300 episodes

The Slow Flowers Podcast is the award-winning, long-running show known as the "Voice of the Slow Flowers Movement." Airing weekly for more than 9 years, we focus on the business of flower farming and floral design through the Slow Flowers sustainability ethos. Listen to a new episode each Wednesday, available for free download here at slowflowerspodcast.com or on iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.

Slow Flowers Podcast Debra Prinzing

    • Leisure
    • 4.6 • 180 Ratings

The Slow Flowers Podcast is the award-winning, long-running show known as the "Voice of the Slow Flowers Movement." Airing weekly for more than 9 years, we focus on the business of flower farming and floral design through the Slow Flowers sustainability ethos. Listen to a new episode each Wednesday, available for free download here at slowflowerspodcast.com or on iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.

    Episode 655: A visit to Françoise Weeks’ studio and a peek into her new book, Wonder of the Woodlands

    Episode 655: A visit to Françoise Weeks’ studio and a peek into her new book, Wonder of the Woodlands

    https://youtu.be/YvXP6tJQv78?si=0SBQevPS2wNTppGU









    Françoise Weeks brings home the charm of the wild woods with her creative botanical arrangements that are so much more than bouquets of blooms. Our conversation about Wonder of the Woodlands, Françoise’s new book, includes an exclusive visit to her Portland garden and design studio.







    Wonder of the Woodlands book by Françoise Weeks







    Françoise Weeks is a good friend to the Slow Flowers Movement and she is a longtime member of our society. Regular podcast listeners will have met Francoise on a few earlier occasions, including on her first appearance on Episode 217 in the fall of 2015, during Lisa Waud’s Flower House Detroit – Françoise collaborated with Susan McLeary to design a fantstical vintage kitchen filled with flowers and root vegetables, plants, and foliages – it was a delight.







    Françoise has influenced the floral community as an educator and artist, and we now have the delightful gift of her first design book – Wonder of the Woodlands, The Art of Seeing and Creating with Nature.







    The book will be published on April 2nd so you’re the first to hear all about it and if you check out the video interview on which today’s podcast is based, you’ll enjoy a peek into Françoise’s Portland, Oregon Studio, where we recorded our conversation.







    Wonder of the Woodlands







    Here’s a bit more about the new book:







    Containers lined with bark to replace ordinary glass vases. A bed of moss to cushion a vibrant spring arrangement. Ever-changing wreaths to showcase acorns, branches, lichen, twining vines, and delicate ferns throughout the year. A cloche holding an arrangement of dried mushrooms that might have come out of a fairytale. In this gorgeous celebration of the woodlands, renowned floral designer Françoise Weeks offers all the ways, from simple to complex, that you can bring the wildness and wonder of the forest to your indoor arrangements. Each chapter of Wonder of the Woodlands features the materials Françoise uses most—barks and logs; acorns and seeds; ferns, branches, moss, and lichen—and showcases how she builds her unique, beautiful arrangements, which last far longer than a vase of cut flowers. Inside are also Françoise’s insights on seeking out the most unique natural materials for arrangements, and how to responsibly forage or source them in a shop. And you’ll find her tips on how to reuse materials so you can enjoy lots of different arrangements without increasing your environmental impact. Bursting with images of nature and suggestions for weaving that magic into your interiors, Wonder of the Woodlands is a celebration of arrangements that are inspired by a walk through the trees. With stunning photography of wild and wonderful wreaths, table arrangements, wall décor, and more, you can re-create the peaceful majesty of spending time in the forest in your own home.







    A Planted Bark Trough







    How I see Mushrooms







    A Moss Carpet







    In this gorgeous celebration of the woodlands, renowned floral designer Françoise Weeks offers all the ways, from simple to complex, that you can bring the wildness and wonder of the forest to your indoor arrangements. Each chapter of Wonder of the Woodlands features the materials Françoise uses most—barks and logs; acorns and seeds; ferns, branches, moss, and lichen—and showcases how she builds her unique, beautiful arrangements, which last far longer than a vase of cut flowers. Inside are also Françoise’s insights on seeking out the most unique natural materials for arrangements, and how to responsibly forage or source them in a shop. And you’ll find her tips on how to reuse materials so you can enjoy lots of different arrangements withou...

    • 49 min
    Episode 654: Native Flora for farmers and florists with Holly Lukasiewicz of District 2 Floral Studio; Deborah Majerus of Iron Butterfly Farm and Lodging; and Kate Watters of Wild Heart Farm

    Episode 654: Native Flora for farmers and florists with Holly Lukasiewicz of District 2 Floral Studio; Deborah Majerus of Iron Butterfly Farm and Lodging; and Kate Watters of Wild Heart Farm

    https://youtu.be/0oogFIrykmE?si=ANwBFpK7VjHMZggP









    More Slow Flowers members are exploring native plants as potential floral design elements – both on their farms and in their studios. In fact, in our recent survey, 87 percent of members say they grow native plant species as part of their crop mix! Today, you’ll hear the inspiring Native Flora conversation recorded during our March Slow Flowers member meet-up, as three creatives share their insights and advice for adding more native plants to your floral business.







    Floral design by District 2 Floral Studio (c) Mike Machian Photography







    There’s an emerging a mindset that individual actions, while small, can be part of our cumulative efforts to address climate change. While the horticulture and landscape professions in North America have long been tuned into the importance of preserving native plant species, that awareness has not been present in flower farming and floral design circles until recently.







    Native Flora from Slow Flowers Floral Insights 2024







    We’ve been tracking the embrace of native flora for some time here at the Slow Flowers Movement. In the 2023 Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Forecast, we noted the work of flower farmer Alexandra Cacciari of Ann Arbor-based Seeley Farm to evaluate native perennials as cut flowers and later hosted Alex on Episode 598 to discuss her research exploring native plants as potential floral design elements.







    Native Flora for a Nebraska Wedding (c) Mike Machian PhotographyDesign: District 2 Floral Studio







    In our 2024 Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Forecast, we devoted the first insight to 'Native Flora,' with contributions from Holly and Deborah. There are long-term benefits of championing native plants, and that conversation continued during the March 8th virtual member meet-up, the recording of which you’ll hear today. I’m delighted to share this episode with you and many thanks to our three panelists, Native Flora for Farmers and Florists with Holly Lukasiewicz of District 2 Floral Studio; Deborah Majerus of Iron Butterfly Farm and Lodging; and Kate Watters of Wild Heart Farm.















    Here's a bit more about our guests:







    Holly has a background in design, creative projects and community art and through her Omaha-based District 2 Floral Studio she serves Nebraska and Iowa with floral design rooted in sustainability and Slow Flowering practices, offering event work, installations, workshops, daily deliveries, New Moon monthly flower subscriptions, Celebration of Life pieces, custom flower preservation, along with home & corporate account design services.







    Deborah is the owner of Iron Butterfly Farm and Lodging in Rochester, Minnesota, an urban flower farm that uses sustainable and regenerative practices, grows a permaculture mini food forest, peonies, woody ornamental shrubs, early spring bulbs, and annuals.







    Kate Watters joined the panel to share her unique perspective from Rimrock, Arizona, where she owns Wild Heart Farm. Here creative mission is to share the detail and diversity that exists in moments from a place through the seasons – through writing, floristry, gardening, and art. She grows and designs with flowers, bringing 20 years’ experience from botany and conservation.







    Thanks so much for joining me today! We are fully behind the goal of increasing the propagation and planting of native plants and increasing awareness among florists and consumers around supporting native habitat!















    To that end, inspired by this conversation, Deb Majerus has created the start of a database for native cut flowers and plants – and you are in...

    • 1 hr 2 min
    Episode 653: Piedmont Wholesale Flowers – celebrating its 8th season and a new facility with flower farmer Stephanie Hall of Sassafras Fork Farm and market manager Julia Carpico

    Episode 653: Piedmont Wholesale Flowers – celebrating its 8th season and a new facility with flower farmer Stephanie Hall of Sassafras Fork Farm and market manager Julia Carpico

    https://youtu.be/0k_5od_dD-4?si=Z-7qpZY3h6Ngv98P









    Stephanie Hall of Sassafras Fork Farm, Piedmont Wholesale Flowers, president ermitus (left) and Julia Carpico, Market Manager (right)







    Based in Durham, North Carolina, Piedmont Wholesale Flowers’ tagline is: farmer-founded, farmer-directed, farmer-grown. Today, you’ll hear an update as this Slow Flower member cooperative celebrates the start of Season Eight with Stephanie Hall of Sassafras Fork Farm and market manager Julia Carpico.







    Increasingly, Slow Flowers is enjoying the addition of flower collectives and cooperatives joining as members – a reflection of the decade-plus work we’ve been doing to advocate for a local and seasonal floral marketplace. This benefits everyone – from grower to florist and I’ve personally witnessed those relationships flourish and enhance our thriving community.







    Piedmont Wholesale Flowers' logo and some of its farmer-members







    Today, we’re checking in with the Piedmont Wholesale Flowers, a hub in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area, as I catch up with Stephanie Hall of Sassafras Fork Farm, long-time Slow Flowers member, and with Julia Carpico, the PWF market manager. My relationship with many of the growers and florists involved in PWF dates to September 2016, when I was invited to attend a flower farmer potluck and teach a creative writing workshop there. What an inspiring visit! I was there for a few days, and during the visit, I recorded a podcast episode with Stephanie Hall – you can listen here.







    Later that fall I connected with Kelly Morrison of Color Fields Farm, another Raleigh area grower, and she told me about the origins of Piedmont Wholesale Flowers. That cooperative, one of the first to open after the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market landed on the map in 2011, is entering into its 8th season. Listen to my interview 2017 with Kelly on the start of Piedmont Wholesale Flowers.







    Piedmont Wholesale Flowers' new market space in downtown Durham







    But a lot of good things have changed, and that’s what today’s conversation is all about. Piedmont Wholesale Flowers has moved into a new, larger market space and has added two more market days for a total of 3 market days per week. With 14 member farms, this is a solid, well-run flower hub and I’m thrilled that we’ll all learn more today.







    Flowers fill the Piedmont Wholesale Market on Opening Day March 12, 2024







    Find and follow Piedmont Wholesale Flowers on Instagram and Facebook.







    ROOTED FARMERS UPDATE:















    You may have heard Stephanie mention that PWF has recently moved to the Rooted Farmers platform. Rooted Farmers is sponsor of this podcast and longtime supporter of Slow Flowers. In fact, Slow Flowers members who want to sell through the Rooted Farmers’ platform enjoy a special discount. It’s a great opportunity! If you're a Slow Flowers member, you can join Rooted Farmers using the code: SF2024. This code will work for $75 off for first-time members on either the Essentials or Pro plan for farms.















    Thank you to our Sponsors







    This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 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 Red Twig Farms. Based in Johnstown, Ohio, Red Twig Farms is a family-owned farm specializing in peonies, daffodils, tulips and branches, and a popular peony-bouquet-by-mail program. Learn more at redtwigfarms.com.

    • 44 min
    Episode 652: Building a niche supplying flower seedlings for farmers and gardeners with Kate Skelton of Gratitude Flowers

    Episode 652: Building a niche supplying flower seedlings for farmers and gardeners with Kate Skelton of Gratitude Flowers

    https://youtu.be/3i5o9a1t70A?si=lI1ZNz1NcCMXUt-O









    In the run-up to spring’s arrival in a few weeks, join me on a visit to Gratitude Flowers outside Tacoma, Washington, a boutique home-based floral business, where Kate Skelton specializes in growing and supplying lisianthus starts to flower farmers and offering a wide array of cutting garden plants to her community.







    Kate Skelton of Gratitude Flowers







    At the end of last month, I took a Friday afternoon outing to Edgewood, a community located about halfway between Seattle and Tacoma near me, to visit today’s guest, Kate Skelton, owner of Gratitude Flowers. It’s a boutique, home-based floral business that reflects Kate’s passion for growing flowers from seed.







    The day was chilly, but beautiful, and the drive there gave me a front-row view of Mount Rainier in all its snow-capped glory. I was in a great mood, and Kate and her story lifted my spirits higher.







    Kate Skelton with tulips and a lisianthus bouquet







    I first me Kate last fall when Jodi Logue of Moss & Madder Farm hosted a flower farmers’ pie-and-coffee (you can watch or listen to that interview in Episode 633 from October 25, 2023). A lovely group of local growers, including several Slow Flowers members, came together on a Sunday afternoon to chat and network over delicious homemade pie and warm beverages at Jodi’s home in Olalla, Washington, on the Kitsap Peninsula. My conversation with Kate was fascinating, as I learned that she is a community college math professor who launched her flower nursery and seedling venture during the pandemic.







    Gratitude Flowers plant sale







    I also learned about her seedling offerings – especially lisianthus – which she grows for other flower farmers. Being a greenhouse owner and aspiring seed-starting gardener, I was intrigued. And after Gratitude Flowers joined Slow Flowers as a member, I knew that I wanted to feature Kate on the Slow Flowers Show.







    Healthy flower seedlings from Gratitude flowers







    Gratitude Flowers offers timeless farm-grown, organic, specialty plants for cutting gardens and seasonal floral blooms for floral enthusiasts. Kate plans to open for the season on Saturday, March 30th.







    Follow Gratitude Flowers on Instagram and Facebook for more details.







    Sign up for Gratitude Flowers' newsletter.







    Download Kate's Lisianthus Growing Guide.







    Lisianthus Growing GuideDownload















    Slow Flowers Member (Virtual) Meet-Up for March







    Photo courtesy of District 2 Floral Studio: (c) Mike Machian Photography







    Don’t forget to pre-register for the March 8th Slow Flowers Member (Virtual) Meet-Up – 9 am PT/Noon ET. The topic: Native Flowers for Farmers & Florists. We are so excited to welcome a panel of four members who will help us think about the possibilities of integrating native perennials and other native plants into farming and design efforts. They include:







    Holly Lukasiewicz of District 2 Floral Studio, Omaha, NebraskaDeborah Majerus of Iron Butterfly Farm and Lodging, Rochester, MinnesotaKate Watters of Wild Heart Farm, Rimrock, Arizona









    Click here to pre-register for our March 8th Member Meet-Up

















    Thank you to our Sponsors







    This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 florists, shops, and studios who design with local, seasonal and sustainable flowers and to the farms that grow those blooms.

    • 37 min
    Episode 651: Growing and Designing With Fragrant Flowers with Stefani Bittner of Homestead Design Collective

    Episode 651: Growing and Designing With Fragrant Flowers with Stefani Bittner of Homestead Design Collective

    https://youtu.be/4Ukh0fb2cHU?si=dLk4LlRqhVLk4Ydp









    Today, you’re invited to inhale and enjoy the fragrance of flowers, herbs, and foliage. Stefani Bittner of Homestead Design Collective uses sensory plants as a way to immerse her clients in nature. She is the co-author of forthcoming book, “The Fragrant Flower Garden: Growing, Arranging, and Preserving Natural Scents,” and we’re delighted to learn from her.







    Alethea Harampolis (L), Stefani Bittner (R) - photo by David Fenton







    The Fragrant Flower Garden







    Welcome to Stefani Bitter, returning for her second appearance on the Slow Flowers Podcast. A garden designer and Slow Flowers member, Stefani is the owner of Homestead Design Collective, based in Lafayette, California. Follow the link below to listen to my 2017 interview with Stephanie on the publication of Harvest – Unexpected projects using 47 extraordinary garden plants.









    https://www.slowflowerspodcast.com/2017/03/22/episode-289-redefining-harvest-with-designers-and-authors-stefani-bittner-and-alethea-harampolis-of-homestead-design-collective/









    Modern potpourri







    She appeared on the episode with co-author Alethea Harampolis, and they have collaborated on the new book, “The Fragrant Flower Garden: Growing, Arranging, and Preserving Natural Scents” (Ten Speed Press, 2024). The Fragrant Flower Garden invites gardeners and growers to design with fragrance in mind and encourages readers to choose plants that can be smelled, awakening the senses.







    A garden for all the senses, including fragrance, designed by Homestead Design Collective







    By connecting people with fragrance in the garden and vase – or by preserving fragrance for longer enjoyment -- we have a richer, more visceral relationshp with nature, they authors say. This means making floral teas, natural perfumes, flower tinctures, modern potpourris, and more applications for scented plants. The idea of creating beauty products from the garden appeals to anyone who desires a non-synthetic alternative to the plethora of chemicals used in beauty and bath products. “Keep in mind that scent is subjective, emotive, and personal,” Stefani points out.























    I’m a huge fan of this book and its mission – to engage with plants through the senses – especially scent. When Robin Avni and I were collecting our top themes for the 2024 Slow Flowers Floral Insights & Industry Forecast, we wanted to include fragrant flowers and gardens. Stefani generously shared a preview of the new book, along with photography by David Fenton, which we highlighted in Insight #7 – the Garden Eclectic. In our insight, we encouraged flower farmers, gardeners, and florists – to lead with fragrance as a way to engage customers’ emotional memories with the scent of flowers.







    Soaking in the citrus orchard







    “You can preserve the scent, perhaps making a flower tincture. You can make perfume, a hydrosol, or an updated potpourri,” Stefani suggests and several projects are included in the book to introduce the idea of “preserving fragrance.”







    As Stefani and Alethea write, floral customers are not farmers, but they are inspired by the farm, and they want to translate what they see into their lifestyle. “Just like food, they want to enjoy garden scents, and that’s what really speaks to them about those sensory bouquets.”







    Find and follow Homestead Design Collective on Instagram







    Take a virtual tour of Trulli Trazzonara, Stefani's vacation rental in Puglia, Italy. Talk about agrotourism! I am so enchanted by this destination and how she plans to integrate her design an...

    • 37 min
    Episode 650: Cooperative Flower Network of Edmonton, Alberta – a new local flower hub with grower-members Moira MacKinnon and Sarah Laudin

    Episode 650: Cooperative Flower Network of Edmonton, Alberta – a new local flower hub with grower-members Moira MacKinnon and Sarah Laudin

    https://youtu.be/QGiRs_UnZw0?si=V4GKZrTbztynvsgC









    Sarah Laudin of Sunshine Blooms (left) and Moira MacKinnon of Love & Fantasy Flowers (right), members of Cooperative Flower Network of Edmonton, Alberta







    Pickup day with members of the Cooperative Flower Network







    Join me today to learn all about local flowers in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where a group of 11 flower growers have formed the Cooperative Flower Network to bring Alberta-grown botanicals to the floral community. This vibrant flower market and distribution hub supports local cut flower growers and supplies buyers with locally grown, unique and high quality blooms.







    I’m especially thrilled to welcome two of the growers, including Cooperative co-founder Moira MacKinnon, owner of Love & Fantasy Flowers, and Sarah Laudin, owner of Sunshine Blooms Farm – both are Slow Flowers members and we’re thrilled that the Cooperative Flower Network is also a new member.















    But the BIG news is that CFN will be a partner of the Slow Flowers Summit this coming June when we come to Alberta, with a generous donation of seasonal, Alberta-grown botanicals that will flower the event. Our attendees will get their hands on this beautiful product, and you’ll experience first-hand one of the best-selling point noted by CFN on its website: The question: What sets CFN apart from other floral wholesale services? The answer: Our product is FRESH and we have a guarantee on your orders! We work so closely with our farming community to get you the very best local product. No rehydrating required, no crushed Dahlias from dry packing, and no unwanted substitutions!









    https://youtu.be/lBPyBW9J4O0?si=U6YOH7AmWn6i1yFi









    During our video interview and my conversation with Sarah and Moira, we preview a new video about the Cooperative Flower Network, produced by Cooperatives First, a nonprofit formed to assist cooperatives in Western Canada. Cooperatives First offers courses, workshops, and important assistance to emerging communities as they form cooperatives.







    Follow Cooperative Flower Network on InstagramFollow Love & Fantasy Flowers on Instagram and FacebookFollow Sunshine Blooms Farm on Instagram and Facebook















    News of the Week!















    I hope today’s episode inspires you to join us in Banff at the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, June 23rd-25th at the 7th Slow Flowers Summit. Please check out the link to register below, and learn more about our speakers, agenda, and programming that will inspire you over two days in the Canadian Rockies!









    Slow Flowers Summit 2024 - Details & Registration

















    Slow Flowers Member Meet-Up for February















    Don’t miss this Friday’s Slow Flowers member virtual meet-up on February 23rd, with special guest Lennie Larkin of b-side farm, author of Flower Farming for Profit – we’ll hear her insights on pricing and profitability for flower growers – Preregistration is required and you can find the link in today’s show notes – bring your questions and I hope to see you there!









    Click to Pre-Register for our February 23rd Slow Flowers Member Meet-up

















    Thank you to our Sponsors







    This show is brought to you by Slowflowers.com, the free, online directory to more than 750 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.

    • 50 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
180 Ratings

180 Ratings

Littlepetalfarm ,

Four years of great info for my business!

I have listened to Slow Flower podcast every since I started my business 4 years ago. I definitely look forward to each episode and value the informative information in each episode. I love Debra’s genuine love for the flower business and her sincere approach with each guest. Looking forward to the hearing the next podcast and using the podcast to grow my business.

Occoastgirl ,

Interesting and informative

I am not a pro flower grower, but I am an avid gardener and lover of flowers. I have also been interested in having a green burial for a couple of decades now and am a sustainability devotee. I found the podcast episode “Farewell Flowers” to be so informative and I learned a lot about sustainable flowers in general and the application to funerals in particular. I have shared this with friends just so they too can be aware and make informed plans for their final decision.

Rootiekazoo ,

Hail Storm

Feeling very blessed during this Lenten Season to have found this Podcast. Thank you, ladies kindly. You’re both gems. Thanks too for sharing the “hail storm.” 🤣🌱🕊

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