Lesley Goren is an artist and illustrator interested in “place,” be it the woods, the city, or somewhere in between. She creates original work depicting the beauty of California’s natural environments, as well as informational illustrations explaining plant and fire ecology. Her drawings are contemporary and lively while remaining scientifically accurate. She loves using images and text to make ideas more accessible.
Lesley has shown and sold her work in galleries, boutiques, and park visitor centers throughout California and beyond. She creates custom illustrations for clients, especially in the environmental-based nonprofit sector. She also creates commissioned art for clients and collectors. Lesley resides in Ventura County, California.
We first connected with Lesley in 2021 after following her on social media and falling in love with her focus on native plants, wildlife, and ecology. It’s taken a few years to make this work, but we’re thrilled that Lesley was available to create this original American Flowers Week illustration shown above!
We love how Lesley thoughtfully research native flowering annuals and perennials “across America,” which supports one of our important insights for 2024.
Our designer Jenny M. Diaz has added American Flowers Week branding to Lesley’s illustration for your social media use. We hope you use these graphics to show your support of American Flowers Week — it’s not too early to start sharing the joy of native American flowers!
Slow Flowers Society will commission at least FIVE Floral Couture Looks for our 2024 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!
Evelyn Frolking (left) with her Hat Day models, Karin Stump and Dani Rosler
For the 22nd Hat Day gala to benefit theFranklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio, Evelyn Frolking, a Slow Flowers member and owner ofStudio Artiflorain Granville, Ohio,, styled two fanciful headpieces worn by models in “Fleurs et Couture” runway show on May 5, 2023.
Hat Day 2023Evelyn Frolking on the runway, with her models
The event, attended by more than 600 supporters, raised in excess of $475,000 in support of the Conservatory’s pre-K and K-12 education and outreach. To acknowledge Hat Day’s ultimate beneficiaries, each of twelve participating designers was asked to create two hats associated with a key word attached to programming for children. “I was given the word ‘connect,’ so you may notice that each of my headpieces has a point of connection to another part of the body, the waist or wrist,” Evelyn explained. “I was also assigned the colors red and pink, primarily.” Within those parameters, she designed two chic styles that exemplify local and domestic botanicals.
I was given the word ‘connect,’ so you may notice that each of my headpieces has a point of connection to another part of the body, the waist or wrist.
Evelyn Frolking, Studio Artiflora
Large red anthuriums are focal flowers for the headpiece, worn by Karin Stump, and built on a sisal-wire structure. Other elements included pink hypericum, burgundy amaranth, and sweet huck, which soared high above the model’s head. Curled red cane accents the design and trails from the headpiece to connect with a striking, heart-shaped anthurium at her waist.
The second piece, worn by Dani Rosler, features tulips from the Studio Artiflora garden, attached to a wire and honeysuckle vine structure to drape in an asymmetrical fashion beyond the model’s shoulders. Evelyn harvested from her crop of 800 specialty tulips, which typically supplies a seasonal subscription service. Accent flowers included asters, eucalyptus, and string of pearls, the connecting element to a bronze wrist cuff. “The piece was not particularly lightweight and was a bit of a challenge to secure,” Evelyn said. “The models were conservatory volunteers who had never worn such a ‘hat’ before, so they needed to learn to balance their headpieces before zipping down the runways and doing spins!”
DESIGN + CONCEPT: Evelyn Frolking, Studio Artiflora FLOWER SOURCES: Studio Artiflora, Granville, Ohio. Dreisbach Wholesale Florists VENUE: Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus, Ohio
A floral wrap jacket with two sources of inspiration
Urban Secret Garden by Nan Matteson of Queen City Flower Farm and Linda Spradlin of In the Garden Flower Farm
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
“The urge to grow can take root anywhere,” says Nan Matteson of Queen City Flower Farm, a devoted city gardener. “Pick your city. If you’re walking down the street you might get a glimpse of a private garden, seen from an alley or through a gateway.”
One source of inspiration: a vintage Japanese firefighter’s coat1920s women’s coats with fur collars
The idea of a pocket garden led Nan Matteson and fellow grower Linda Spralin of In the Garden Flower Farm to create a wrap jacket with two inspirations — a shawl collar composed of dried botanicals to suggest a 1920s fur-collared woman’s coat and a 19th century Japanese firefighter kimono, often, traditionally, only a plain garment with a decorative textile lining.
I just love the whole concept of a guardian inside the fireman’s coat, providing protection even if you didn’t know it was there.
Nan Matteson, Queen City Flower Farm
Urban Secret Garden for American Flowers Week 2023
The coat, sewn by Nan from a pattern she adapted, has a sky blue lining against which a spring flower garden is displayed — a secret border rooted in small, moss-covered bags that provide a water source at the hemline. “I just love the whole concept of a guardian inside the fireman’s coat, providing protection even if you didn’t know it was there,” she says, smiling. Similarly, the flower-lined garment illustrates how much our gardens can provide a sense of comfort and protection — even if we’re the only ones who see them.
Flowers grown and designed by Sarah Wagstaff of SUOT Farm + Flowers
Sarah Wagstaff of SUOT Farm + Flowers wanted to flip the script on who wears flowers and so she recruited her husband Keith Chaplin, their 8-year-old son Huck Chaplin, and Steve Hayes, a willing friend, to model her creations for a American Flowers Week celebration.
A nod to Neverland
Dressing adult men and a younger boy with botanicals reminds Sarah of Peter Pan and Captain Hook. “Remember when Pan comes back to Neverland after he becomes a grownup and has forgotten how to be childlike? That’s a story within us all,” she says. “I wanted to remember and recognize the child within each of us, especially in men.
Sarah wanted to attach flowers to every part of Steve’s body — his head, shoulders, neck, chest, back, arms, wrists, fingers, and legs. The botanical headpiece, a sunray shape, extends around neck and shoulders, covers his shirt, and fills the chest pocket. She used eyelash adhesive to glue flowers to his skin and wrapped his shoulders and arms with a 20-foot-floral boa fabricated from cedar boughs, tulips, peonies, and other cuts from her farm.
Huck, the designer’s son, bejeweled with bloomsFlowers in his Beard – and more.
For her son Huck, whose interest in the project peaked when photographer Cecily Gubitosi encouraged him to take a few photos with her camera, Sarah devised a floral mohawk headpiece (a nod to Rufio), wrapped his wrists with floral cuffs, and donned his fingers with floral rings. “It’s really beautiful to watch him developing this connection with the world of gardens and plants, because I helped to cultivate it, too.”
I really wanted to use male figures leaning into this aspect of botanical couture . . . to show how flowers can be gender bending.
Sarah Wagstaff, SUOT Farm + Flowers
In the final moments of the photo session, which took place at SUOT Farm + Flowers, Sarah’s husband Keith agreed to model a floral headpiece and have his beard flowered. “I often feel like flowers are assigned a feminine trait, but they don’t have to be gender related,” Sarah says.
A medley of pink and orange botanicals covers the skirt with bold bands of marigolds and a floral pattern of lisianthus, celosia, sunflowers, and snapdragons.
Cutting Garden Couture by Blair Roberts Lynn of Sweet Blossoms
Sweet Blossoms designer Blair Roberts Lynn on location with her 2023 Botanical Couture designSweet Blossoms mood board for creative inspiration
Blair Roberts Lynn is an experienced wedding and event florist whose feminine, two-piece floral ensemble expresses her affection for seasonal and local flowers.
I feel passionately about local flowers and I loved being able to highlight what Tom and Sarah are growing at Grateful Gardeners.
Blair Roberts Lynn, Sweet Blossoms LLC
Grateful Gardeners’ dahlias in the field and on the gown
Her friends Sarah Daken and Tom Precht contributed flowers from their farm and invited Blair and photographer Kirsten Smith to use Grateful Gardeners’ fields as the photography setting. Blair cut mop head hydrangeas from her own garden to fashion a delicate bandeau top covered in tiny florets. A full-length skirt is finished with hydrangea foliage and ostrich fern at the waist; Annabelle hydrangeas form a ruffle at the hips and Limelight hydrangeas trim the hem and flirty slit.
The vivid floral pattern epitomizes the best of late summer cutting garden beauty
A medley of pink and orange botanicals covers the remaining skirt silhouette, including bold bands of marigolds and a floral pattern of lisianthus, celosia, sunflowers, and snapdragons. Dinner plate dahlias dance across this colorful floral background to finish the look.
Slow Flowers Society’s social media manager Niesha Blancas is not a florist or a grower, but she is a fashionista, having graduated from California State University Fresno with a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising. Niesha brings both talent and heart to her floral fashion this year, her third contribution to American Flowers Week’s botanical couture collection.
The strapless full-length gown, an upcycled Jessica McClintock prom dress that Niesha thrifted for $2, features a bodice covered in sunflower petals that flows into a flared skirt embellished with flower heads — strawflowers, pincushion proteas, yarrows, sunflowers, and craspedia Billy balls. Pointed flames are outlined by deconstructed yarrow and yellow-orange sunflower petals. “This dress was easily 40 pounds,” Niesha laughed. Fortunately, her friend Irys Jazmin Flores was up for the modeling assignment.
Niesha’s inspiration was highly personal, as she revisited childhood memories of growing up in a small Fresno community called Calwa. “I lived there until I was in sixth grade. My late father was born and raised in Calwa; my grandma had her house there.” For the photography venue, Niesha chose the Calwa playground where she remembered climbing an iconic rocket ship play structure as a kid.
This year’s theme is an homage to my childhood and my love of Chicano culture, which my dad introduced me to while growing up. Calwa is populated by many Hispanic farm workers, and I wanted to give this place my love.
American Flowers Week Botanical Couture design and photography by Niesha Blancas
The love is symbolized by a Corazón (Heart), which Niesha displays as the Sacred Heart, created with red alstroemeria petals layered over a heart-shaped piece of chicken wire. Its “flames” are made with green acuba foliage, a botanical element that also has appeared in Niesha’s previous botanical couture looks. “I intended for my dress to bring life back into this dull community, and serve as the heart of this neighborhood that I love,” she explained. “It was important to use bright and colorful flowers, especially yellow ones to convey my concept.”
This stunning gown gains authenticity from Niesha’s styling, prop selection, and accessory choices. “The sacred heart reflects the Chicano heritage, but so does the lowrider car, which I knew I wanted for my photography.” She put out the call and a friend’s brother who is involved in California car culture helped her find and borrow “Purple Haze,” a dazzling magenta Cadillac, completely suited with gold-rimmed wheels and custom detailing. “I could not have envisioned a more perfect car for this photoshoot, especially when it comes down to the littlest details.”
Accessories are also a nod to her Chicano culture, from the model’s Ray Bans, the oversized bamboo hoops and gold jewelry, to the pair of Nike Cortez sneakers. “Before heading to our photoshoot location in Calwa, we stopped at the local corner market for some last-minute props. I brainstormed many different Mexican snacks and settled with two of my go-tos — a Mandarin Jarrito and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Once we finished with the photo shoot, we realized we had forgotten to incorporate them. But then my model started snacking on them, and I realized how truly perfect they were for my story.” Of course, as both designer and photographer, she captured that perfect moment on camera.
A long-forgotten historic garden ignited Jennifer Reed’s imagination for her contribution to this year’s American Flowers Week collection. Owner of Jennifer Designs Events, based in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, the floral artist says theCrowninshield Garden at Hagley Museum in Wilmington, Delaware, inspired her.
I envisioned a sculptural and statuesque botanical couture design to emulate the feel of the 1920s neoclassical garden.
Designer Jennifer Reed
“I drew from the story of this garden’s original owner, Louise Evelina du Pont Crowninshield, an American heiress, historic preservationist, and philanthropist. Louisa was influenced by her travels to Rome, and she established her garden with replicas of the architectural features she saw there.”
Jennifer’s “storyboard” submitted for the Botanical Couture Collection
Created as an intentional “ruin,” the garden includes cascading layers of Italianate pools, columns, statuary, and colonnades, built in the early 20th century, but crafted to appear weathered by time. Through local horticulture contacts, Jennifer received permission to photograph her botanical look here, even though the gardens are still being restored and not open to the public. “I thought this was the perfect location for my wearable floral creation, worn by a model who looked like an ancient sculpture dressed in all-white florals,” she said. “We painted her hair and body to match the white flowers, creating the illusion of a statue.”
Jennifer Reed’s peony design for American Flowers Week 2023Peony Couture (left); floral artist Jennifer Reed (right)
Using 330 stems of ‘Bowl of Cream’ and ‘Gardenia’ peonies and 40 stems of sweet peas, all grown by Owlet Farms of Pilesgrove, New Jersey, Jennifer fashioned her garment to emulate the fluid drape of a silk gown. Other ingredients included pepper cress, larkspur, snapdragons, delphiniums, dusty miller, and ornamental wheat, all of which added textural details to the monochromatic white palette.
Due to the garden’s hills and multiple levels, this floral look had to be more than pretty, she added. “I’ve learned that if you want a model to walk in a floral garment, it needs to be comfortable. This dress is actually made with four different panels, and each is attached to a belt at the waist. When we moved locations, there were four of us who walked with Brooke, our model, by holding onto the panels.”
Sections of lightweight plastic mesh form each of the skirt sections, “flowered” by Jennifer and a design assistant. They inserted hundreds of peonies into small openings in the mesh material, taping individual stems in place on the back side of the skirt panels. Larkspur covers a contrasting section in the skirt, creating the look of lace, while a braided cord crosses the model’s bare back adding feminine detailing. Jennifer made a separate peony-and-sweet-pea shawl to wrap around the shoulders, and attached peonies and sweet peas to a metal headband for the model’s crown.
Peony details and peony gown by Jennifer Reed
Jennifer and photographer Haley Richter posed their peony model in many places throughout the extensive landscape to reflect its unique architectural vignettes and destinations. Their visual story honors the alluring garden’s original owner, an heiress to the duPont fortune. Shannon Wellington brought the faux ruins to life, creating table laden with flowers, candles, and platters of food. “She styled it in the spirit of a roaring twenties party that might have originally taken place here,” Jennifer said.
These images, photographed at an iconic American garden, narrate the best of American Flowers Week. The story is told via a classical garment that celebrates quintessential American-grown peonies, designed and made by a gifted floral artist. DESIGN + CONCEPT: Jennifer Reed, Jennifer Designs Events, @jenniferdesignsevents 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
A dramatic departure from the traditional boutonnière or floral pocket square, this exaggerated look is Tara Folker’s modern idea of botanical menswear. “I wanted to take things to an extreme and play around with building a floral lapel,” she says. About half of the ingredients came from Tara’s Splints & Daisies garden, located northwest of Philadelphia. The Rustic Bunch, a Slow Flowers member, and Riverside Blooms also contributed design elements. Grape hyacinths, daffodils, anemones, poppies, hellebores, and flowering forsythia, plum, and magnolia branches appear to “grow” from the left lapel of the model’s honey brown velvet jacket, extending far above his torso and head. “A smaller floral accent on the right sleeve balances that out,” Tara notes. She inserted layers of branches, stems, and blooms, which are held in place by small pieces of chicken wire stitched onto the garment to create a base mechanic. The vivid spring-blooming palette includes a cluster of bright orange flowers of the Fritillaria imperialis — creating a jolt of joy.
As a returning American Flowers Week botanical couture designer, Jennifer Reed of Jennifer Designs Events imagined a model dressed in all white florals — locally-grown peonies and sweet peas — and posed her as an timeless female statue, transporting us to a neoclassical garden of the 1920s. (c) Haley Richter
BLOOM Imprint and Slow Flowers Societyhave 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).
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
The Romance of Peonies
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
Tú tienes mi corazón
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
