Episode 607: From Botanist to Flower Farmer with Kate Watters of Arizona’s Wild Heart Farm

Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR1Q2nhREYw It's great to be back with you today -- and to share another inspiring and uplifting conversation about the healing power of plants and the ability of flowers to nurture us, body and soul. Kate Watters (left) and a Wild Heart Farm CSA share, including a poem tucked inside the bouquet My guest today is botanist-turned-farmer-florist Kate Watters of Arizona's Wild Heart Farm. I first met Kate several years ago through the community of florists and flower farmers in Arizona, where I often visited my parents who were living outside of Phoenix. Kate and I connected through her frequent collaborator, Terri Schuett, owner of Happy Vine Flowers, a Prescott Valley area florist who is also part of the Slow Flowers Movement. The women produced a beautiful styled shoot that we published in Florists Review in December 2019, and I've secretly always wanted them to team up for a desert-inspired botanical couture piece for American Flowers Week! READ: The Desert as Floral Canvas The-Desert-as-Floral-CanvasFlorists' Review December 2019 READ: Flower Power: A farmer-florist reflects on the time she sold Valentine’s Day roses on a Las Vegas corner A family affair at Wild Heart Farm, with Kate, her sister Kelly, and her partner Mike Knapp (c) Amy S. Martin Kate has an extensive background in botany, ecological restoration and agriculture, coming to floristry while establishing flower and herb gardens at Orchard Canyon on Oak Creek, a 10-acre destination resort in Sedona. Wild Heart Farm (c) Amy S. Martin She transitioned to flower farming full time when she and her partner Mike Knapp found a unique property in Rimrock. They knew it could become the heart and home for both of their personal and professional endeavors. As Kate says, after 20 years in the field and wilds of botany and conservation, she wanted nothing more than to grow fields of flowers. "Flower Healing," with yoga on the farm at a Wild Heart Farm retreat Now, at Wild Heart Farm, Kate calls her approach to plant-based products and programs 'Flower Healing.' "Plants have so many qualities that bolster emotional and mental wellness," she explains. I invited Kate to share more in today's conversation. The second part of this episode features a 12-minute video tour of Wild Heart Farm, which Kate filmed to give us a closer look at this special destination in the high desert. Learn more about BLOOMING FROM THE ASHES: FOREST FIRE AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE, Wild Heart Farm at ArtX on May 26th, 2023 Follow Wild Heart Farm on Facebook and Instagram This week's News And a reminder that tomorrow is our free webinar for Southern States flower growers. You're invited to Join Slow Flowers +Johnny's Selected Seeds at attend, tomorrow, April 27th (2 pm Pacific/5 pm Eastern). I'll be co-hosting the session with Johnny's Seeds' Flower Product Manager Hillary Alger for a discussion on what it means to grow flowers in the challenging climatic conditions of the southern United States. Our guest panel of experienced Slow Flowers members are cut-flower growers from Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. We'll hear their farming stories firsthand and discuss regional growing challenges, lessons learned, and their favorite varieties. You'll meet and learn from them: Rita Anders, Cuts of Color, Weimar, Texas Eileen Tongson, FarmGal Flowers,

Episode 607: From Botanist to Flower Farmer with Kate Watters of Arizona’s Wild Heart Farm

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