SLOW FLOWERS NEWS SEPTEMBER
Video Release: SLOW FLOWERS SUMMIT
The Slow Flowers SUMMIT took place on June 29th in Washington, D.C. and if you missed it, no worries! You can now enjoy a "virtual" pass to experience Christina Stembel of Farmgirl Flowers' inspiring keynote, as well as all four of the featured presentations that we recorded on video. Click the video trailer above to get a taste of the Summit Video Package, which you can download and watch for an affordable price of $48.
Summer Road Trip with SLOW FLOWERS
Twin Cities -- Minnesota
I was on the road for much of August and connecting with Slow Flowers members and sponsors was at the heart of my travel. The group above gathered in St. Paul, Minnesota, to introduce me to Minnesota-grown flowers at a special meet-up hosted by Twin Cities Flower Exchange.
On August 11 & 12, Christine Hoffman of Twin Cities Flower Exchange in St. Paul, Minneapolis, served as my host. I enjoyed a sneak peek into what’s in store for attendees of next year’s Slow Flowers Summit, July 1-2, 2019.
Christine and the TCFE are co-hosting the Summit in their wonderful Twin Cities, where the local floral scene is alive, well, thriving and growing. In addition to arranging for me to visit two of the flower farms that sell their botanical harvest through the TCFE, Christine took me to see three potential venues for the Summit sessions next summer. It’s often quite challenging to manage and plan an event long-distance, so this was hugely important.
 It was a major treat to visit Beezie’s Blooms, a Slow Flowers member farm owned by Randi Greiner (above with her partner Jeff and Christine Hoffman), and to tour Allison DeRungs'Flower Child Farm, both located on beautiful properties north of the metro area. On Sunday afternoon, Christine hosted a meet-up-style open house to introduce me to the local floral community – farmers and floral designers who comprise the dynamic change taking place there. We tasted signature cocktails with a floral note (of course), sample butters flavored with petals and herbs to spread on delicious local bread, and munched on local veggies, all part of the festive day.
It was inspiring and encouraging – all inside The Good Acre, a certified organic hub for local food distribution. That place holds state-of-the-art equipment and huge walk-in coolers where yes, produce from local farms is processed for distribution to school lunch rooms, but where every Wednesday florists and designers come to shop for flowers from as many as a dozen Minnesota and Wisconsin flower farms.
Seeing where it all happens after hearing Christine’s description of the TCFE’s “home” on the Slow Flowers Podcast last year, was such a treat. If you attend the Slow Flowers Summit next year during American Flowers Week, you’ll be able to experience this exciting new economic model taking place first hand, too.
Chicago -- Illinois
What a great Chicago gathering! I'm on the left with Beth Barnett
On August 14, thanks to Beth Barnett of Larkspur Chicago, about 18 of us joined together in her beautiful new studio for an after-hours Slow Flowers Windy City meet-up, where we talked flowers, shared personal stories and enjoyed drinks and bites while making new connections and renewing established ones. I’m so grateful to the many who made the time to attend: flower farmers who traveled two to three hours into the city for our evening together; florists who closed busy retail shops or broke away from producing flowers in their studios to come for a special gathering of kindred spirits.
Thank you so much to Kath LaLiberte of Longfield Gardens, a sponsor of this podcast, and to Mackenzie Nichols, a writer and floral designer friend from New York, both of whom were in Chicago to attend the conference with me! They joined me in shopping for food and wine and helped Beth and me get everything set up for the fun. It was a great night and so rewarding to invest in the time to make face-to-face connections with Chicago’s Slow Flowers Community. Thanks to all who helped make it happen.
From left: Compost in my Shoe's Jim Martin, Purple Magnolia's Ann Cunniffe, Roadside Blooms' Teri Reale and me
Charleston -- S.C.
August 26 & 27 took me to Charleston, S.C., where I was hosted at the Southern Flower Symposium by Lowcountry Flower Growers, which is emerging as an important force for reclaiming and revitalizing floral agriculture in the South.
Thanks to the organizing team of Lowcountry Flower Growers for hosting me at the Southern Flower Symposium in late August -- especially to my dear friend Jim Martin of Compost in My Shoe, and Laura Mewbourn of Feast & Flora Farm, along with their core group of local growers for setting up such a great, one-day symposium. Rita Anders of Cuts of Color in Weimar, Texas, an established flower grower and Slow Flowers Member, led off the day with a fabulous, zone-specific presentation on growing premium flowers in the humid, hot southern climate.
I shared a preview of the 2019 Slow Flowers' Floral Insights and Industry Forecast as well as to moderate a floral design demonstration focused on appealing to millennial customers. All the arrangements were created with flowers donated from attending farms, displayed in USA-made vessels donated from Syndicate Sales.
AMERICAN FLOWERS WEEK 2018 Recap
American Flowers Week labels decorate bouquets from Le Mera Gardens ~ photographed at the Fry Family Farm Store in Southern Oregon (c) Photo by Erica @ofthewonder
Did you Celebrate American Flowers Week with us?!
We asked new Slow Flowers contributor Mackenzie Nichols to speak with some of you and learn how you maximized American Flowers Week for your brand and in your community! This is just the first of a series of articles that Mackenzie is reporting and writing for us -- and we couldn't be happier that she's sharing her talents with the Slow Flowers Community!
In addition to her floral design experience, Mackenzie is a regular contributor to Floral Management and The American Gardener magazines.
Save the Date: Slow Flowers Summit 2019
Last Chance: Submit Your AMERICAN FLOWERS WEEK Botanical Fashion Proposal
The energy, excitement and participation in American Flowers Week 2018 was better than ever and we're already making plans for the Fifth Annual American Flowers Week - 2019!
As you witnessed during our 2016, 2017 and 2018 Campagns, Slow Flowers loves showcasing and elevating local and domestic cut flowers in as floral couture.
The stylized fashion shoots created by member florists and flower farmers are a big part of American Flowers Week's promotional efforts. Do you want to get involved and channel your Inner Fashion Designer? Now's the time to start planning!
For 2019, you're invited to be part of the application process. We'll commission a minimum of five farmer-floral design teams to produce New Botanical Wearable Looks!
Think this opportunity might have your name on it?! Click the link below for more details!
What's New in the Slow Flowers Journal
 
The August issue of Florists’ Review -- Issue No. 13 of the Slow Flowers Journal --features an inspiring update on Canada’s locally-grown, Slow Flowers scene.
The section begins with a report about Toronto Flower Market, a fantastic model of a community-centered hub for flowers and plants in one of Canada’s largest urban centers.
In all, we feature 12 pages of editorial content and gorgeous floral photography -- all about Canadian flowers!
Get ready for CANADIAN FLOWERS WEEK -- September 13-19, 2018
Inspired by domestic flower promotion weeks in the U.K., the U.S., and Australia, Natasa Kajganic of the Toronto Flower Market recently announced the inaugural Canadian Flowers Week. She is creating a grassroots, collaborative, nationwide event to involve the entire floral industry — growers, wholesalers, designers, florists and retailers.
“We want to celebrate all flowers grown in Canada, including from the fields and in the greenhouses,” she explains. The objectives are straightforward and echo the many reasons why I started American Flowers Week in 2015. CONGRATULATIONS to our Candian Slow Flowers Members!
#BloomWithJohnnys -- Cutting Garden Inspiration from Johnny's Seeds
Earlier this month, at the annual Garden Writers Association Symposium & Expo, I joined Hillary Alger and Marcella Sweet of Johnny’s Selected Seeds, a Slow Flowers major sponsor, at the two-day trade show where garden and plant vendors exhibit their new products and wares.
I’m so grateful to them for bringing Johnny’s resources and cutting garden design ideas to the garden media – editors, writers, bloggers and broadcasters. Hundreds of them media members stopped by the Johnny’s booth to pick up plans, seeds and images for use in their columns and blog posts.
DESIGN YOUR OWN CUT FLOWER GARDEN
Hillary Alger is Johnny’s Flower Product Manager and she spends 365 days a year immersed in cut flowers and herb evaluations, as well as planning for the coming season and interacting with an ever-expanding community of Slow Flowers members, flower farmers, farmer-florists, DIY flower growers like me and gardening enthusiasts.
Here, you’ll learn more about her suggested 11 easy-to-grow annual varieties for the residential cutting garden. This “set” will produce attractive blooms on long stems throughout your growing season.
SLOW FLOWERS in the News
Longfield Gardens is a lead sponsor of Slow Flowers and proud to be cheering on hard-working flower farmers and floral designers.
Here's an article about the #slowflowerscuttinggarden and how Slow Flowers' Debra Prinzing incorporated an easy design scheme to plant summer bulbs in one raised bed -- yielding a proliferation of blooms for giving as gift bouquets and enjoying in her home.
Last spring, Longfield recommend a collection of plants for one of Debra's 3′ x 7′ raised beds in her backyard. They helped her realize my vision for a mini-cutting garden that would produce at least 10 weeks of stunning summer bouquets, proposing a color-coordinated assortment of spring-planted bulbs with high-impact flowers that would complement the annuals, perennials and shrubs that she was already growing in other parts of her yard.
 
Slow Flowers Summit.
Before anything else, I'd like to send a big shout out to Debra Prinzing, founder of the Slow Flowers movement and powerhouse behind the Slow Flowers Summit, which took place in D.C. this year.
Attending any conference or summit is an opportunity I seek out to connect with like-minded people and to catch up on the latest trends.
The most touching aspect of the Slow Flowers Summit was to listen to flower growers and designers who believe deeply in the power of flowers and who are transforming communities with flowers. 
@myslowflowers on Instagram reaches 10k followers!
Huge thanks to the Slow Flowers Community for engaging and supporting our Instagram feed! Niesha Blancas of Fetching Social Media has truly made the difference for increased engagement and for keeping our feed relevant and informative!  
SuperFloral - August Issue
2018 debuted a new series of articles authored by Debra Prinzing featuring Slow Flowersmember growers and retailers for SuperFloral.
SuperFloral is the sister magazine of Florists' Review, with editorial content tailored and designed to reach grocery and supermarket floral decision-makers. The August Issue features "Dazzling Dahlias," and Slow Flowers member Michael Genovese of Summer Dreams Farm in Oxford, Michigan, as well as the famous #dahliawall created by Alicia Schwede of Flirty Fleurs for the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market. PS -- Contact Debra if you want to share how you sell or design for the Grocery marketplace! She's always looking for great story ideas!
SLOW FLOWERS Events
of PepperHarrow Farm announced their first "Flower Farming, Floral Design, and Creative Writing Workshop" -- and Slow Flowers will be there. 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.
SLOW FLOWERS IN KANSAS CITY WITH MoKan Farmer-Florist Connection
September 11, 2018 5:30-8 p.m. (dinner included) Hosted by Andrea K. Grist Floral Art and Florasource KC The Homesteader Cafe, Kansas City MoKan Farmer Florist Connection's Facebook Group is open to anyone who has an interest in organic/sustainable gardening practices, flower farming, floral design, and
growing the Slow (local) Flowers Movement
in America. Members are invited to share flower farming experiences, availability of product, seed sources, greenhouse growing, flower conferences, floral designs, branding, sales and marketing, wedding work and more. Its creator is Slow Flowers member Andrea K. Grist of Andrea K. Grist Floral Art. Tickets include farm-to-table dinner. Pre-registration is required.
SLOW FLOWERS at the DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS
September 13-14, 2018
As part of the annual Bonfils-Stanton Lecture Series, Debra Prinzing returns to the
Denver Botanic Gardens to lecture, teach and participate in two amazing days of Colorado-grown flowers. Here's the schedule of events (all are separately ticketed and require advance registration):
Thursday, September 13th 10:30 a.m. Farm Tour & Lunch at The Fresh Herb Co., a farm featured in "The 50 Mile Bouquet." 6:30 p.m. Debra's Lecture: American Beauty, The Slow Flowers Story (come early for Social hour and tasting hosted by Slow Food Denver) Friday, September 14th 9 a.m. Urban Flower Farm Tour at CityGal Farms with Slow Flowers member Kimberly Burton 11:30 a.m. Tour, Lunch and Workshop at Red Daisy Farm with Slow Flowers member
Meg McGuire and Debra Prinzing
ASSOCIATION OF SPECIALTY CUT FLOWER GROWERS Annual Symposium
September 24-26, 2018 On Wednesday, September 26 (1:30 p.m.) join me for a Future-Looking Floral Industry Overview and early peek at the 2019 forecast for flower farmers and farmer-florists alike. I last spoke at ASCFG six years ago, at the 2012 Symposium in Tacoma, Washington. So much has changed for the good in the subsequent years and I'm excited to share my insights and experiences with ASCFG's attendees. 
FLOWERSTOCK 2018
October 15-16, 2018 Hosted by Holly Heider Chapple, Hope Flower FarmWaterford, Virgnia
For the third year, Holly Heider Chapple will welcome designers and flower lovers from near and far to Flowerstock at HOPE Flower Farm.
Floral professionals and members of the floral community will gather two days of demonstrations and talks by renowned floral designers.
Debra Prinzing will join Holly for the second year to experience and teach at Flowerstock, leading creative writing exercises for attendees, guiding as everyone begins to transcribe a personal floral narrative.
LISTEN: Slow Flowers Podcast Episodes for August
GWA, the Association for Garden Communicators, recently awarded the Slow Flowers Podcast a 2018 SILVER Medal of Achievement for Podcasting. I accepted the award at the August 16, 2018, Media Gala in Chicago.
Each week the Slow Flowers Podcastreleases a new episode featuring timely interviews with flower farmers and floral designers whose wisdom and insights will inspire you!
Listeners have downloaded more than 355,000 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:
Episode 360 (August 1): Two Little Buds — From Florists to Flower Farmers. Mindy Staton and Alice Francis on Changing an Established Retail Platform to Meet Customer Demand
Episode 361 (August 8): Plants and Blooms ReImagined with Horticultural Therapist and Visionary Kaifa Anderson-Hall
Episode 362 (August 15): Transitioning From Floral Design Studio to Retail Space with Kate Estwing of St. Louis’s City House Country Mouse Episode 363 (August 22): Grower Wisdom with Jeanie McKewan of Illinois’s Brightflower Farm Episode 364 (August 29): Meet Perla Sofia Curbelo, Puerto Rico’s Gardening and Wellness Expert
Welcome to our New Slow Flowers Members
August 2018 New & Renewing Members
What a month! We have 23 renewing members, including 2 members who upgraded to Premium! And we have 10 new members. In all, they represent 2 Canadian Provinces and 19 U.S. states.
*A Garden Party, Elmer, NJ
*Aster B. Flowers, Essex, MA
*Blue Morning Glory, Lawrence, KS
Bonnie Hill Farm, Columbia, NJ
Botanic Magic Design LLC, Highland Park, IL
*Camas Designs, Friday Harbor, WA
Dramm & Echter, Encinitas, CA
**Feast & Flora Farm, Meggett, SC
Field + Floral Design, Vancouver, WA
*Flowerfolk Design, Bainbridge Island, WA
Fox Point Farms Wholesale, Encinitas, CA
Fresh N Fabulous Flowers and Gifts, Qualicum Beach, B.C. Canada
*Glenwood Farms, Hillsboro, OR
*greenSinner, Pittsburgh, PA
*Humble Bee Flowers, Berwick, ME
*Lady Luck Flower Farm, Leicester, NC
*Larkspur Chicago, Chicago, IL
*Little Flower Stand, Three Oaks, MI
*Meadowview Flowers, Princeton, KY
*Peterkort Roses, Hillsboro, OR
Prairie Girl Flowers, Calgary, AB, Canada
*Prairie Wild Floral, Hastings, NE
Red Twig Farms, Johnstown, OH
*Rooster Ridge Farms, Bryan, OH
*Shelly's Floral Dream, Frederick, MD
*Stone Row Acres, Oxford, NJ
**Sunny Meadows Flower Farm, Columbus, OH
*The Barn of Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
*The Flower Stand, Springville, NY
*The Gardener's Workshop Farm, Newport News, VA
*Urban Poppy, Savannah, GA
Wildroot Flower Co., Marietta, OH
Willrett Flower Co., Malta, IL
*Windmill Floral Studio, Sumner, WA
*Denotes Renewing Members**Denotes Renewing Members Upgrading to Premium
Meet the Slow Flowers Team
SOCIAL MEDIA MAVEN Niesha Blancas of Fetching Social Media.
If we feature you on Instagram or Facebook, it's Niesha you have to thank! She loves giving shout-outs to Slow Flowers members, our Podcast guests, our Event Partners and our Summitspeakers. Niesha has more than doubled the followers on @myslowflowers since we teamed up last fall. You can learn more about Niesha and her consulting packages for creatives here. Follow her @fetchingsocial or @nieshamonay
EVENT DIVA Karen Thornton of Avenue 22 Events.
Karen Thornton is the talent behind the 2nd annual Slow Flowers Summit and I'm so grateful for her counsel, her organizational genius, her strategic planning and her generally chill approach to anything that makes me panic. We've worked together on two previous events for creativepreneurs and I have to say, Karen's involvement in any event is the *secret sauce* to success! If you attend the Summit, you'll meet both Karen AND Niesha! Follow Karen at @avenue22events. 
Slow Flowers Sponsor Thanks
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Christina Burton-Fox AIFD floral artist & instructor
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