Slow Flowers Podcast

• Episode 720: Killing Frost Farm’s Jamie Rogers on solo flower farming in western Montana

  https://youtu.be/9-oJEifK-u0?si=gW8_eyURbbSIEufO Growing specialty cut flowers for retail floral shops is a very specific niche and today’s guest, Jamie Rogers of Killing Frost Farm in Helena, Montana, has a lot to share on this topic! Jamie co-founded the business with Carly Jenkins in 2014, the “killing frost” name a tongue-in-cheek reference to extreme drops to freezing temperatures that are brutal for flowers. Today, Jamie farms solo and supplies retailers between Bozeman to the east and Missoula to the west and he has maximized efficiencies to supply quantities of unique perennials and annuals to a core base of floral customers week in and week out throughout the season. We’ll wrap up this conversation with a peek into Jamie’s other passion – music – as he shares a new song from the upcoming album he recorded with Les Duck, the local band he performs with as drummer. It’s a great reminder for all of us to find work-life balance in this demanding world of flower growing and design. Jamie Rogers of Killing Frost Farm (c) Chasing Light Photography As we continue to share the inspiring content from the pages of The Flower Farmers, our new book featuring the stories of 29 expert growers across North America, we’re taking a stop today in western Montana, to meet Jamie Rogers of Killing Frost Farm. Delphiniums at Killing Frost Farm Jamie is a past guest of this podcast, and I’m so happy that he had a chance to record a new conversation with him last week. After farming in Western Montana for more than a decade, on several locations both urban and rural, Jamie and his former partner Carly Jenkins moved Killing Frost Farm to Helena in 2021. Their two-acre parcel of land in the fertile Prickly Pear Valley is surrounded by rolling hills and views of Mount Helena.There are so many benefits of this new location, including access to well water, distance from fire threats, and proximity to city amenities. The farm pumps out an impressive crop list – including sunflower, strawflower, stock, snapdragon, foxglove, scabiosa, zinnia, gomphrena, amaranth, marigold, cosmos, larkspur, Queen Anne’s lace, sea  holly, and delphinium – the specialty crop we featured in a bonus spread in The Flower Farmers. Killing Frost Farm You’ll want to wait until the very end of our interview for a delightful bonus track of a song titled “Head Fell Off” from the upcoming album Jamie and his fellow band members produced – no surprise, inside the Killing Frost barn, which they converted to a recording studio! I loved this conversation and I love the energy and joy Jamie shares about flower farming. It can be brutal and demanding, but his story is a reminder to find balance and quality of life in the journey. Sunflowers and Nori Follow Jamie at his new IG account @montanaflowerfarmer, and @les_duck, where details on the album release of “Love is the Dirt,” will be announced later this summer. 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 the Association of Specialty Cut Flowers. The ASCFG is a gathering place for specialty cut flower growers of all levels of experience. It is a hub of knowledge, where seasoned experts and budding enthusiasts come together to learn, share, and support one another.

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• Episode 719: Weddings from the Garden, with urban farmer-florist Eleanor Blackford of Bloomwood Floral

  https://youtu.be/BxZ3HiTn0UM?si=BtYeIDuXg2qjrW0n Visit an urban cutting garden with me today – and meet long-time Slow Flowers member Eleanor Blackford, a wedding florist whose studio produces designs using only what she grows on her 6,000-square-foot city lot in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. You’ll learn more about what Eleanor grows, inspired by her English grandmothers and their prolific cottage gardens. After years running Bash & Bloom as a Seattle wedding and event business, Eleanor rebranded as Bloomwood Floral to reflect her shift from producing big “bashes” toward creating personalized, garden-inspired floral commissions for couples. With a desire to be entirely “slow” in her practices, this new model fits Eleanor and her husband Matt’s lifestyle as entrepreneurs and parents of two young children. Garden-sourced wedding florals by Eleanor Blackford of Bloomwood Floral. All photography by Anna Peters Ten years ago last month – in May 2015 – I recorded our 96th episode of the Slow Flowers Podcast with Eleanor Blackford of Bash & Bloom, a Seattle-based wedding and event designer and Slow Flowers member who I frequently ran into at the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market. I invited Eleanor to sit down in my living room and chat with me about her decision to go foam-free as part of her design philosophy. A hand-tied bouquet (left) and Eleanor in her Seattle cutting garden (right) It's high time to revisit Eleanor’s story and last week I visited her home-based micro-farm in South Seattle, where I filmed our video interview as Eleanor led me through her production and display gardens – all of which provide 100% of her design ingredients these days. We discussed how Bash & Bloom has evolved into Bloomwood Floral, and how Eleanor’s focus has shifted in part because she and her husband are now parents to two young children. "I feel like 'urban farming' is my calling. Growing food, growing flowers -- It's something we assume can't be done in a city, but it can, and it can be worth it. And there can still be space for a life outside farming, too."Eleanor Blackford, Bloomwood Floral Eleanor Blackford (left) and wedding florals (right) Here’s a bit more about Eleanor:Eleanor grew up in gardens and around gardeners. Her vivid memories include exploring her nana’s garden at her North Yorkshire Moors cottage in England where she was born and helping her my mum as a kid in their family vegetable garden in Minnesota, where she earned 5¢ for each potato beetle she squished. The first flowers Eleanor ever grew were zinnias, marigolds, and sunflowers in a tiny patch of dirt that her dad dug for her behind their house next to the big garden. In each apartment she lived in as an adult, Eleanor managed to find a way to grow something—even if it was just herbs in the kitchen window. After spending her 20s trying to make the 9-to-5 thing work, Eleanor missed being creative and started playing with flowers. In 2010, she launched bash & bloom, now Bloomwood Floral, as a way to scratch that creative itch. After flowering for a dear friend’s wedding, knowing there was no turning back, she left a non-profit career and threw herself into making this life in flowers work. When Eleanor met her husband in early 2013, he came with a house on a 6,000+ sq ft lot. Which, by Seattle standards, is a giant parcel. There was a big concrete raised bed and within a few months of them dating, Eleanor had commandeered the garden to plant vegetables and start cosmo seeds. Today, the property is devoid of grass, and just about every square foot of space is taken up by Bloomwood Florals’ urban farmlet. As she says, “The growing bug is a real thing, and I have it.” A Bloomwood Floral centerpiece Most days, you can find Eleanor out in the garden or up the street at her Pea Patch spot, often with two lively children in tow. As I mentioned, it was a joy to film a video tour of Bloomwood Floral and the nearby Pea Patch.

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• Episode 718: The Flower Farmers, with co-authors Robin Avni and Debra Prinzing; plus a bonus interview with Daniel Sparler, the book’s horticulture editor

  https://youtu.be/BdnRayT0M2A?si=PQVfp6yMUSJD7n42 The Flower Farmers has been in the works for two years, as my co-author and the book’s creative director Robin Avni and I have poured our storytelling passion into the narratives and imagery that portray 29 North American growers. The book was released on May 6th by Abrams, and we’ve been in major celebration mode ever since. Today’s episode brings you  to the lecture that Robin and I recently presented for the Northwest Horticultural Society, as we introduced the flower farming lifestyle and encouraged the audience to “garden like a flower farmer.” In the second part of this episode, you’ll hear a fabulous conversation I recorded with Daniel Sparler, Seattle-based horticulturalist and expert on botanical Latin, who served as The Flower Farmers’ horticulture consultant. Debra Prinzing (left) and Robin Avni (right), co-authors of THE FLOWER FARMERS (c) Mary Grace Long Here’s the pitch for The Flower Farmers book: "Twenty–nine of today’s most inspiring flower farmers present stories, how–to–cultivate expertise, and favorite new varieties in a lushly photographed guide to feed your every floral fantasy. "Flower farmers are the garden world’s lifestyle influencers these days, with dedicated social media channels and hundreds of thousands of avid fans who dream about having a lush and vibrant cutting garden of their own. Today’s gardeners follow celebrity growers to gather ideas and expert advice regarding planting techniques and the best varieties and seasonal plants to choose. The Flower Farmers book presents a curated group of favorite growers, from industry leaders to pioneering newcomers. Each grower shares their specialty knowledge and seasonal practices, so that readers will be able to create a similar relationship with flowers and discover sustainable techniques for their own gardens. Dedicated sidebars dig deeper, with information on everything from raising a unique cultivar to the best floral varieties for long-lasting arrangements. Gorgeous photography illustrates each farmer’s profile, highlighting the beauty of their farms, floral passions, and the flowers themselves." Book-signing with Debra and Robin, following their Northwest Horticultural Society lecture May 21, 2025 Regular listeners know all about me, and so I’ll re-introduce Robin Avni, past guest of the Slow Flowers Podcast. Robin is a creative director and experienced designer in the media + high-tech industries. Her specialties include creative management of award-winning teams and content development for high-profile projects. She has produced 18 floral and lifestyle books, including eight in collaboration with me, and together we love showcasing the floral lifestyle of creatives and entrepreneurs. Order THE FLOWER FARMERS Click below to view: Robin and Debra's lecture slides BLOOM_BELLEVUE BOTANICAL 2025 5_21 FINALDownload Whether you’re a plant geek or a beginning plant parent, you’ll love hearing from Daniel Sparler about botanical Latin and how it has evolved. We are so grateful that Daniel shared his expertise with us to ensure that The Flower Farmers’ plant content is correctly identified, accurate and up to date.Jump to my conversation with Daniel here Click for more resources from Daniel Sparler Join us on tour! The Flower Farmers JUNE Book Tour -- Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut & New YorkSun., June 8th (4-6 p.m.), WATERFORD, VirginiaBook Launch party and signing with Debra Prinzing and Holly Heider Chapple of Hope Flower Farm. Enjoy the afternoon at Hope Flower Farm, featured in the pages of The Flower Farmers. Books will be available for purchase and signing, and you'll want to visit the Hope Flower Farm Winery, too!Free; Event Details Here. NOTE: Correct time is 4-6 p.m. Tues., June 10th (6-7:30 p.m.)KENNETT SQUARE, PennsylvaniaLongwood Gardens hosts Robin Avni and Debra Prinzing for a lecture and book-signing about The Flower Farmers.

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• Episode 717: The future of Plant Masters, with legacy growers Leon and Carol Carrier, and their son Lee, next generation flower farmer now leading the family business

  https://youtu.be/vw5w4ZwBuZU?si=YZLcTE7pJ5P5-zVP The Carrier family has been growing cut flowers and plants for more than 40 years, raising their three children with a love for flowers, and keeping the business in the family as it transitions into the hands of the next generation. Plant Masters, the specialty cut flower farm owned by Leon and Carol Carrier, and their son Leon Carrier III, is based in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. The family floral enterprise supplies numerous farmers’ markets in the area, thanks to a year-round selection of floral design elements and more than 100 varieties, beginning with woody ornamental branches and early flowering bulbs in winter; hellebores, peonies, and perennials in spring; hydrangeas, sunflowers, dahlias, and other annuals in summer; and heirloom mums, winter greenery, and their famous winterberry branches by the year’s end. Join me for a fun conversation with all three, followed by a video tour of Plant Masters. Leon and Carol Carrier (left) and Leon (Lee) Carrier III (right) (c) Beth Caldwell Three generations of the Carrier family, including Leon and Carol (left); their son and daughter-in-law, Lee and Jenna (right), with their five children in the foreground. (c) Beth Caldwell Our celebration of The Flower Farmers publication continues today with a visit to Maryland, where you’ll meet Leon and Carol Carrier and their son Lee Carrier, owners of Plant Masters. Endless Rows at Plant Masters' expansion farm, with the new barn and two high tunnels (c) Beth Caldwell With over five acres of cultivated land, four hoop houses, and a greenhouse spread over two home farms, Plant Masters is known for providing sustainable, high-quality flowers to customers and florists in the greater Maryland-District of Columbia market. I first met Leon at a Field to Vase dinner held in Virginia. Around the same time, Slow Flowers member Kelly Shore of Petals by the Shore, approached me with an offer I couldn’t refuse. She had collaborated with Leon and Carol to produce a series of styled photo shoots at their farm using the plants, foliage, and flowers they grew from season to season. Her goal was to showcase the many ways florists could incorporate all-local botanicals into wedding and event design, underscoring the Slow Flowers values that Kelly adopted for her business. The series was my first article for Florists Review, which published a beautiful, 11-page feature called “Four Seasons of Floral Design” in the January 2017 issue. The package included a special one-page “Meet the Farmers” interview with Leon and Carol. READ more here: four-seasons-of-flowersDownload Bestselling crops: Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Gold' (left) and 'Winter Red’ (right) (c) Beth Caldwell When it came time to write The Flower Farmers book, I knew I wanted to include the story of Plant Masters. Today, you’re in for a treat. You’ll meet Leon and Carol, and their son Lee, who’s leading the next generation of Plant Masters. Our interview is followed by a video tour of the farm, filmed by Roy Henry. Find and follow Plant Masters on Instagram and Facebook Order your signed copy of The Flower Farmers Join us at Hope Flower Farm on June 8th (4-6 p.m.) Celebrate The Flower Farmers and meet host Holly Chapple at Hope Flower Farm in Waterford, Virginia! Plant Masters' Carol and Leon Carrier will be in attendance and, along with Holly and Debra Prinzing, we’ll all sign your copy of The Flower Farmers book. We'd love to see you there! NOTE: the event time has changed to 4-6 p.m. More details about The Flower Farmers at Hope Flower Farm on June 8th 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.

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• Episode 716: More than a side hustle, flower farming and floral design with Marly Surena-Llorens of Fenimore & Rutland

  https://youtu.be/uGRgC8rjB_U?si=ucehNezGBXce9kuX Marly Surena-Llorens was born and raised in the U.S., but her Haitian mother’s stories of tropical gardens filled with palms, crotons, and bougainvillea plants inspired her lifelong love of flowers. Yet, Marly says some of her most vivid floral impressions came from the BBC programs of her youth, when she watched period TV dramas in her family’s Brooklyn apartment. Today she gardens and grows cut flowers on two residential lots in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a college town located about one hour north of Philadelphia. Marly describes herself as a “farmer who designs,” and with just a quarter of an acre, her land produces enough flowers for Fenimore & Rutland’s seasonal bouquet subscriptions, wedding florals, and design workshops. I’m so thrilled that Robin Avni and I included Marly’s story in our new book, The Flower Farmers, and today you’ll meet her for our extended interview. Marly Surena-Llorens of Fenimore & Rutland (c) Petra Somers We’ve had a great kickoff week for the The Flower Farmers launch and the fun continues today with Marly Surena-Llorens of Fenimore & Rutland, an Allentown, Pennsylvania-based farmer-florist, our special guest. The English cottage garden style of Marly Surena-Llorens of Fenimore & Rutland (c) Petra Somers Marly and I met at an ASCFG conference several years back and I knew I wanted to include her floral journey in a chapter of The Flower Farmers. We’re thrilled with the gorgeous photography she shared for the pages, and we’re so happy that her story is getting out into the world. Marly Surena-Llorens at home and in her cutting garden (c) Petra Somers Today, join me in a lovely and inspiring conversation with Marly as we discuss her farmer-florist business, Fenimore & Rutland, its origins and inspiration, and the way she has turned a lifelong interest in English gardens into a micro farm serving weddings, events, and everyday customers in her area. Marly Surena-Llorens of Fenimore and Rutland in her studio (c) Petra Somers Find and follow Fenimore & Rutland on Instagram and Facebook. Meet Marly, Debra & Robin on Tuesday, June 10th at Longwood Gardens! Tues., June 10th (6-7:30 pm), KENNETT SQUARE, Pennsylvania. Longwood Gardens hosts Robin Avni and Debra Prinzing for a lecture and book-signing about The Flower Farmers. They'll be joined by Marly Surena-Llorens of Fenimore & Rutland (Allentown, Pennsylvania) will join as their special farmer guest. Tickets: $26-$29; Event Details Here. Check out the full event calendar for The Flower Farmers book launch (May & June) 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 the Association of Specialty Cut Flowers. The ASCFG is a gathering place for specialty cut flower growers of all levels of experience. It is a hub of knowledge, where seasoned experts and budding enthusiasts come together to learn, share, and support one another. The ASCFG is dedicated to empowering its members with the knowledge and resources needed to thrive in the world of cut flower farming. From educational workshops and conferences to online resources and publications, they provide a wealth of information and support for all things related to growing exceptional cut ...

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