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SLOW FLOWERS PR Opportunities
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ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF JOINING THE SLOW FLOWERS COMMUNITY is to connect with audiences hungry for inspiring stories about domestic flower farming and the art of floral design. I work with media outlets across North America in search of people, ideas, resources and more. Whenever possible, my goal is to shine the light on our members and their stories!
How can you get involved? Keep me posted on what you're doing! Send your news and always include photographs. Keep an eye out for regular "calls for submissions" to take advantage of Slow Flowers' storygathering projectsfor active members. To get an idea of the types of content that Slow Flowers produces and/or pitches, be sure to check out the Slow Flowers in the News section below.
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To kick off 2018 and the renewed Slow Flowers + Johnny's Selected Seedscollaboration, here's our first "content call" of the year for active members!
I'll be compiling a piece called MAKING MARKET BOUQUETS (techniques, tips and tricks) for a late spring-early summer article in JSS Advantage, Johnny's fabulous newsletter.
To participate, please send suggestions on the following items:
- How to make bouquets efficiently and cost-effectively
- How to tailor bouquets to customer types: When do you offer high-end designs? When do you offer grower's bunches?
- Best packaging and branding tips for Market Bouquets
- Pricing insights in a competitive marketplace
Send your suggestions, along with a photos (of you, your flowers, your market stall) to debraprinzing@gmail.com. Deadline: Friday, April 20th.
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More PR: Slow Flowers for Mother's Day
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For a pre-Mother's Day Floral Gallery I'll planning to post for Houzz.com, I'd love to showcase your favorite arrangements from recent Mother's Day designs (or a preview of what you're offering customers for 2018).
The online package will include a gallery of beautiful floral gift ideas for Mother's Day, with a focus on #slowflowersformom.
I encourage you to share and highlight your prettiest seasonal, local and eco-sustainable bouquets.
To submit: Send photo(s), with proper botanical ingredient labeling, and photographer credit. We'll try and include as many submissions from Slow Flowers Members as possible. Send your package to debraprinzing@gmail.com. Deadline: Monday, April 30th.
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#slowflowerssummit | Join Us in D.C.
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I recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to preview the venue where the 2018 Slow Flowers Summit will be held on Friday, June 29th -- at the Marriott Wardman Park in the nation's capitol. Many of you have already registered for the one-day conference at the special rate for Slow Flowers members.
To motivate more of you to attend,
I have a special announcement!
Now through April 20th, which is fittingly Earth Day, everyone who registers for the Slow Flowers Summit will be included in a drawing for a Slow Flowers Luxury Package, which includes a one-year Premium membership and one night's complimentary lodging at the Marriott Wardman Park during the Summit.
The value of this prize package is $400 -- more than double the $195 registration cost to
Slow Flowers members
If you've already reserved and paid for your ticket to the Summit, don't worry because just to be fair, your name will also be included in the Earth Day Drawing. I'll announce the winner of the Slow Flowers Luxury Package on Wednesday, April 25th.
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Plus, as a thank you to everyone who makes an early commitment to attend, all Summit registrants will receive a special Slow Flowers gift that includes 100 American Flowers Week bouquet labels to adorn your flowers during the campaign AND a beautiful American Flowers Week poster featuring the red-white-and-blue botanical art of Ellen Hoverkamp -- perfect for your shop or studio walls.
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SLOW FLOWERS SUMMIT Details
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When: Friday, June 29, 2018 (8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.)
What is the Slow Flowers Summit?
Called a "TED Talk for Flower Lovers," the SUMMIT is a one-day lecture series for creative professionals, thought leaders and pioneering voices in the progressive American-grown floral community. Designed to stimulate curiosity, examine conventional assumptions and explore conscious and ethical practices in the floral industry, the Summit agenda asks speakers and audience members alike to inquire, inform, include, instigate and inspire.
Who: Debra Prinzing developed the SUMMIT as an a new "live" component to the American Flowers Week campaign (June 28-July 4). AFW devotes a week of activity via events and social media platforms to promote domestic flowers, raise consumer awareness and unite America’s flower farmers with the U.S. floral industry.
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What's New in the Slow Flowers Journal
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Inspired by our online magazine, also called Slow Flowers Journal, the print edition is packed with beautiful, relatable stories about florists, flower farmers and other pioneers in the Slow Flowers community.
The March issue's theme was "CREATIVITY," and in the SFJ, we featured three stories about fellow Slow Flowers members -- you'll want to check them out:
- Botanical Influences: Sylvia Lukach of Cape Lily, Harlem, New York
- Putting Down Roots, the Gentlemen Florist-Farmers of Pittsburgh's greenSinner
- How I Do It: Q&A with Jessica Douglass of St. Louis-based Flowers & Weeds
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COUNTRY GARDENS
Spring 2018 Issue
Many of you know I've been working with Country Gardens and Better Homes & Gardens magazines for years ~ and I'm excited to share two new stories I produced and wrote featuring Slow Flowers members!
P.S., I'm looking for a gladiola grower or farmer-florist for an upcoming story, so please get in touch if you can help!
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BRIDAL BOTANICALS features Jennifer and Adam O'Neal of PepperHarrow Farm in Winterset, Iowa, and their hundreds of varieties of annuals, perennials, herbs, and roses. "People love to visit and see where these local flowers come from and how we grow them," Jennifer says. The article includes step-by-step instructions on creating the bouquet shown here, as well as a flower crown, both by Jennifer. Country Gardens also posted a DIY video featuring a centerpiece designed by Adam.
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I worked with Alicia Schwede of Flirty Fleurs and photographer Laurie Black to document Alicia's floral arbor and chuppah workshop. There are three step-by-step instructions for making a romantic wedding arch brimming with flowers from the garden. Alicia offers ongoing classes and one-on-one floral design instruction. Check out her current schedule here.
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EDIBLE NORTHEAST FLORIDA
In a March 2018 article by Amy Armstrong, Florida's Slow Flowers movement gains attention, with this commentary:
"Debra Prinzing launched slowflowers.com, an online directory connecting
consumers to farmers, florists and grocery stores offering domestic blooms. She also hosts the podcast “Slow Flowers.” When reached by phone recently, Debra was happy to talk about why flowers matter.
“There are so many choices when it comes to what to spend your disposable income on,” she said. “I think that people are very disconnected from nature, but when they do have the opportunity to have a flower or plant in hand, they’re enthralled. It’s essential for your spirit and therefore not a luxury in a way.”
How is this slow flowers movement appearing in Northeast Florida? Fortunately, we have several proponents of locally grown blooms. Swallowtail Farm in Alachua is run by a group of talented young farmers, including Mariana Riehm, farmer-florist and founder of Ladybug Blooms, the onfarm floral studio. Currently the farm is home to over 50 different varieties of flowers grown on just a half-acre. The farm operates under organic growing practices without being certified organic."
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WALL STREET JOURNAL
Old-School Gardening: The 8 Most Reliable Flowers and Veggies to Grow From Seed | Nothing beats the satisfaction of starting with a few packets of seeds. To boost your odds, we asked horticulture pros which varieties germinate most gloriously
Yes, even the Wall Street Journal wants to cover growing flowers from seeds! In a March 24, 2018, article by Cynthia Kling, I was asked about the best flowers to grow from seed. Thank you to Johnny's Seeds for these many excellent varieties -- and to Hillary Algerfor my inspiration!
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GREENHOUSE MANAGEMENT
Bloom Nation
Here’s how U.S. cut flower growers are innovating to stay competitive against imports.
Brooke Bilyj wrote the March 2018 cover story in Greenhouse Management and interviewed me about the Slow Flowers movement. Here's an excerpt:
Author Debra Prinzing says consumer interest in local blooms — or “slow flowers,” as she coined the movement — is fueled by an increasing awareness of where food comes from. Once people started raving about local produce and farm-to-table restaurants, it was only a matter of time before they expected the same freshness in flowers.
Despite the challenges facing the cut flower industry, American growers are hopeful about the opportunities ahead.
Prinzing is encouraged by the mainstream focus on local, seasonal flowers — from her Instagram feed to the New York Fashion Week runway. But she knows the progress of the “slow flower” movement will be just that: slow.
“It takes a while to move this giant mass market machine, but it’s happening,” she says. “There’s noticeable rebound taking place, but we’re talking fractions of percentage points from 80 percent imports to 20 percent domestic production. If we get to 70/30, I could consider that we won the battle, because imports are not going to go away.”
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Upcoming Slow Flowers Events
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Tobey Nelson's second annual Whidbey Flower Workshop is a masterclass flower retreat that will focus on large scale floral wearables with Susan McLeary of Passionflower Events and on foam-free large scale floral installations with U.K.-based floral artist Joseph Massie. Your imagination will be inspired and your knowledge of mechanics will grow. Escape to Whidbey Island and recharge your creative juices as well as your business skills!
Debra Prinzing joins the entire Workshop Session with writing excercises designed to enliven your personal narratives and floral writing. Slow Flowers members enjoy a special $100 discount. Use promo code WFW2018. ONLY THREE SPACES LEFT!
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Tuesday, July 3, 2018
9:30-10:30 a.m.
2:30-3:30 p.m.
AIFD has invited Debra Prinzing to speak on "Field to Vase: Connecting Grower, Florist and Consumer"as part of the group's first-ever "Field to Vase Florists" educational track at this year's Symposium. The track is promoted as "acknowledging the movement toward sustainability and locally grown, AIFD welcomes industry professionals who share the farmer/floral artist lifestyle."
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Adam and Jennifer O'Neal of PepperHarrow Farm announced their first "Flower Farming, Floral Design, and Creative Writing Workshop" -- and Slow Flowers will be there.
Immerse yourself in the farm for two gloriously full days of flower farming, inspiration, design, and fellowship. This beginning flower farmer workshop is for the hands-on learner and goes in-depth into the basics of flower farming, creative writing, floral design, and developing your flower farming business.
Students will gather with like-minded flower souls while learning and seeing life on a beautiful working flower farm. Throughout the course, personalized instruction will delve extensively into the essentials of flower farming so attendees leave with the confidence to bring flower farming goals to life. In addition to all of this incredible content, Margaret Ludwig, of Giverny Design, in New Orleans, will be leading creative instruction on floral design.
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LISTEN: Slow Flowers Podcasts for March
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Each week the Slow Flowers Podcast releases a new episode featuring timely interviews with flower farmers and floral designers whose wisdom and insights will inspire you!
Listeners have downloaded more than 300,000 episodes to date! Check out the wide range of guests introduced to you last month and join the thousands of listeners we educate and inform each week:
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Welcome to our New Slow Flowers Members
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We welcomed 22 new & renewing members representing 17 states to Slowflowers.com in February! Check them out and be sure to follow and say hello on social media!
*Denotes NEW Members
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