCFG, this one exceeds one hour in length. So I'll keep my intro short and get right to the juicy material. There's amazing intel to learn from these four women -- and you'll hear a range of topics -- from marketing your design business to navigating consultations to pricing and contracts. Flower farmers and floral designers - and farmer-florists - will learn volumes from this panel. Let's get started with Jennie Love. After Jennie's first remarks, I'll interject to introduce each new voice who joins the conversation. You'll begin to get used to the unique voices and points of view of each panel member as the segment continues. Thanks for joining me and if you're interested in learning more about any of these four talented designers, check out debraprinzing.com to find links to their social sites. For the rest of December, my Slow Flowers Podcast episodes are very special and I'm thrilled to share two new voices with you. On Dec. 17th, you'll meet Molly Oliver Culver of Molly Oliver Flowers, a farmer-florist who's growing her botanical ingredients right in the heart of Brooklyn! And then on Dec. 24th, I'm very pleased to welcome Emily Thompson, owner of Emily Thompson Flowers, another New York star, a floral designer whose wild, rustic style is at the same time thoroughly elegant and timeless. I recorded both interviews in person while spending a few days in NYC after attending the Cut Flower Growers Association conference and I've been eagerly waiting to broadcast them. To wrap up the year, on December 31st, we'll be looking to the future. I'll host an episode that includes my 2015 forecast for the floral industry. Yes, I have a crystal ball and I'm going to gaze into it and share my insights with you. If you're hoping for something special to show up in your stocking or under the tree this year, be sure to send the gifters in your life to Peonyparty.com to buy you a space at the design table next July when Slow Flowers and the Field to Vase blog produce Peony Party. You'll join Christina Stembel and me over four fabulous peony-filled days focusing on the cultivation and design of Alaska Peonies. Find all the details at Peonyparty.com. There are only 20 spaces so grab your spot soon! My personal goal is to put more American grown flowers on the table, one vase at a time. I promise that when you tune in next week, you'll hear another insightful and educational episode of the Slow Flowers Podcast. Listeners like you have downloaded the Slow Flowers Podcast more than 27,000 times. If you like what you hear, please consider logging onto Itunes and posting a listener review. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Wheatley and Hannah Holtgeerts. Learn more about their work at hhcreates.net.      

Today's episode was recorded in late October at the Northwest Regional Lavender Conference outside Portland, Oregon. Susan and Jack Harrington of Labyrinth Hill Lavender, the conference producers, invited me as the luncheon speaker to talk about - what else - the American grown cut flower industry! My talk was titled "From 'Buy Local' to 'American Grown' - How you can Join the Slow Flowers Movement." I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with more than 200 lavender growers from around the country; in fact, the sold-out conference attracted participants from at least 22 states and several Canadian provinces, according to Susan's tally. One might ask: What does Lavender have to do with the Cut Flower Industry? Well, that's what I was there to explore, along with my two guests today. By the end of today's episode -- All about Lavender - I believe you'll conclude, as I have, that there is huge potential for integrating American Grown Lavender into the American Grown Cut Flower Community. The flower- and lavender-growing communities are closely aligned in so many ways: In both worlds, you'll meet family-owned farms, people who desire to make a living from their land, people who use sustainable practices, people who want to preserve farmland, people who create livelihoods for others in their community and people who believe in creativity and hard work. Mike Neustrom owns Prairie Lavender in Bennington, Kansas, and is a founding board member of the U.S. Lavender Growers Association. Mike has been growing lavender since 2002. His 4,000+ plants reside on two acres at the cusp of the tallgrass and shortgrass prairies of North-central Kansas. Not only will Mike  share his experience with the challenges of growing lavender under harsh conditions, he will enlighten us with tales of manufacturing and marketing 90 lavender products on his farm. Sarah Richards owns Lavender Wind Farm in Coupeville, Washington on Whidbey Island, a little closer to me. She is a founding and current board member of the U.S. Lavender Growers Association board. At Lavender Wind Farm, Sarah grows 14,000 plants on six acres. After 12 years of growing lavender and welcoming visitors to her farm, she started planning for an expansion beyond her farm's borders. In 2012, she opened a manufacturing and retail facility in a charming 1916 bungalow, attracting both locals and tourists. "I knew that one of my crops was tourists," -- Sarah Richards, Lavender Wind Farm I know you'll enjoy our conversation and perhaps it will inspire you to explore lavender as a new crop - or to think about ways to use your farm as an "agro-tourism destination" or for new product development. My personal goal is to put more American grown flowers on the table, one vase at a time. I promise that when you tune in next week, you'll hear another insightful and educational episode of the Slow Flowers Podcast. Listeners like you have downloaded the Slow Flowers Podcast more than 26,000 times. If you like what you hear, please consider logging onto Itunes and posting a listener review. The Slow Flowers Podcast is engineered and edited by Andrew Wheatley and Hannah Holtgeerts. Learn more about their work at hhcreates.net.

Today's episode was recorded on October 20th at the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers and features veteran flower farmer Pamela Arnosky of Texas Specialty Cut Flowers in Blanco, Texas, west of Austin. Pamela's presentation -- about selling to supermarkets -- was paired with Lisa Mason Ziegler's session on selling to florists, which you heard several weeks ago. Head's up - like all the ASCFG sessions and panels, this is a one-hour presentation, so don't feel badly if you have to take it in over several days. Before we get started, here's some great news I have been waiting weeks to share. Earlier this year, my friend Christina Stembel of SF-based Farmgirl Flowers, joined me on a fabulous 4-day trip to Homer, Alaska, where I spoke and taught for the Homer Gardeners' Weekend. You can listen to our podcast episode recorded in Homer, here. It was my second visit to Homer during Alaska's glorious peony season and I was thrilled to both watch Christina's discovery of these gorgeous, incomparable American-grown flowers and to introduce her to my peony farmer friends in that community. Like they say, "all good things happen for a reason!" Not only was Christina instantly floored by the beauty of the Kenai Peninsula, she went crazy about fields and fields of Alaskan peonies available in July (the Peony season is CA is only the month of May.) To this, I just smiled, knowing only more good things would come from her discovery in Alaska. Pretty soon, literally within minutes of visiting the farm, our creative juices started flowing. We asked ourselves: “What if we bring other peony lovers here, all the way to Alaska -- to discover and participate in the magic of what we just experienced?”  Since the sun doesn’t really set until close to midnight, we brewed and brainstormed some unforgettable late-night conversations. Together with our delightful host, Beth Van Sandt, co-owner of Scenic Place Peonies, we started envisioning a “Peony Party,” a private, custom event, limited to an intimate group of flower lovers, florists, farmers and friends to come experience the magic of Alaska grown peonies. The Peony Party was finally made real when the members and farmers of the Alaska Peony Marketing Group extended their enthusiasm and support in August of 2014. Today, we're launching the new web site and invite you to check it out at PeonyParty.com. Our fabulous event is scheduled for July 10 to 13th, 2015 and there are only 20 spaces open to students. Unlike most of the floral design and farmer-florist intensives you've seen in the past year or so, we've packed ours with serious value-added bonuses. Most workshops like this do not include lodging or meals. Guess what? Ours includes 3 nights' of lodging all but one or two meals. The early-bird price is $2995, a $500 discount if you sign up before end of January. And here's my wonderful little secret. If you sign up for an Alaska Airlines Visa Card ASAP, you will receive 25,000 bonus miles in your first year - that's exactly what you need to fly round-trip from many US cities on the west coast or to cover at least a one-way ticket from many US cities on the east coast.   And now, on to Pamela Arnosky. With her husband Frank, Pamela farms 20 acres of cut flowers in Central Texas. The Arnoskys grow more than 70 varieties of flowers - year 'round - and sell through many grocery store accounts, as well as to florists and at their own on-farm market. They are popular speakers at regional and national ASCFG events, thanks in large part to their expertise and humorous presentation style. They say they've weathered just about anything from hurricanes and tornadoes to Mothers of Brides. Previous guests of this podcast, you can hear their last interview in Episode 130. This is a priceless and highly practical presentation - and if you've ever contemplated getting into the grocery store bouquet business,

Today’s awesome podcast guest is Emily Ellen Anderson, a landscape architect and sculptor-turned floral and event designer. Emily brings a fresh, remarkable, and out-of-the ordinary point of view to the work of her Seattle area-based studio, Lola Creative. I’ve been on the road for the past two weeks. Speaking about and promoting the Slow Flowers Movement has taken me to Rhode Island, Colorado and New Mexico. In addition to racking up a lot of valuable airline points, I’m so thrilled that in each destination, I’ve connected with America's flower farmers and the floral designers who value their unique, homegrown blooms, botanicals and foliage. A huge bouquet of gratitude goes to Julie Christina, Kris Greene and Gail Read of Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, Rhode Island, for inviting me to speak at their fundraising luncheon – and to teach a hands-on floral workshop on the grounds of this illustrious American architectural treasure. More thanks goes to Slowflowers.com members Polly and Mike Hutchison of Robin Hollow Farm in nearby Saunderstown, Rhode Island, for providing their gorgeous local flowers to augment Blithewold’s cuttings – our students loved your fall mums and more! Polly and Mike also hosted the Slow Flowers Potluck gathering, which drew member farmers and florists from as far away as Massachusetts and Connecticut, not to mention Rhode Island. I love connecting with each of you via the Web, but nothing compares to good old-fashioned face-to-face human contact, conversation, and camaraderie. P.S., this was the third Slowflowers.com regional gathering we’ve had, with previous events in Wilmington, Delaware, and Brooklyn, New York. In the coming months, wherever my travels take me, we’ll continue these member-only special events. I believe such gatherings underscore the power of our community, connecting flower farmers with designers, and ultimately, with consumers. After Rhode Island and 24 hours at home with my awesome family, I made my way to Colorado and New Mexico, where I met up with equally awesome flower farmers and recorded two upcoming podcasts. From Longmont, Colorado, you’ll soon hear from Chet and Kristy Anderson, veteran food and flower farmers and owners of The Fresh Herb Company. If their names sound familiar, it’s because you read their story in The 50 Mile Bouquet. Hearing their voices as they share the story of their flower-growing journey will add even more insights for listeners (and I thoroughly loved the delicious lunch and farm tour they shared with me). Then I spent a fab visit with Emily Calhoun of Floriography, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based, farmer-florist whose story and commitment to American grown will inspire you, too. We spent a morning playing with cool foraged ingredients from her farm – so you’ll soon see some great photos of our purely New Mexico-grown bouquets. As you know, I never tire of hearing from others who “get” what this Slow Flowers Movement is all about. This week, I’d like to share a note I received from Ellen Hoverkamp, a gifted botanical artist and photographer from Connecticut. I’ve known Ellen for a few years, ever since her gorgeous plant images graced Natural Companions, a book by Ken Druse, which I wrote about for the Los Angeles Times. It was a total privilege to witness Ellen’s acceptance of the GOLD medal for book photography from the Garden Writers Association in 2013. Last week, she and her pal Michael Russo, himself a fantastic floral designer, surprised me at the Blithewold events (Ellen has done an artist-in-resident stint there and is a good friend of the public garden). The two got to hear my Slow Flowers mantra, and we spent some quality time together driving from place to place around Bristol, Rhode Island. Ellen and Michael also participated in the Slow Flowers Design Workshop at Blithewold and created major beauty in their vases.

I've lots to share with you, so before introducing today's episode, let me jump right into the Flower News of the Week: First off, the winner of our drawing for a free copy of Alethea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo's beautiful new project, The Wreath Rec...

Earlier this week I headed north from the city and drove to Bellingham, Washington, close to the US-Canadian Border. There, in lovely Whatcom County, I met Sarah Pabody for lunch at a charming cafe serving organic and locally-grown food. That seemed apropos because we were ready to talk about putting more flowers - edible and non-edible alike - into the agricultural conversation.  I've known Sarah and her husband Steve Pabody since their flower-growing operation Triple Wren Farms joined the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market two years ago. Sarah and I served together on the co-op's board for a while and she has impressed me with her level-headed approach to our discussions and the thoughtful and inclusive way she makes decisions as a leader at the market.  We've been talking about me visiting Triple Wren, and now that it's flower-growing season, the time was right to make the trip. I warned Steve and Sarah in advance that I wanted to record our conversation for the Slow Flowers Podcast - and fortunately for you, they were game!  After lunch and a whirlwind chat, I followed Sarah even further north up the highway to the town of Ferndale. What beautiful countryside, where only a few miles off the interstate you can find apple orchards and flower fields surrounding a charming farmhouse with a deep, covered, wraparound porch, perfect for sitting down with Sarah and Steve, and a jug of their cold, refreshing, home-pressed apple cider. Steve poured and we forgot about the recorder and you can join in vicariously.   I wanted you to meet Sarah and Steve because they are a young flower farming couple who are nearly 100-percent self-taught. Trial and error doesn't seem daunting to them, though. Steve, a former Baptist pastor, has an incredibly gregarious personality, a can-do attitude and the willingness to poke fun at himself while tackling challenges like raising chickens, pruning thousands of apple trees and installing irrigation lines. He's sort of a city boy who has taken to farming with a passion. [And PS, as the daughter of a Baptist pastor and pastor's wife, I have a soft spot for Steve and Sarah - and their personal journey,]  Like Steve, Sarah has an infectious smile and the type of optimism you hope rubs off on you. This is not an easy path, but it's one they are committed to walking together. And without owning the land on which they farm, Sarah and Steve are mindful of the steps they need to take to sustain Triple Wren for their future. I know you'll be inspired by their story, whether you're a young farmer, too, or if you're more established. And by the way, their farm name celebrates the two reasons Sarah and Steve are so devoted to creating a family enterprise. First, their son Trey (Triple) and their daughter Chloe Wren (Wren). The children are a huge part of the farm's energy and joy - as you can see in the family photos Sarah shared here.   Triple Wren Farms is located in the heart of Sm'Apple's U-Pick Apple Orchard, which Steve manages for the Smith family, owners of the farm. During the fall U-Pick visitors are also able to harvest dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers and pumpkins to purchase. Sarah, with Steve's help, has developed two acres surrounding the orchard where she grows cut flowers and seasonal produce. As you'll hear in our interview, they got started with sunflowers just three seasons ago -- and the mix of annuals, perennials, edibles, bulbs and woody floral ingredients they now grow for the floral marketplace has exploded. Since joining Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, Triple Wren has achieved Salmon Safe designation. The farm uses sustainable and non-certified organic practices. In addition to being part of the Seattle Wholesale Growers Coop, Triple Wren sells to local florists and groceries in Bellingham, Ferndale and Lynden - and this year launched a very successful DIY Wedding Flowers program. More farm photos, shared by Sarah and Steve:            

Before introducing you to this week’s guest, I must share with you a heartwarming letter I received recently from Emily Calhoun, a farmer-florist who owns Floriography in Corrales, New Mexico. She gave me permission to read her letter to you:   Hi D...

Last week was quite amazing in so many ways. First of all, I was on assignment for Country Gardens magazine, working with the uber-talented photographer Laurie Black, my collaborator in so many great articles that we've created over the years for edito...