american flowers week ~ June 28 to July 4 ~ Celebrating American Grown Flowers in all 50 States

Slow Flowers Journal Summer 2023 Edition

BLOOM Imprint and Slow Flowers Society have lots to celebrate, including American Flowers Week (June 28-July 4), our eighth annual promotion. At its heart is our botanical couture collection and we love showcasing Slow Flowers’ floral artists, farmer florists, and growers as they interpret and express season, place and story through wearable floral fashions. This issue is free to Slow Flowers Members as a membership benefit (Look for the link in your in-box).

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Sneak Peek into our Issue:

Design by Tara Folker, Splints & Daisies
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Photography by Madeline Isabella
FLOWER SOURCES:
Splints & Daisies, https://www.instagram.com/splintsanddaisies/
The Rustic Bunch, https://www.instagram.com/therusticbunch/
Riverside Blooms, https://www.instagram.com/riversideblooms/
MODEL: Kris Boston
VENUE: Splints & Daisies garden, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Design by Jennifer Reed, Jennifer Designs Events
Mullica Hill, New Jersey
Photography by Haley Richter, @haleyrichterphoto
FLOWER SOURCES:
Owlet Farms, Pilesgrove, New Jersey, @owletfarms
CamFlor Inc., Watsonville, California, @camflorinc
Muth Family Farm, Williamstown, New Jersey, @muthfamilyfarm
MODEL: Brooke G. @brookeitlist
HAIR + MAKEUP: Jessica Saint Beauty @jessicasaintbeauty
and Toni Burke @toniburke_muah
VENUE: Hagley Museum, Wilmington, Delaware, @hagleymuseum
TABLE STYLING: Shannon Wellington @shannonwellingtonweddings
DESIGN ASSISTANCE: Jennifer Bender @thisholidayhouse

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Design by Niesha Blancas, Fetching Social Media
Fresno, California
Photography by Niesha Blancas, @nieshamonay
FLOWER SOURCES:
CamFlor Inc., Watsonville, California, @camflorinc
MODEL: Irys Jazmin Flores, @irysjazmin
HAIR + MAKEUP: Irys Jazmin Flores
VENUE: Calwa Park, Fresno, California, calwarecreation.org
DESIGN ASSISTANCE: Ana Quinata, @anaquinata

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Design by Blair Roberts Lynn, Sweet Blossoms
Ijamsville, Maryland
Photography by Kirsten Smith Photography, @kirstensmithphotography
https://www.instagram.com/kirstensmithphotography/
FLOWER SOURCES:
Dahlias, Lisianthus, Marigolds, Celosia, Ostrich Fern, Snapdragons, Hydrangea (Grateful Gardeners, @grateful_gardeners); Hydrangea blooms and foliage (Sweet Blossoms, @thesweetblossoms)
MODEL: Tanya Ferrell
HAIR + MAKEUP: Tanya Ferrell
VENUE: Grateful Gardeners Farm, Poolesville, Maryland, @grateful_gardeners

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Design by Sarah Wagstaff, SUOT Farm & Flowers
Burlington, Washington
Photography by Cecily Gubitosi Photography, @cecilygubitosiphotography
https://www.instagram.com/cecilygubitosiphotography/
DESIGN + CONCEPT: Sarah Wagstaff, SUOT Farm & Flowers, @suotfarm
https://www.instagram.com/suotfarm/
DESIGN ASSISTANCE: Olivia Yates O’Donnell, FloravoreNW, @floravorenw
https://www.instagram.com/floravorenw/
FLOWER SOURCES:
SUOT Farm & Flowers: tulips, peonies, frittilaria, ranunculus, poppies, daffodils, ferns, spanish blue bells, bleeding heart, alliums, lilac, violas, hellebores, foreget-me-not, grasses, ivy, cedar, and clematis.
MODELS: Steve , Keith Chaplin, Huck Chaplin
VENUE: SUOT Farm & Flowers, @suotfarm
Burlington, Washington

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Design by Nan Matteson, Queen City Flower Farm
Cincinnati, Ohio
Linda Spradlin, In the Garden Flower Farm
Seven Mile, Ohio
Photography by Jill Bader @jillmbader
https://www.instagram.com/jillmbader/
DESIGN + CONCEPT:
Nan Matteson, @queencityflowerfarm and Linda Spradlin, @inthegardenflowerfarm 
FLOWER SOURCES:
Collar: Dried amaranthus, craspedia, love-in-the-mist, celosia (plume and crested) scabiosa, gomphrena, spirea, dock, foraged grasses.
Secret Garden: redbud, tulip, bluebell, daffodil, hyacinth, hellebore, columbine, moss. All flowers grown by designers.
MODEL: Carmen Sanders @Carmen.sanders3
VENUE: Cincinnati Art Museum. Cincinnati, Ohio @cincyartmuseum

The 2023 American Flowers Week artwork was created exclusively for Slow Flowers Society by April Lemly, an artist, illustrator, and former flower farmer based in Los Angeles, California.

April is a long-time friend of the Slow Flowers Movement who previously owned and operated Kamama Flowers in Sequim, Washington. You can listen to our 2018 interview with April on the Slow Flowers Podcast here. She has been a teacher, a graphic designer, a small business marketing coach, a flower farmer, and floral designer. We love her artwork (seen at aprillemly.com) and her playful illustration techniques that depict mostly female characters, animal, and plants. 

Recently, our founder Debra Prinzing connected with April to discuss her story and her relationship with flowers and nature.
AFW: April, can you describe yourself as an artist?
AL: At my core, I’m a creative and I’ve had the luck to fall in love with many different mediums. And when I fell in love with working with flowers, I was able to say, ‘oh, flowers are just another medium for my art.'”

AFW: Describe your path to becoming an artist.
AL: I had been making art since I was a child. I wanted to be a teacher, so my bachelor’s degree had an emphasis on teaching art to elementary-aged children. I taught art at a juvenile detention center in Los Angeles County for many years. But I knew I wanted to pursue a master’s degree and further evolve as a human being and an artist. I earned a MFA in graphic design in 2008 at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. My early work was mostly branding and print design, but painting and drawing has always shown up in my projects.

AFW: What are you currently working on?
AL: During quarantine, I was able to focus more on my career development and I began taking illustration classes. So yes, I still design annual reports and marketing collateral, but I’m really loving this move into illustration. I’m currently focused surface design and illustration for paper goods, greeting cards, and journals.

AFW: We love your playful, graphic style! What inspires you?
AL: I’ve always been a ‘nature child’ at heart. I love animals. I love wilderness. Flora and fauna are my muses. They all show up in my work. A woman I work with says, “people will buy your joy.” As long as I keep creating work that I am really passionate about, the joy shows up.

AFW: And it’s clear that you are confident around color!
AL: I love bold color, yes, and I’m pretty free with it in personal projects. Of course, when I’m working with a client’s branded palette, the project scope always drives the design.

AFW: Before we talk about your illustrations for American Flowers Week 2023, tell us about the chapter of your life when you were a farmer-florist.
AL: I was living and working in Portland, Oregon, and my home garden was like a quilt of flowers from all the previous owners — for example, a rose garden over here and succulent rock garden over these, peonies along the house and so forth. It was beautiful! I was making vases of flowers for friends and family and it was suggested that I should grow flowers and design for weddings, kind of as a weekend project. We knew someone who was getting married, so I volunteered — and it kind of blossomed out of that. A local organization called EcoTrust had a “Meet Your Farmer CSA” event and I signed up for that. I was the only florist there at the time! From that, I gained a half dozen CSA customers and that was really how I got my name out.

AFW: What time period did that cover?
AL: I started Kamama Flowers in 2013 and grew flowers in Portland until 2016. Then, I farmed in Washington for two years after that. Now that I’m in “concrete” Los Angeles, I miss it. The flower farmers and florists I knew and worked with in the Pacific Northwest are part of a wonderful community with so much heart and soul and respect for one another. They share and help one another — and I don’t have that here.

AFW: Great memories of a time when you were more deeply immersed in flowers, right?
AL: Definitely. I was so honored when we started to discuss working together for the American Flowers Week artwork. I wanted to honor that time (when I grew flowers) and how special it was for me. And even though I don’t have that business anymore, I do have such fond memories of that time and I really am grateful for all of it.

AFW: Your illustration captures that sense of community! The gathering of different growers and their diverse appearances is really symbolic. We’re hearing really positive responses!
AL: I wanted it to reflect how society ought to be represented, frankly. I tried to draw some of the people as gender-neutral; I have the hippie guy with the peace sign on his shirt. I’m not really sure who the child belongs to. It was all intentional.

AFW: What was your technique to make this piece?
AL: It is a digital illustration, all done in Procreate. I usually start with some reference imagery. I drew the background and land first; then the people; and then the flowers and the little details. I have to say that the flowers were actually the hardest — the center bouquet had so many different iterations. But finally, I landed on the sunflowers. Who doesn’t love sunflowers?

AFW: Yes, it is the quintessential American flower! And by the way, although this is a two-dimensional drawing, there are layers of texture throughout it!
AL: Even if I’m drawing an owl or a bat, I love texture, so I try to put that in.

AFW: Thank you, so much, April!
AL: It was really fun. I’m happy with it.

Get ready for American Flowers Week, June 28-July 4, 2023!

We’re thrilled to reveal the 2023 American Flowers Week branding, created exclusively for Slow Flowers Society by April Lemly, a flower farmer-turned-designer based in Los Angeles, California.

April is a long-time friend of the Slow Flowers Movement who previously owned and operated Kamama Flowers in Sequim, Washington. You can listen to our 2018 interview with April on the Slow Flowers Podcast here. She has been a teacher, a graphic designer, a small business marketing coach, a flower farmer and floral designer. We love her artwork, which you can see at @aprillemly_art on Instagram.

We were drawn to her playful illustration technique that depicts mostly female characters, animal, and plants. 

We asked April to join 2023 American Flowers Week as our featured artist and she jumped right in earlier this year. We brainstormed with April and she created three concepts for our review. This original  American Flowers Week illustration was our choice! We love how April captured people, flowers, animals, and agricultural motifs. What you see above is the final piece, a gathering of flower folks of all walks, which is exactly what American Flowers Week is all about! We think you will agree!

Meet April Lemly

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Let’s Get Ready for American Flowers Week!

Download your free social media badge in three different formats to show your support and help to promote #americanflowersweek

Slow Flowers Society will commission at least FIVE Floral Couture Looks for our 2023 American Flowers Week Collection. If you’ve been thinking about contributing, NOW is the time to commit!

We’re soliciting proposals from farmer-florist creative teams for this campaign. Those submitting must be active Slow Flowers members. Consideration will be made for new regions and botanical elements not previously featured. We have a special focus on inclusion and representation!

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Slow Flowers Journal wins 2022 GardenComm Media Awards Silver Medal of Achievement

[August 9, 2022] – Slow Flowers Society and BLOOM Imprint received the 2022 Media Awards Silver Medal of Achievement for Slow Flowers Journal: Botanical Couture 2021, presented by GardenComm: Garden Communicators International.

This national award recognizes individuals and companies who achieve the highest levels of talent and professionalism in garden communications. The 2022 competition had more than 165 entries in 67 categories.  Recipients of the Silver Medal represent the best in their category and will now compete for Gold Medals in their category.

Slow Flowers Society founder and BLOOM Imprint Editorial Director Debra Prinzing and its Creative Director Robin Avni received the Silver Medal of Achievement for their digital project, Slow Flowers Journal: Botanical Couture, in the Trade: Special Project category. The e-zine was published in June 2021 via Americanflowersweek.com and features the cover fashion and photography of Niesha Blancas of Fetching Social Media and model Jada Cruz.

“The GardenComm Media Awards showcase writers, photographers, editors, videographers, social media managers, publishers, and trade companies that have demonstrated excellence in garden communications in print or electronic communications,” says Maria Zampini, president of GardenComm.

In conjunction with American Flowers Week 2021, Slow Flowers Society and publishing partner, BLOOM Imprint, released a special digital issue of Slow Flowers Journal, available for free download. The publication features one dozen wearable floral ensembles designed with iconic American-grown botanicals.

DOWNLOAD the Award-winning project here.

Since the early 1980s, the GardenComm Media Awards program has recognized outstanding writing, photography, graphic design and illustration for books, newspaper stories, magazine articles and other works focused on gardening.

The full list of Silver Medal winners is available on the GardenComm website. Gold Medal winners will be announced at the 2022 Annual Honors & Awards virtual event on October 15^th at 2:30 pm ET held in conjunction with the GardenComm Virtual Conference, October 12 – 15.  For more information about this award, contact Chris Sabbarese via email at info@gardencomm.org.

About GardenComm

GardenComm, Garden Communicators International, is an organization of professional communicators in the green and garden industry including book authors, bloggers, staff editors, syndicated columnists, free-lance writers, photographers, speakers, landscape designers, television and radio personalities, consultants, publishers, extension service agents and more. No other organization in the industry has as much contact with the buying public as GardenComm members. Learn more at www.gardencomm.org.

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Download and Use Our Social Media Graphics

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Post and Share our 2022 Botanical Couture Looks

We have created Social Media badges for you to download and share for American Flowers Week Click on the link below to find the images in 4 formats (for FB/IG post and stories).

Please use the hashtags: #americanflowersweek @slowflowerssociety

For each Botanical Couture floral fashion, we’ve added the creative and photography credits for you to add to your posts.

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The 2022 American Flowers Week artwork was created exclusively for Slow Flowers Society by Shelley Aldrich, a painter and illustrator based in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Like some of our past commissions, we discovered Shelley on Instagram, drawn to her whimsical and lyrical painting technique that depicts botanical patterns, flowers and gardens, wildlife, and people.
Shelley brainstormed several concepts for an original American Flowers Week illustration — and the final concept became an utterly charming USA map with red, white, and blue blooms. The flowers are intended to be playful and familiar, while not literally replicated.

Shelley is a self-taught artist who began painting four years ago. She studied Business Administration at the University of Southern California and worked as a financial professional for two decades in the entertainment, technology and auto industries. In 2014, she quit the corporate world to spend more time at home with her two daughters.

Q. How do you describe yourself and your art?
A. I would say my art is playful, bright and imperfect.  Without formal training,  I paint and draw using my instinct vs learned techniques.  So I it think it has a childlike simplicity.

Q. How did you develop your unique style and aesthetic?
A. Initially, I wanted to illustrate children’s books. If you look at some of my earlier work, you’ll see I drew characters. Last November, I started drawing patterns, which felt more natural for me. It was a whole different way of thinking to switch from illustrating a children’s story to making surface patterns. It was almost a relief for me to just draw freely and not think about getting a character and environment just right.

Q. When you draw florals, do you work from your imagination?
A. I almost always work from a reference photograph when I draw landscapes and florals. When I was drawing children’s book illustrations, I often worked from my imagination, but flowers are a lot different. I like the way the illustrations come out when I draw what I see.

Q. What is your drawing process?
A. It has changed over time.  I used to always start with a tiny thumbnail sketch to test composition and color before a final painting.  But this year I discovered Procreate on the iPad Pro.  I never thought I would go digital but it’s immensely easier, especially when it comes to surface patterns.  It saves me from having to paint an image over and over when a client needs a change.  Although, when I paint for myself, I still start with a tiny sketch on Procreate and then paint traditionally.

Q. What other media do you use?
A. When I draw landscapes, I like to work with acrylic gouache. It has a beautiful opaque, matte finish to it and the layers dry quickly so I can paint colors on top of each other without having them blend together. It allows me to achieve landscapes with a graphic kind of feeling that I like. I also love the look of Caran d’ache Neocolor II crayons.

Q. What size are your paintings?
A. When painting, I work smaller, probably smaller than most artists — usually 5 by 7 inches. On the iPad Pro, I generally work on a 10×10 square.  It’s easier to work larger on the iPad Pro, because you can zoom in and zoom out and work with one little square area at a time. It doesn’t feel overwhelming that way.

Q. How did you approach the American Flowers Week illustration?
A. I began with a shape of the United States and did a watercolor wash over it. And then over that, I started adding the flowers, one at a time.

Q. How did art and drawing “sneak up” on you?
A. I always loved doodling and making crafts, but I took a more traditional route, studying business in college. I worked in finance for 22 years — from Paramount Studios, to startups to Toyota Financial Services. While I was working, I would find moments to be creative like teaching art at my daughters’ school, scrapbooking for magazines, and even starting a handmade party goods business called Pipsqueak & Bean.  I never fully committed to art most likely out of fear.  It wasn’t until 2018, almost exactly a year after losing my mom, that I finally decided I was going to learn to paint.  I guess you could say art has been slowly sneaking up on me for many years.

Q. When did you transition to doing illustration only?
A. At the beginning of this year I put away my sewing machine and closed down the Etsy shop. I cleared out all of my felts and tissue paper from the party goods business and replaced it all with my art supplies. I work in a little nook in my kitchen, which is probably where we should  eat breakfast. It’s a tiny space, but I have a table and all my art supplies around me.

Q. What kind of commissions are you receiving?
A. My illustrations are being used for journals, cards, phone cases, fabrics, scarves, some clothing.

Q. Are you surprised at the response to your illustrations?
A. It is crazy  because things are starting to take off for me. All of a sudden I’m hearing from clients and getting commissions from people who like my style. I always remind myself about Julia Child and Grandma Moses, women who started careers even when they were told it was too late for their age. Finally, it feels like the right time to start my art career, a new adventure.

Follow:
IG: @shelleyaldrichminimuseum
Web: shelleyaldrich.com
Etsy: etsy.com/shop/ShelleyAldrichArt

Slow Flowers Society will commission at least FIVE Floral Couture Looks for our 2022 American Flowers Week Collection. 

If you’ve been thinking about contributing, NOW is the time to commit! There are just two months left for collecting photography of your creative pieces.

Here are some great resources for you to use in planning your floral fashion!

1. Watch Botanical Couture Tips & Techniques from American Flowers Week

Sign up to watch the FREE Webinar featuring 12 past Creators, Slow Flowers Members, Farmer-Florists, Growers, and Designers whose talents and Botanical Couture fashions have been showcased since 2015.

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2. Submit Your Proposal ASAP:

We’re soliciting proposals from farmer-florist creative teams for this campaign. Those submitting must be active Slow Flowers members. Consideration will be made for new regions and botanical elements not previously featured. We have a special focus on inclusion and representation!

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3. New for 2022: Flower Sponsors Are Ready to Help

We have just named two new American Flowers Week sponsors who are here to help you with your Botanical Couture planning and execution!

After your proposal has been accepted, in addition to your own procurement efforts, we will connect you with flower expert Carlos Cardoza of CamFlor Inc., based in Watsonville, California. CamFlor is generously providing a donation of flowers and foliage for your American Flowers Week 2022 floral fashion look. In addition, Carlos will assist you in estimating and selecting the ingredients you need for your designs — approximately 500 stems of seasonal, California-grown flowers and foliage.

Mayesh Wholesale Florists will provide logistics and shipping to assist in this process! If you are located near a Mayesh Branch, you’ll be able pick up your blooms there. If you don’t have a Mayesh branch nearby, no worries! Mayesh will facilitate the shipping of those blooms in support of American Flowers Week!

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4. Get Published! Photography for all 2022 Looks Must be Available by June 1, 2022.

The selected Botanical Couture fashions will be published in our 2022 special issue of Slow Flowers Journal. 

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What are you waiting for? Let’s celebrate American Flowers Week and Showcase the flower farming and floral design talents of our members!

Contact Us Here: debra@slowflowers.com

Get ready for American Flowers Week, June 28-July 4, 2022!

We’re thrilled to reveal the 2022 American Flowers Week branding, created exclusively for Slow Flowers Society by Shelley Aldrich, a painter and illustrator based in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Like some of our past commissions, we discovered Shelley on Instagram at @shelleyaldrichminimuseum.

We were drawn to her whimsical painting technique in depicting botanical patterns, flowers and gardens, wildlife, and people! Visit her work here and shop her Etsy store here. 

After discovering and contacting Shelley, we brainstormed three concepts for an original American Flowers Week illustration for 2022. What you see above is the final piece, and we think the USA map with red, white, and blue blooms is utterly charming! Hope you do, too! The flowers are intended to be playful and familiar, while not literally replicated.

Meet Shelley Aldrich

Shelley is a self-taught artist that began painting four years ago. She studied Business Administration at the University of Southern California and worked 20 years in the entertainment, tech and auto industries.  In 2014, she quit the corporate world to spend more time at home with her young girls.

While Shelley has always enjoyed creative hobbies, it was during this time that she began focusing on learning to paint. She started with a 100 Day Project in 2018 and has not stopped since.

Her painting style is still evolving but is almost always joyful and whimsical and inspired by the natural world and an interesting story.

When she is not creating, she can be found at home with her family, hiking, playing, or keeping their home life tidy.  

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Let’s get ready for American Flowers Week

Here are some inspiring stories from past years to help you plan for your 2022 promotions:

Red, White & Bloom: Local Flower Promotions Sizzle During American Flowers Week

Flowers Fill the Stage at SWGMC

American Flowers Week “In Bloom” — Ideas and Inspiration from Around the U.S.

Promote Your Flowers This Summer with American Flowers Week

American Flowers Week takes place during June 28-July 4 each year, but we’re celebrating it in December!

Check out this awesome story in the December 2021 issue of GreenProfit, a horticulture industry trade magazine, called “Create this Look.”

Writer Jennifer Polanz asked Carolyn Kulb of Folk Art Flowers to walk her through the steps of creating this magnificent hellebore dress . . . and we hope it inspires nurseries and garden centers to fashion something from their own imaginations with these tips.

Kudos to our entire team for supporting Carolyn’s gorgeous design for the 2021 American Flowers Week campaign!

They include: 
Designer: Carolyn Kulb, Folk Art Flowers, folkartflowers.com, @folkartflowers
Production support: Pamela Youngsman, PoppyStarts, poppystarts.com, @poppystarts  
Model: Tasia Baldwin @_tasiajb
Hair/Makeup: DeLeana Guerrero, Luxe Artistry Seattle @guerrerodelavida_artistry and @luxeartistryseattle
Photography: Missy Palacol, missypalacolphotography.com, @missy.palacol
Location: Hyak Sno-Park, Snoqualmie Pass, Washington