SLOW FLOWERS with Debra Prinzing show

SLOW FLOWERS with Debra Prinzing

Summary: SLOW FLOWERS is about making a conscious, sustainable choice in how you choose flowers. The podcast introduces listeners to the leading voices in the SLOW FLOWERS movement, from the field to the vase. Meet American flower farmers, eco-couture floral designers, innovative Do-It-Yourself designers and pioneering farmer-florists. Debra Prinzing, the leading advocate for American Grown flowers, hosts the conversation and encourages you to join the creative community.

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 Episode 575: The Floral Coach’s Amy Balsters shares her bouquet-making philosophy and inspiring business model | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 50:13

https://youtu.be/bcTATh8hmVk Amy's signature loose-and-airy, asymmetrical bouquet style I first met Slow Flowers member Amy Balsters in 2018 when she was a wedding and event florist operating as Amy Nicole Floral. We both attended a floral conference and during a few days together, we made a friendly connection. Later that year, Amy relocated with her family from Southern California to the Washington, D.C., area and the timing was ideal for her to attend the 2nd Slow Flowers Summit in the nation's capital. And she joined Slow Flower Society as a member. Through our social media connections, I watched as she began teaching bouquet-making skills around the country, helping florists learn the art of the loose and airy bouquet style. One of her workshops promised: "if you struggle with your bouquets feeling tight, lacking dimension or movement, or creating anxiety, this class is for you."A few years ago, she rebranded her business as The Floral Coach and began to teach online and in person workshops. Classically trained, Amy is an award-winning floral design educator with vast industry experience spanning 2 decades in retail floristry, weddings, and special events. She specializes in teaching the romantic-inspired, "loose and airy style" and is the creator of Bouquet Bootcamp, a comprehensive design course and hands-on workshop series. In late August, I met up with Amy in San Diego where we both participated in the CalFlowers FunNSun Conference. Amy taught two hands-on bouquet making workshops and I was a panelist for the Floral Marketing presentation. I flew in a day early so I could take Amy's workshop and I asked her to sit down with me for a video interview. I'm so thrilled to share her story with you --and to connect you with Amy's educational offerings. Take Amy's Free Webinar: 4 Ways to Better Bouquets Follow The Floral Coach on Instagram and Facebook Watch Amy on YouTube Learn more about Bouquet Bootcamp This week's News: Join the Slow Flowers September 16 Meet-Up Four of the new floral storefronts welcomed in 2022 (and there are more!). Clockwise, from top/left:Feast & Flora (Charleston, SC); Morning Glory Flower Co. (Glenville, WV); Sunborn Gardens (Madison, WI); and Wilrett Flower Co. (DeKalb, IL). It’s September and I wanted to give you a head’s up that our monthly Slow Flowers Member Meet-up is returning after our summer break! Typically, we all meet in the Zoom Room on the 2nd Friday of each month, but for this month only, we’ve scheduled the Meet-Up for the 3rd Friday – September 16th, 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. Our focus is “Diving into Retail Flower Shops,” and you’ll meet four Slow Flowers members who will join us (virtually) from their new retail spaces and give us a virtual tour. How can you create your community’s “favorite little flower shop”? Our member experts will share a “checklist” for anyone thinking of moving from a private studio or farm to the retail landscape.  Click here to pre-register for the 9/16 Meet-Up 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.

 Episode 574: Fourth-Year Flower Farmer, a virtual tour and visit with Jenny Chantz of Merritt Meadow Flower Farm in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 39:42

https://youtu.be/0F9B-tPVMJE I'm excited to share today's show with you for a number of reasons. My guest is farmer-florist Jenny Chantz of Merritt Meadows Flower Farm. Recently, we recorded this conversation about her farm, her market, her flowers and her story. Jenny Chantz of Merritt Meadows Flower Farm (left); the spring "friendship" bouquet that Jenny made and delivered to Debra's friend. Our conversation began this past April, when I reached out to Jenny for help with a few floral deliveries I wanted to send a friend who was experiencing some tough medical issues. I searched the map of Slow Flowers members in the greater Philadelphia market, comparing zip codes and distances, and determined that Jenny's Merritt Meadows Flower Farm was pretty close to the facility where my friend had been admitted. I reached out and to my delight, what I needed was exactly the type of specialized service that Jenny offers! It was springtime, so she harvested and designed two bouquets during the season, delivering them in person to my friend. While the need for flowers was a sad one, I felt so comforted having a Slow Flowers member to call! Jenny took time to email me a list of the flowers she planned to harvest -- an organic flower arrangement of anemones, ranunculus, daffodils and locally grown foliages of dusty, eucalyptus, euphorbia, privet, cherry laurel and pachysandra. She sent me photos and reassured me that it all went well. A custom Merritt Meadows Flower Farm bouquet - grown and arranged by Jenny Chantz (shown at right) Getting to know more about Jenny and Merritt Meadows inspired me to invite her to join me as a guest on the Slow Flowers Show. We are in for a treat! Find and follow Merritt Meadows Flower Farm:Merritt Meadows Flower Farm on Instagram Join our September Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up Four of the new floral storefronts welcomed in 2022 (and there are more!). Clockwise, from top/left:Feast & Flora (Charleston, SC); Morning Glory Flower Co. (Glenville, WV); Sunborn Gardens (Madison, WI); and Wilrett Flower Co. (DeKalb, IL). It's September and I wanted to give you a head's up that our monthly Slow Flowers Member Meet-up is returning after our summer break! Typically, we all meet in the Zoom Room on the 2nd Friday of each month, but for this month only, we've scheduled the Meet-Up for the 3rd Friday - September 16th, 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern. Our focus is "Diving into Retail Flower Shops," and you'll meet four Slow Flowers members who will join us (virtually) from their new retail spaces and give us a virtual tour. How can you create your community's "favorite little flower shop"? Our member experts will share a "checklist" for anyone thinking of moving from a private studio or farm to the retail landscape.  Click here to pre-register for the 9/16 Meet-Up 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.

 Episode 573: The 50 Mile Bouquet Series with Charles & Bethany Little of Charles Little & Co. | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 44:33

https://youtu.be/FhiS0CcQmfo If you've been following along for a while, you have noticed that 2022 is the 10-year celebration of the publication of The 50 Mile Bouquet, a book that, to be honest, started me along the journey that became the Slow Flowers Movement. In a tribute to this small but mighty book, I'm spending this year circling back to interview as many people featured in its pages as possible. The 50 Mile Bouquet was photographed by David Perry, designed by James Forkner, and brought to market by St. Lynn's Press publisher Paul Kelly. The opening chapter of The 50 Mile Bouquet includes profiles of several of the flower farmers who shaped the story and influenced my understanding of domestic floral agriculture. These are people who grew specialty cut flowers long before the term Slow Flowers was coined. They are the OG's the originals, who have quietly practiced their craft as artisan growers, supplying their customers, both flower lovers and florists, with superior quality heirloom blooms. So, today, you will meet Charles and Bethany Little of Eugene, Oregon-based Charles Little & Co. Their story appears in a section called Growers' Wisdom in which we introduce these inspiring growers. Charles Little has tended to ornamental crops in the verdant Willamette Valley since 1986 and I value his perspective and insights about how flower farmers have navigated the past decade and more. You met Bethany Little earlier this year when I featured her as a guest during her appearance as a NWFGS instructor, and so this is a bonus interview. Listen to Bethany: Episode 349: Finding a Market for Your Flowers with Bethany Little of Charles Little & Co.Listen to Charles: Grower Wisdom with Flower Farmer Charles Little (Episode 207) Here’s how to find and follow Charles Little & Co.: Charles Little & Co. on Facebook Charles Little & Co. on Instagram Read: "Heart of the Country," my first interview with Charles and Bethany, that appears in The 50 Mile Bouquet. Growers Wisdom pdfDownload 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. 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 this year than ever, and you'll want to check out the course offerings at thegardenersworkshop.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 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 ba...

 Episode 565: Petals and Alpacas at Gholson Gardens in Walla Walla, Washington (Encore Edition) | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 42:37

Greetings, friends. Here at the Slow Flowers Society, we have experienced a whirlwind several weeks, including producing our fifth and largest Slow Flowers Summit conference ever, celebrating American Flowers Week, and publishing our debut Summer issue of our Slow Flowers Journal e-zine quarterly. Add to that 10 days of me traveling away from home and […]

 Episode 564: Meet the Creatives who designed our American Flowers Week 2022 Botanical Couture Collection | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:06:30

We are in the midst of American Flowers Week, which runs annually from June 28th through July 4th. In 2015, Slow Flowers Society launched American Flowers Week as an annual advocacy, education and outreach campaign to promote domestic and locally-grown flowers. The project encourages flower farmers, floral designers, flower enthusiasts and gardeners alike to share […]

 Episode 563: Slow Flowers Summit 2022 bonus tours with Sylvia Lukach of Cape Lily Floral and Molly Culver of Molly Oliver Flowers | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:06:34

The fifth Slow Flowers Summit is coming right up and everyone involved is getting very excited to convene in New York’s Westchester County for three creatively informative and inspiring days centered around local flowers, sustainability and community — June 26 to June 28. Today, I want to share two back-to-back interviews with Slow Flowers members […]

 Episode 562: Susan McLeary shares her large-scale, foam-free, floral design installation techniques at the 2021 Slow Flowers Summit (encore presentation) | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:01:39

We are closing in on the 2022 Slow Flowers Summit, taking place June 26-28th in Westchester County New York – at two venues, the Red Barn at Maple Grove Farm in Bedford and at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture in Pocantico Hills. You’ve met almost all of our speakers here on the Slow […]

 Episode 561: Becky Feasby of Prairie Girl Flowers and IG’s Sustainability Sunday | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 48:45

The urgency to reverse climate change and better care for the future of our planet are top of mind issues for many floral professionals. If you’re listening or watching today, you’re probably here because you want to know more about the Slow Flowers Movement — and we schedule our topics and guests with values of […]

 Episode 560: Sourcing and designing with American-grown blooms with Michaela Newheart of FlowerFarm.com | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:05:05

If you’re a regular viewer or listener of the Slow Flowers Vodcast/Podcast, you’re familiar with my sponsor thanks, like those you just heard me say. In order to produce our content and share it freely, our relationships with sponsors are important to us.  For the past year, you’re probably heard me mention FlowerFarm.com, a leading […]

 Episode 559: Flowers as Artist’s Muse: Meet Ronni Nicole Robinson (Slow Flowers Summit 2022 speaker preview) | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 51:07

Today, I’m so delighted to share my wonderful conversation with artist Ronni Nicole Robinson. Ronni creates works in plaster and paper and all of her pieces are botanically-inspired, utilizing flowers, branches and stems she clips from surrounding gardens and nature to incorporate into her embossed surfaces. When planning the 2022 Slow Flowers Summit, “Flowers as […]

 Episode 558: A pottery studio and cutting garden visit with ceramic artist Frances Palmer (Slow Flowers Summit 2022 speaker preview) | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 32:50

Today, you’re invited into the pottery studio and cutting garden of celebrated ceramic artist, Frances Palmer of Frances Palmer Pottery. We recently recorded a preview of Frances’s upcoming presentation at the Slow Flowers Summit. Our theme this year is Flowers as Artists’ Muse, and in the conversation that follows, you’ll learn why we invited Frances […]

 Episode 557: How an interior designer expanded into floral design, with Jennifer Driscoll of Redwood Wild Florals | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 41:41

I’m so happy to share today’s conversation and design demonstration with you. My guest is Jennifer Driscoll, owner of Oakland-based Redwood Wild Florals. I met Jennifer last summer at the 2021 Slow Flowers Summit, held at Filoli, not far from her Bay Area backyard. You know how you start following someone you’ve met on social […]

 Episode 556: A floral conversation with Andrea K. Grist of Florasource KC and KC Bloom Hub | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 45:31

I love it when I can host a Slow Flowers member on a Seattle visit, and now that travel is again opening up, I have a feeling 2022 will be a busy one.  Last month, Andrea K. Grist, a long-time Slow Flowers Society member and friend, spent a few days visiting Seattle. She is a […]

 Episode 555: “Farewell Flowers,” Creating a Sustainable Funeral and Sympathy Practice, with Lori Poliski of Flori LLC, and Tammy Meyers of LORA Bloom | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 47:59

We have just recognized Earth Day and the Slow Flowers Podcast focused on a non-green topic: Funeral Flowers. This episode was inspired by two Slow Flowers members in the Seattle area who have been researching ways to infuse sustainability into sympathy flowers. I’ve invited Lori Poliski of Flori LLC, and Tammy Myers of LORA Bloom […]

 Episode 554: A garden and studio tour with Lorene Edwards Forkner, sharing her new book “Color In and Out of the Garden” | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 41:34

The tagline for today’s episode should be “how to see nature’s palette in deeper, more meaningful ways,” because that’s the lesson Lorene Edwards Forkner wants to share with everyone. As many of you know, Lorene is a dear friend and inspiration to me in all things horticulture. She is an author, artist, and speaker; you […]

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