Slowflowers.com

What is SLOWFLOWERS.com?

An online directory to help you find florists, studio designers, wedding and event planners, supermarket flower departments and flower farmers who are committed to American grown flowers.

How does the site work?

This user-friendly directory allows consumers to locate American-grown flower sources by searching City, State or Zip Code, coast-to-coast. You can also choose a category (Retail Florist, Studio Florist, Supermarket Floral Department, Weddings/Events, Flower CSAs or Flower Farm).
Depending on your search categories, you will see a list of the Slow Flowrs participants in the specific area of the country you seek. You will find studios and retailers who specialize in green weddings, weekly subscriptions and eco-florals. You'll discover local flower farms that sell direct to the DIY consumer. You will be assured that the flowers you buy are domestic in origin, grown by American flower farmers.
When you contact a Slow Flowers vendor, be sure to tell them that you followed a link on this site - and that you plan on posting a customer review of their services.
The owner of Slowflowers.com does not take any cut or percentage fee from purchases. This site is free to flower consumers everywhere.


Who is behind SLOWFLOWERS.com?

This project is the creation of Debra Prinzing, a writer, speaker, outdoor living expert and leading advocate for American flower farming.

She is the author of Slow Flowers: Four Seasons of Locally Grown Bouquets from the Garden, Meadow and Farm (St. Lynn's Press, 2013) and The 50 Mile Bouquet: Seasonal, Local and Sustainable Flowers (St. Lynn's Press, 2012).

What We Need & What You Get

Follow this link to see the development budget for building a database, online directory and web site for Slowflowers.com
None of the funds are going to Debra Prinzing personally; all will be used to create this data-rich resource, filled with information and contacts for American Grown Flowers.
Unique perks appeal to the flower lover and florist alike. You can choose from a set of Debra Prinzing's two books, personally inscribed; a set of 12 Slow Flowers notecards featuring Debra's eco-friendly designs and photography; Premium Listings, Banner Ads or Sponsorships; a floral designer's tool kit of all American-made tools and supplies; a private, hands-on design workshop with Debra Prinzing; a private, behind-the-scenes tour of flower farms and markets; or floral design for your wedding! There is a Flower Perk for any of your Floral Crushes~
If I don't reach my ultimate funding goal, all funds raised will be devoted to Phase One of the Slow Flowers.com launch.



Why am I creating Slowflowers.com? What is the impact?

Over the past several years, while doing media interviews and speaking to audiences about American-grown flowers, I continually heard these questions: "Where can I find American flowers?" and "How can I find florists who I trust will sell me locally-grown flowers in their designs?"

It became apparent to me that people want locally-grown, domestic flowers. But it isn't easy to find American-grown flowers amidst the sea of unlabeled imported ones. It's also hard to discover those very special, dedicated designers committed to using flowers from their local farmers or event flowers grown in nearby states, such as during the off season.

I was inspired to launch the SLOW FLOWERS online directory as a one-stop resource for consumers in search of florists who guarantee the origin of the flowers they use.

It's simple. When you contact a florist, flower shop or designer on SLOW FLOWERS, they make a commitment to you, the flower consumer, that their flowers are truly homegrown.

You should be able to know the origins of the flowers you order for a loved one. You should be assured that the bouquet you carry down the aisle was grown by an American flower farmer. You should know that jobs are being created and nurtured in your community through your floral purchases.

It's all about making a conscious choice.



What does "Slow Flowers" mean, anyway?

"Thanks to the culinary pioneers who popularized the Slow Food movement, it now seems like you can put “slow” in front of any term to convey a different philosophy or approach to that subject. When I say the phrase “slow flowers,” there are those who immediately understand it to mean: I have made a conscious choice.

"My blooms, buds, leaves and vines are definitely in season; not, for example, grown and brought in from elsewhere in the world during the wet, cold winter months in my hometown of Seattle. So, come December and January, my commitment to sourcing locally-grown floral materials sends me to the conifer boughs, colored twigs and berry-producing evergreens – and the occasional greenhouse-grown rose, lily or tulip, just to satisfy my hunger for a bloom.

"Slow Flowers (the concept and the book) is also about the artisanal, anti-mass-market approach to celebrations, festivities and floral gifts of love. I value my local sources. If not clipped from my own shrubs or cutting garden, I want to know where the flowers and greenery were grown, and who grew them.

"Having a relationship with the grower who planted and nurtured each flower is nothing short of magical. I call so many flower farmers around the country my friends. They are the unsung heroes – the faces behind the flowers we love."

This essay is excerpted from my introduction to the book, Slow Flowers: Four Seasons of Locally Grown Bouquets from the Garden, Meadow and Farm (St. Lynn’s Press, 2013)

Here's what American florists and flower farmers are saying about Slowflowers.com:

"If we hope to see real changes in the floral industry, we have to start by connecting consumers to the fresh, beautiful, American grown flowers they are craving. I am so excited that SlowFlowers.com will help more people find my company, so that I can share with them the bounty of Wisconsin flower farms!"--Ann Sensenbrenner, Farm To Vase, Madison, Wisconsin

"Eighty percent of cut flowers sold in the U.S. are imported. At Local Color Flowers, we only source from farmers in our region, farmers we know are growing beautiful, seasonal and local flowers. A site like Slowflowers.com will go a long way in educating the floral consumer that there ARE sustainably-minded florists like us out there."--Ellen Frost, Local Color Flowers, Baltimore, Maryland

“So excited that Debra has taken on this massive project to link consumers and suppliers of domestically grown flowers. I know it will greatly advance the public’s education as to where their flowers come from, and hopefully inspire them to buy US grown flowers. From the start, I have exclusively used domestic flowers, local when available here in the East. I also took the initiative of supporting US products up a notch by offering only USA made and local artisan vases, along with recycled wraps. Happy to be part of this growing community, and part of the change!”--Debbie Demarse, NYC Farm Chic Flowers, New York, New York

"At Robin Hollow Farm, we put it right in each wedding contract that the majority of the flowers will be from our farm. If we don't have a specific variety, we buy from local farmers as much as possible, followed by American grown flowers outside of our area. So every customer hears the message that it's important to us -- and it's the way we run our business. We want more consumers to find us - and a site like Slowflowers.com will help."--Polly & Mike Hutchison, Robin Hollow Farm, Saunderstown, Rhode Island

"Great idea! Very timely. And I can't think of a better person to pull this together! Go Debra!"--Diane Szukovathy & Dennis Westphall, Jello Mold Farm, Mt. Vernon, Washington

Other Ways You Can Help:

You might not be able to contribute financially, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help support this campaign!

Consider posting a link on your Social Media platforms to get the word out to your contacts
Use the Indiegogo share tools!
Get in touch and let me know if you have any creative ideas I should be pursuing!
More about Debra Prinzing, creator of Slowflowers.com:

". . . she's an impassioned advocate for a more sustainable flower industry." -- Bellamy Pailthorp, KPLU-FM (NPR affiliate)

"The mother of the 'Slow Flower' movement, Prinzing is making a personal crusade to encourage people to think about floral purchases the same way they may approach what they eat: Buy locally grown flowers or grow them yourself." -- Debbie Arrington, The Sacramento Bee



Risks and Challenges:

Once the Slowflowers.com site is launched, the challenge will be to grow it into a comprehensive resource. That means recruiting retail florists, studio florists, grocery store flower departments and flower farmers to join the site and share their information. My ultimate goal is to populate the Slowflowers.com site with 1,000 flower providers to help customers find a great resource where they need one. To launch the site in early 2014, I hope to have 100 participants, with at least 2 floral sources in each state. My existing database includes florists who use local/seasonal flowers in 37 of the 50 states, so I am currently recruiting designers/flower shops in the other regions.
Due to my extensive network and contacts, I believe I will be able to recruit the best participants for this site. My network and contacts in consumer, gardening, lifestyle and floral media (traditional and new media) will be important links to sharing the news about Slowflowers.com.