Slow Flowers Podcast

• Episode 715: From Farmers’ Market to Elevated Retail, with Abby Matson of Diddle and Zen and Julie Rémy of Fleuris Orchard and Blooms

  https://youtu.be/P3SoClolo0g?si=_2euyh84isd_Ina4 It's a Red-Letter Week here at Slow Flowers, as my longtime collaborator, Robin Avni, and I celebrate the May 6th publication of The Flower Farmers, our beautiful and informative new book featuring 29 growers across North America. You’ve heard a bit from some of the experts profiled in The Flower Farmers, and you’ll continue to meet and be inspired by them in the coming weeks and months. Pages from The Flower Farmers, featuring Diddle & Zen's Abby Matson Pages from The Flower Farmers, featuring Julie Rémy of Fleuris Orchard & Blooms Today’s episode centers around the stories of two of the book’s many floral entrepreneurs, as Abby Matson of Vermont-based Diddle and Zen, and Julie Rémy of Victoria, British Columbia-based Fleuris Orchard and Blooms share their experience with retail channels to sell the flowers they grow. We recently hosted Julie and Abby during the May Slow Flowers Meet-Up, and today’s episode is the replay recording of that session. There are countless takeaways from this special focus on retail channels for locally-grown flowers and I’m excited to dive right in and introduce you to these gifted women who are shaping floral enterprises to fit their lives. Find and follow Julie and Abby’s at these social places: Diddle and Zen on Instagram and Facebook Fleuris Orchard & Blooms on Instagram and Facebook THE FLOWER FARMER - We've Published! Meet Debra & Robin on The Flower Farmers Book Tour (May and June) Calendar of Events here. We’ll be at other locations throughout the summer and we’ll be adding new events to promote The Flower Farmers book, so check out our Instagram feed @slowflowerssociety to stay up to date. Thank you to our Sponsors! This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 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, 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 A-ROO Company, your one-stop shop for in-stock floral packaging. From sleeves and wraps to labels and tags, A-Roo offers a full selection of eco-friendly items for your business or to start the process of developing a look that is uniquely yours. Visit them at a-roo.com. Thank you to Charles Little & Company for supplying our industry with some of the most beautiful and sustainably-grown design ingredients, available nationwide through their website at charleslittleandcompany.com. Based in Eugene, Oregon, the farmers at Charles Little & Company have been growing and drying flowers since 1986. New products and dried flower collections are added to their website at the first of each month. Check it out at charleslittleandcompany.com. 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. 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 & Pod...

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• Episode 714: An inspiring conversation with Frances Palmer, ceramic artist, photographer, flower gardener, and author of Life With Flowers

  https://youtu.be/2G-OjAkuVJY?si=lijpFSK8vvnkJW6L Renowned potter Frances Palmer has spent decades creating art that has enchanted designers and artists around the world. But there is another vibrant side of her creative life that she’s equally passionate about and devoted to – flower gardening and arranging. Today, join me in an engaging conversation with artist and passionate gardener Frances Palmer as we discuss her world and her new book: Life with Flowers: Inspiration and Lessons from the Garden. This practical and gorgeous guide to growing and arranging flowers is unlike any other flower-growing or design book, because it is steeped in Frances’s love of art history, influenced by early photographers and painters, and by gardens from her travels. You’ll delight in the fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of how Frances chooses and grows specific varieties, and how pieces from her wheel and kiln pay tribute to each stem, which she documents with exquisitely photographed still-life studio portraits. Life With Flowers by Frances Palmer. Portrait (c) Weston Wells The 2022 Slow Flowers Summit theme, “Flowers as Artist’s Muse,” was a sentiment that perfectly expressed the art of potter Frances Palmer, one of our featured speakers. Personally, I have been drawn to Frances Palmer's pottery for many years. In fact, I own two of her vases, which I absolutely cherish and love for displaying my flowers. We invited Frances to share her story and introduce our Slow Flowers Summit attendees to the way she views flowers as part of her art, specifically the flowers she grows in her Connecticut cutting garden. Frances Palmer in her round garden - filled with dahlias at the peak of summer. If you missed that year’s Slow Flowers Summit, perhaps you met Frances when she appeared as a guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast in May 2022. We previewed her Summit presentation and discussed her first book, Life In the Studio, Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity. This book is as beautiful and unexpected as Palmer’s pottery, as breathtakingly colorful as her celebrated dahlias, and as intimate as the dinners she hosts in her studio for friends and family.  And now, the companion to that title is called Life With Flowers, out May 13th. I’m delighted to welcome Frances’s return appearance to the Slow Flowers Podcast – and to share a preview of her beautiful new book with you. I know you begin to see your flowers in a new way after learning from Frances. Her studio approach elevates both the vessel and the botanicals that they contain -- and informs floral design as an art form. Order a signed copy of Life With Flowers Life with Flowers book events Find and follow: Instagram @francespalmer | Facebook: Frances Palmer | Pinterest: Frances Palmer Pottery Thank you to our Sponsors This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 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, 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 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 backyard cutting gardens like mine. Find the full catalog of flower seeds and bulbs at johnnyseeds.com. Thank you to The Gardener's Workshop, which offers a full curriculum of online education for flower farmers and farmer-floris...

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• Episode 713: Sydney Fee of Fee, Fi, Fo Farm on how her sustainable hospitality and tourism background supports her farmer-florist enterprise

  https://youtu.be/ILIsMQVb0xs?si=apa9xNGFjmMBb6gq I’m always so inspired by the paths taken by our Slow Flowers Members to create their floral endeavors and today’s guest has a fabulous back-story, which we’ll share with you today. Sydney Fee of Fee, Fi, Fo Farm is based in New York’s Finger Lakes Region, home to nearly 150 wineries and many destination wedding venues. Sydney is entering her fifth year as a farmer-florist, growing intensively in a 1,500-square-foot cutting garden and borrowing planting space at a nearby bed-and-breakfast to serve local CSA customers and more than a dozen weddings this season. She does this while also working full-time as an event planner at a sustainable winery – and you can only imagine how these varied chapters add up to a beautiful story. I’m excited for you to meet Sydney Fee and learn more. Sydney Fee of Fee, Fi, Fo Farm Fee, Fi, Fo Farm We have a bonus interview that will begin today’s episode, as I am joined by past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast Katie Lila of Flowers for People and "Follow the Blooms," who returns to tell us about her television series’ upcoming second season with details on how to submit your idea for an episode featuring you, your farm or floral design work, or your community connections. We are also celebrating the news that “Follow the Blooms” season one has a new home on public television – and you’ll be able to watch the replay of the fun episode about the 2023 Slow Flowers Summit in Bellevue, Washington. The bonus interview includes a video highlight from that episode. Sydney inside her 25-by-60-foot micro farm (left) and Sydney with a floral installation (right) The micro farm at peak season Next, you’ll meet our featured guest, Sydney Fee of Fee, Fi, Fo Farm, who I recently interviewed for the Slow Flowers Podcast. I first met Sydney Fee in 2022 when she attended the Slow Flowers Summit in New York (followed by her attendance at the Bellevue Summit in 2023 and the Banff Summit in 2024). It’s a joy to welcome her to the Podcast today. Owner and operator of Fee Fi Fo Farm based in Montour Falls, New York, Sydney is a lover of sustainability, nature, planning, flowers, and weddings. Seasonal Harvest for the Fee, Fi, Fo Farm CSA Fee Fi Fo Farm strives to sustainably cultivate lovely flowers to share with the community, while also educating the public and shining a light on the importance of supporting domestic flower farms. On her own tiny plot of land, Sydney is dedicated to producing beautiful blooms in the most sustainable manner.It began in 2020 when she planted a few seeds with help from a brother armed with a degree in horticulture. That led to her passion for cut flowers as Sydney realized the importance of spreading the message of how crucial supporting domestic flower farms is.Let’s jump right in and meet both Katie and Sydney – as we all discuss the joys of locally-grown blooms.Sydney has shared lots of beautiful floral photos to illustrate today’s interview about Fee, Fi, Fo Farm, and you’ll find those, as well as her social places, so you can gain more appreciation for her entrepreneurial and sustainable floral projects. Find and follow Sydney Fee and Fee, Fi, Fo Farm on Instagram and Facebook Slow Flowers Summit 2024 with Katie Lila of Follow the Blooms. From left: Gina Lett-Shrewsberry, Katie Lila, Debra Prinzing & Olivia Yates O'Donnell Follow the Blooms details: Katie Lila is on the hunt for flower-obsessed creatives, growers, artists, and event visionaries who want to take their creativity beyond the vase and onto the screen. If you've ever asked yourself, "What else can I do with flowers?" or if you’ve got a project that makes people stop and stare, she wants to hear from you! Find and follow Katie Lila and Follow the Blooms on Instagram. Click to Submit Your Idea to "Follow the Blooms" Thank you to our Sponsors! This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free,

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• Episode 712: Growing and Designing with Hellebores. Meet our Hellebore Experts, Diane Szukovathy and Dennis Westphall of Jello Mold Farm and Rizaniño “Riz” Reyes of RHR Horticulture

  https://youtu.be/02kn4dOI2tg?si=M1TUm5AjdtUwbr_z Just in time for gardening and farming season, I’m thrilled to introduce you to The Flower Farmers, my new book co-authored with longtime collaborator Robin Avni. The Flower Farmers delivers a visually compelling collection of stories and flower-growing wisdom to inspire gardeners and flower lovers alike. Immerse yourself in the stories of 29 flower farms, including the people and places where flowers are planted, harvested, arranged and brought to market. Join me in a conversation about HELLEBORES -- Best Practices and Best Varieties to Grow and Design. Three of the talented Slow Flowers members featured in The Flower Farmers book -- Diane Szukovathy and Dennis Westphall of Jello Mold Farm, and Rizaniño "Riz" Reyes of RHR Horticulture -- pay homage to the hellebore -- the "it" flower of the season. It’s only fitting, because a beautiful portrait of the luxury perennial graces the cover of The Flower Farmers -- straight from Jello Mold Farm. Helleborus HGC Ice N' Roses 'Rosado' (left) and Diane Szukovathy and Dennis Westphall (right) (c) Mary Grace Long Rizanino "Riz" Reyes, owner of Seattle-based RHR Horticulture (left) (c) Amber Fouts and a garden-foraged spring posy, designed and photographed by Riz (right) Today’s episode is excerpted from our monthly Slow Flowers member meet-up for April, which took place last week. We invited Diane Szukovathy and Dennis Westphall to share their expert hellebore growing advice and Riz Reyes, an accomplished plantsman, to discuss gardening and designing with hellebores. You’ll learn more about their work with hellebore crops and floral and design with hellebores and companion blooms, and get inspired for the season's best blooms. All three are featured in the pages of The Flower Farmers: Inspiration and Advice from Expert Growers. Robin Avni and I spent the past 18 months gathering images and interviews with 29 floral experts across North American – Slow Flowers members whose passion and know-how fill 272 pages of this gorgeous book – which will be published on May 6th. In the hellebore high tunnel at Jello Mold Farm (c) Mary Grace Long Find and follow Jello Mold Farm on Instagram and at Seattle Wholesale Growers Market Find and follow Riz Reyes on Instagram and at Heronswood Garden Thank you to our Sponsors This show is brought to you by slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 700 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, 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 Red Twig Farms. Based in New Albany, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program and their Spread the Hope Campaign where customers purchase 10 tulip stems for essential workers and others in their community. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com. Thank you to the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, a farmer-owned cooperative committed to providing the very best the Pacific Northwest has to offer in cut flowers, foliage and plants. The Growers Market’s mission is to foster a vibrant marketplace that sustains local flower farms and provides top-quality products and service to the local floral industry. Visit them at seattlewholesalegrowersmarket.com. Thank you for joining me today! The Slow Flowers Podcast is a member-supported endeavor,

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• Episode 711: Flower farming as a second career with environmental educator Amy Brodbeck Linhart of Humming Harvest Farm

  https://youtu.be/AMujMVQSGkM?si=2ZjthEzgpVZzdUH_ It’s early in the season, but Amy Linhart already has been harvesting from her crop of 13,000 daffodils to supply her main wholesale customer, an upscale regional grocery chain in the Seattle-Tacoma region. I visited Humming Harvest Farm in late March for a tour of the fields and new high tunnel, both of which allowed me to envision the bountiful year to come, Amy’s sixth farming season. She started farming flowers as a side venture to her full-time position as an environmental educator at Pierce College, and I’m so inspired by the ways this young flower entrepreneur is building a meaningful and sustainable lifestyle involving teaching and farming. Amy Linhart of Humming Harvest Farm (c) Rylea Foehl photography Today’s episode was so much fun to record because I was able to get away from the computer and visit my guest in person. It’s early in the season, but the drive was worth it. Amy Linhart of Humming Harvest Farm isn’t too far from my home – about 45 minutes to the Key Peninsula, near the shores of Puget Sound. Casey and Amy (left), (c) Katelin McDermott Photography; outdoor production studio (right) Fortunately, Amy’s daffodil season has begun, so we walked the fields to see those crops, and toured the future growing areas where cover crops are now thriving. We also visited the new high tunnel that Amy’s husband Casey Linhart recently constructed with the help of friends. They have set themselves up for a successful expansion to add more early season crops with the new structure. Humming Harvest Farm Amy Linhart is an environmental educator turned flower farmer who has spent the majority of her professional career learning from and sharing inspiration from the natural world. From working as a national park ranger in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, to her current position working as an environmental educator at Pierce College, Amy has a deep respect for the ecosystems that she calls home. Dried and fresh florals (left) and Grocery Bouquets (right) She and Casey met in Alaska, where they fell in love with exploring wild spaces… and with each other. They moved to Washington so that Amy could pursue a Master’s in Marine Affairs at the University of Washington. Soon after graduation, they moved out of the city to purchase land and dig in the dirt. Much of this land was covered in thick, invasive blackberries and now, after a lot of sweat equity, houses an abundance of flowers and vegetables. The annual fields at Humming Harvest Farm With big dreams and inspired by the local farming movement, Amy continually researches new ways to treat the earth more gently through her sustainable farming practices. You’ll hear us discuss some of these endeavors during my visit and our subsequent sit-down interview. I know you’ll be inspired. Find and follow Humming Harvest Farm on Instagram and Facebook Amy is a member of Slow Flowers Society, but her farm is also affiliated with:Gig Harbor Flower Farmers Guild and she distributes flowers through West Sound Floral Exchange, operated by Slow Flowers member Jodi Logue of Moss & Madder Farm, past guest of this podcast. Amy holds a signature mixed bouquet from Humming Harvest Farm And I can’t end this episode without sharing a little update on Amy and Casey, and yes, the news that their baby Alder Kay Linhart arrived on April 1st. I have Amy’s permission to share this wonderful news. She recently texted me to say: “Our world has just changed for the better. She’s just the sweetest. She’s met the cows from afar and has explored the daffodils in bloom. We’re already so excited to bring this little one up on the farm!” Congratulations Amy and Casey! News of the Week Riz Reyes (left); Dennis Westphall and Diane Szukovathy (right) In Slow Flowers News, this coming Friday, April 11th is our monthly member Meet-Up and the topic is all about hellebores – growing and designing.

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