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american flowers week

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

american flowers week

Tag Archives: Beth Van Sandt

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

18 Saturday Aug 2018

Posted by Debra Prinzing in American Flowers Week 2018, Floral Design, News & Events, Promotional Ideas, Resources for Farmers & Florists

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American Flowers Week 2018 recap, Ann Cinniffee, Beth Van Sandt, Certified organic flowers, Feast and Flora, Fourth of July Parade, Fry Family Farm, Grace Flowers Hawaii, Hawaii-grown flowers, Homer Alaska, Isabella Thorndike Church, Jacklily Seasonal Floral Design, Joan Thorndike, Laura Mewborn, Le Mera Gardens, Low Country Flower Growers, Mackenzie Nichols, Nicole Cordier, Noah Sanderson, Oregon-Grown Flowers, Purple Magnolia, Roadside Blooms, Scenic Place Peonies, Steve Fry, Suzi Fry, The Bearded Florist, The Big Island, Tony Reale

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

Designed by Tonya Berge of Washington’s Berge’s Blooms for American Flowers Week. She captioned the image on Instagram with this sentiment: “freedom • the power to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.”

By Mackenzie Nichols

This year’s American Flowers Week reached garden and flower lovers from all across the country and inspired dozens of events and celebrations to commemorate and honor local farmers, flower growers, and florists who garner a passion for USA-grown blooms.

Steve (left) and Suzy (right) Fry with the Fry Family Farm “family” in Oregon’s Rogue Valley — celebrating American Flowers Week with hyper-local flowers grown by farming partner Joan Thorndike of Le Mera Gardens (c) Photo by Erica @ofthewonder

On social media platforms, #americanflowersweek received over three million impressions, incited over 900 original posts, and according to Real Time Tracker of Instagram and Twitter platforms, inspired a whopping 80.1% positive sentiments. As the Slow Flowers message continues to spread, here are some of the highlights from American Flowers Week 2018. 

Slow Flowers member, farmer-florist Jim Martin of Compost in My Shoe, emceed the American Flowers Week design competition, called “Bloom Battle.”

Lowcountry Flower Growers “Bloom Battle” Design Competition

On June 30th, Marion Square in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, bustled with activity in honor of American Flowers Week. Three local designers competed in a “Bloom Battle” floral design competition at the Charleston Farmers Market to showcase their talents working with locally sourced and sustainable blooms. Laura Mewborn of Feast and Flora Farm helped organize the event, which showcased not only the designers, but also the Southern flower farms who provided the flowers.

It’s important for us to educate the public about the importance of using locally grown flowers. They are all relatively young farms [providing the flowers], and when we all combine like this to host a big event, we are much more visible. People can see the impact that they have on the individual farmers, and they think of their purchasing power.

Judges and contestants participated in the Low Country Flower Growers’ fun event to promote American Flowers Week 2018. The two Bloom Battle judges, Nikki Seibert of Wit Meets Grit and Kelli Shaw of Kelli Shaw Designs, on the left, posed with the three competing designers, pictured on the right.

Eight participating farms doled out the best of their blooms to the three competing designers, who arranged pieces in front of judges Nikki Seibert of Wit Meets Grit and Kelli Shaw of Kelli Shaw Designs. The competition was based on three categories:

  • a centerpiece for a pool party
  • flowers for a boy’s birthday party
  • a farm-to-table banquet arrangement.

The goal for the farmers, Laura explains, was to feature flowers that consumers may not be familiar with in terms of seasonal flowers that bloom during summertime.

“People generally think of zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers in terms of growing summer flowers,” she says. “We wanted to showcase crops that people don’t necessarily already grow, like lisianthus, lilies, celosia, and amaranthus.”

This diversity of American-grown flowers enticed locals and tourists alike to come to Mewborn and other farmers with gardening questions, wanting to know more about the benefits of locally-sourced blooms and how they might be able to grow them in their own gardens. According to Laura, Marion Square’s Charleston Farmers Market was a successful venue to host the event as many tourists pass through the area who can ultimately spread the message of American Flowers Week and the Lowcountry Flower Growers coalition throughout the country.

The winning designer, Tony Reale of Roadside Blooms, arranged a farm-to-table bouquet design that stole the show with its amaranthus, lisianthus, and natural-wood accent.

“The Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square is a very busy market in general,” Laura says. “There are so many tourists there, which means that the message is going out far beyond and past just the local people. Now, it is going to people all across the country.”

In comparison to last year’s Lowcountry Flower Growers booth, where farmers simply handed out zinnias, Laura notes that this design competition allowed the farmers to do something that was more involved, and the response was largely positive.

Tony Reale from Roadside Blooms ultimately won, but designers Ann Cinniffee from Purple Magnolia and Noah Sanderson from The Bearded Florist also received prizes to commemorate the event and celebrate in locally-grown, naturally sourced floral designs. In the future, Mewborn wants to incorporate more of a fundraising feel for upcoming American Flowers Week events, and she will also be hosting another event for Lowcountry Flower Growers in August.

Laura Mewbourn of Feast & Flora Farm and Peachey Trudell of One Wild Acre smiled among their locally-grown blooms in honor of American Flowers Week.

“It’s been great to have conversations with people, and they seem surprised by how much we can grow here in Charleston,” Laura adds. “These events are incredible to let people know that we’re here.”

Isabella Thorndike Church of Jacklily Seasonal Floral Design designed a fantastic floral “painting” depicting a barn and fields for American Flowers Week. All photos: (c) Juliet Ashley Photography

Jacklily Seasonal Floral Design Installation at Fry Family Farm

Mother-daughter team Joan Thorndike and Isabella Thorndike Church work side-by-side at Le Mera Gardens, Joan’s established flower farm in Talent, Oregon, providing fresh cut flowers directly to local florists, grocery stores, and for weddings and events.

In the past, Isabella and her mother have plastered American Flowers Week stickers on each bouquet, and this year Isabella decided to take the celebration a couple steps forward by installing a 4-by-6-foot floral display including more than 5,000 stems of locally-grown Oregon flowers.

Jeremiah Thorndike Church delivers a bounty of Oregon-grown blooms for use in the vivid botanical installation (c) Juliet Ashley Photography

The botanical installation took around six hours to complete with a small crew by her side, and drew substantial foot traffic into Fry Family Farm where she set up the display, Isabella says.

“The installation drew people into the store and we were able to talk to them about locally grown flowers,” she adds. “When I was making the installation, I posted about it on Instagram, and several people came in to watch the process. People were in awe of the size and the amount of flowers I used.”

Originally, Isabella did not intend to have her stems show through the back of the installation, but once she started going, she realized that the exposed stems effectively showed viewers just how many local blooms were used in the arrangement (c) Juliet Ashley Photography

Isabella repurposed a ready-made metal frame from Fry Family Farm and hung it vertically, covering it in a chicken-wire base to arrange the flowers.

She harvested flowers such as delphinium, feverfew, Russian statice, and larkspur to create a life-size floral depiction of the Fry Family Farm logo, and kept the stems exposed from the back so that onlookers could get a feel for how many flowers were used in the display. The spectacle intrigued and inspired viewers to have a go at their own installations, and increased dialogue about the importance of locally sourced flowers.

“People were psyched to see how it worked,” Isabella continues, noting that the exposed stems on the reverse side of the botanical installation was equally beautiful. “Several women were like ‘I’m going to get chicken wire and make it myself.’ Others returned to see the drying process. They had to touch the flowers to see if they were real. They asked about the different kinds of flowers. People don’t normally engage, but they were engaging more with this installation piece.”

Isabella Thorndike Church carefully adds her locally-grown blooms into the chicken-wire base of her installation for Fry Family Farm (c) Juliet Ashley Photography

Along with the display, Jacklily Seasonal Floral Design, Le Mera Gardens, and Fry Family Farm used American Flowers Week stickers on the bouquets they sent out to recipients, and they handed out a free sunflower to every customer who walked in the shop. One Fry Family Store employee, Daria Lisandrelli, said that she was surprised by how many people were already aware of American Flowers Week.

We’ve been promoting American Flowers Week across all sectors. We’ve had the AFW stickers on our bouquets, and when people come into the farm store, we give them a free sunflower in honor of the week. This year, we had the Fry Family Farm venue to have the installation piece and were able to bring it all together.

The staff of Scenic Place Peonies wore locally-grown flower hats to commemorate American Flowers Week during the Fourth of July parade in Homer, Alaska.

Scenic Place Peonies Celebrates AFW at the Homer, Alaska, Fourth of July Parade

Independence Day in Homer, Alaska, was blooming this year thanks to the farmers, employees, and designers from Scenic Place Peonies farm. As a long-time member of the Chamber of Commerce in Homer, which sponsors the parade, Beth Van Sandt and her crew were invited to drive their wrapped reefer truck in this year’s 4th of July extravaganza, handing out their farm-grown blooms to attendees and wearing locally-sourced flower hats to commemorate American Flowers Week.

The response was overwhelmingly positive with exclamations of surprise and pure joy at receiving flowers from the crew,” she says. “I believe it brought awareness to many that we have beautiful wildflowers in our backyard and all it takes is cutting some to bring that beauty into our homes.

The Scenic Place Peonies crew handed out “wild-sourced” chocolate lilies, geranium, and Alaska’s state flower, the forget-me-not, to parade-goers. Images of Scenic Place Peonies’ employees filled the farm’s Instagram and Facebook feeds, as they smiled and wore flower hats adorned with local greenery, tulips, daisies, and a variety of wildflowers. The flowers, sourced from their property of meadows in Alaska, brought awareness and happiness to the Homer, AK, parade.

“American Flowers Week is a time to celebrate the hard work that flower farmers perform each day,” Van Sandt said. “It’s very rewarding when your labor of love is expressed through the eyes of an eager recipients face.”

Grace Flowers Hawaii engaged Instagram followers in the week-long giveaway of blooms grown on The Big Island, making a lot of people very happy and educating them about local flowers.

Grace Flowers Hawaii’s Free Bouquet of the Day Giveaway

For this year’s American Flowers Week, manager Nicole Cordier and her team at Grace Flowers Hawaii decided to up the ante in terms of interactive customer service by hiding a “Free Bouquet a Day” each day somewhere on The Big Island.

Each morning, a staff member would take a photo of the free floral arrangement and tease it on Instagram and Facebook with cryptic hints as to where customers might be able to discover it later in the day. Then, Nicole or a team member took the free bouquet, lei, or orchid to its hiding place, and snapped a photo for their social platforms, urging followers to move fast if they wanted to win the challenge. Along with the prize, she attached a note to the free merchandise describing the concept of the giveaway and why they decided to host the challenge during American Flowers Week.

These free Bouquet of the Day arrangements featured locally-grown tropical flowers and evoked a cheery, summertime feel.

“The response was enigmatic,” she recalls. “I remember someone commenting on the photo that they drove from their home as soon as they saw the post and by the time they got to the hiding place, it was gone. She thanked us for adding excitement to her day.”

Each day, Grace Flowers Hawaii staff members hid their Free Bouquet of the Day giveaways in various scenic locations on the Big Island.

According to Nicole, the concept behind the Free Bouquet of the Day Giveaway was to highlight flowers, foliage, and plants grown on the tropical Hawaiian Islands, and “the Big Island in particular.”

By showcasing the diversity of plants grown by local farmers in Hawaii, Cordier brought attention to the Slow Flowers Movement through tropicals and warmer-temperate plants. From orchid leis to large-anthurium arrangements to Hawaiian-grown orchid plants in attractive containers, the spectrum for the Free Bouquet a Day Giveaway was broad and indicative of the biodiversity on the Big Island of Hawaii.

American Flowers Week, to us, is a time when specific attention is placed on supporting American flower farmers, which is important because it brings a concerted shift and push in consumer awareness about where flowers are grown and how far some flowers must travel from origin to market. It’s important to support our domestic floral/agriculture industry which will in turn make this a viable livelihood for our workforce, and better for this planet.

Impact, Influence and Impressions for American Flowers Week 2018

MORE American Flowers Week Ideas

Along with the events outlined above, many other celebrations occurred across the nation to honor American Flowers Week. Here are a few more of the highlights.

Laureen Kelly’s award-winning snapdragons

Longfield Gardens Photo Contest

Longfield Gardens, based in Lakewood, New Jersey, hosted its second American Flowers Week photo contest from June 30th through July 4th, asking their social media followers to post a photo of their favorite American-grown arrangements in order to win a $100 gift certificate. The winner, Laureen Kelly, posted a photo of her healthy snapdragon arrangement to the Longfield Gardens Facebook page (above).

Syndicate Sales Made in America Easel Stand at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Syndicate Sales’ Director of Education Tom Bowling created a special arrangement to be placed in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. with Syndicate’s new Made in America Easel Stand, which is manufactured in the United States (above).

Syndicate Sales gave an attribution to American Flowers Week through the hashtag on Instagram.

Maple and Mum Mobile Flower Shop Announcement

In honor of American Flowers Week, Connecticut-based Slow Flowers members,  Maple and Mum Floral Designs announced that they will be “bringing locally grown flowers to the Connecticut shoreline and beyond,” through an Instagram post on July 4th. Maple and Mum’s mobile flower shop is up and running, and followers are urged to check their page for upcoming locations along the East coast (above).

Town and Country Markets Grocery Display

At Town and Country Markets in Seattle, Washington, floral category director Melanie Cherry and her team set up an American Flowers Week display featuring Hawaii-grown tropicals.

Other displays garnered attention with bunches of sweet peas from Willow and Mabel Garden Company and “Farmers Favorites.”

Stars of the Meadow Baker’s Dozen Supper

On July 3rd, Stars of the Meadow of Accord, New York, hosted a “Baker’s Dozen Supper” where attendees gathered for “homemade strawberry ice cream topped with black caps,” according to their Instagram post. Locally grown boutonnieres and arrangements made an appearance at the event, where guests celebrated American-grown flowers.

About Mackenzie Nichols:

With this feature story, we’re introducing a new Slow Flowers contributor, Mackenzie Nichols.

Mackenzie is a freelance writer and experienced floral designer. She writes regularly for the Society of American Florists’ Floral Management magazine, and her work also appears in The Boston Globe, The American Gardener, Canadian Florist, and Tastemakers music magazine. She interned with MSNBC, Donna Morgan, and The American Horticultural Society and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a minor in Music Industry from Northeastern University. Mackenzie worked as a floral designer for Fern Flowers in Boston’s Back Bay Area, and Tiger Lily Florist, the top flower shop in Charleston, South Carolina. She lives in Manhattan’s East Village.

The 2018 American Flowers Week Floral Fashion Collection

27 Sunday May 2018

Posted by Debra Prinzing in American Flowers Week 2018, Floral Design, News & Events, Resources for Farmers & Florists

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Tags

2018 American Flowers Week Floral Fashions, 7 Petals Floral Design, Alex Brooks Photography, Alex M. Brooks, Alison Grace Higgins, Amanda Lane, Angela Cheung, Ashley Johnson, Aztec Dahlias, Becca Henry, Becca Henry Photography, Berkeley Danysh, Beth Van Sandt, Bikini Birdie Photography, Carly Jenkins, Dan'yell Powell, ESP Nurseries, Faye Zierer Krause, Flora Organica Designs, Full Bloom Flower Farm, Grace Flowers Hawaii, Grace Makeup Artistry, Gracie Malendres, Hawaiian Isle Flowers, Hedda Brorstrom, High Country Farms, J&D Farms, Joshua Veldstra, Kate Rowe, Katherine Sherba, Kayla Maluhia Kawai, Kelly Shore, Killing Frost Farm, Leon Villagomez Photography, Lisa Thorne, MaryAnn Nardo, Meghan Spelman, Mighty Fine Farm, Morgan Mireles, Na'iwi Young, Nicole Cordier, Nicole Cordier Wahlquist, Old Goat Farm, Pacific Floral Exchange, Petals by the Shore, Sarah Reyes, Scenic Place Peonies, Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, Sophia Lane, Sun Valley Flower Farm, The Orchid People, Unfurled Design

We’ve been planning and designing the 2018 Floral Fashion Collection for months — and it will be unveiled this week in the June issue of Florists’ Review!

For the third year in a row, American Flowers Week has commissioned fashion-inspired looks featuring local, seasonal and domestic florals.

For 2018, we have five fashion looks to unveil. It is amazing what the talented flower farmers and floral designers have conjured up this year and I’m so excited to be able to announce the participants and give you a preview of their creativity here.

Grab your June 2018 copy of Florists’ Review to read more and see a full 12-page spread about American Flowers Week’s floral fashions. I’ll be sharing individual stories and more beautiful photos throughout June, leading up to the June 28-July 4 #americanflowersweek Celebration.

Thank you to everyone who donated flowers, design time, photography and styling. The impressive dream team behind these looks are not only talented but passionate about promoting American-grown flowers through their creativity!

Let’s celebrate the five floral fashion narratives created for 2018 American Flowers Week. I can’t tell you how much it means to this cause — to elevate the public’s awareness and to engage the industry to CARE about domestic floral agriculture and sustainable, mindful floral design.

FIELD TO FASHION
In its fourth year, American Flowers Week celebrates U.S.-grown (and foraged) botanicals with five fresh, inspiring and hand-crafted couture looks. 

PEONY LOOK

Floral Palette: Peony flowers and petals, Scenic Place Peonies (Homer, Alaska) @scenicplacepeonies

Designer: Kelly Shore, Petals by the Shore @petalsbytheshore

Design assistance: Lisa Thorne, Thorne & Thistle @thorneandthistle

Model: Ashley Johnson, @ah.schlee

Hair/Makeup: Elizabeth Morphis, Scenic Place Peonies

Apparel: Donated by Grunden’s @grundens

Photography: Joshua and Brittney Veldstra joshuaveldstra.com, @joshuaveldstra

Location: Homer Small Boat Harbor, Homer, Alaska

TROPICAL LOOK

Floral Palette: Tropical and temperate flowers, foliage and botanicals grown on Hawaii’s Big Island, including lantern ilima (Abutilon), Spanish moss, calathea leaves, fiddlehead ferns, ti leaves, cymbidium orchids, statice, snapdragons, dianthus, anthuriums, epidendrum orchids, hanging fuzzy heliconia, bottlebrush, fishtail palm, blue jade vine, crown flower, kalanchoe, foxtail agave, camellia, ginger, bougainvillea, bromeliad, pincushion protea and croton.

Designers: Alison Grace Higgins (owner) and Nicole Cordier (manager), Grace Flowers Hawaii (Honokaa, Hawaii) @graceflowershawaii

Florals supplied by: J&D Farms (Kamuela), Pacific Floral Exchange (Hilo), Hawaiian Isle Flowers (Volcano), The Orchid People (Kamuela), ESP Nurseries (Kamuela) and High Country Farms (Pa’auilo Mauka).

Models: Na’iwi Young of Olowalu Entertainment and Kayla Maluhia Kawai @radshack_hawaii

Hair/Makeup: Gracia Malendres, Grace Makeup Artistry

Photography: Meghan Spelman, Bikini Birdie Photography @bikinibirdie

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

WOODLAND LOOK

Floral Palette: Pacific Northwest-foraged moss, lichen and pine cones

Production support: Seattle Wholesale Growers Market (Seattle, Wash.)

Designer: Carly Jenkins, Killing Frost Farm (Missoula, Montana) @killingfrostfarm

Assistant: Katherine Sherba, Mighty Fine Farm (Missoula, Montana)

Model: Berkeley Danysh, TCM Models and Talent

Hair/Makeup:
Carly Jenkins

Photography:
Alex Brooks, Alex Brooks @alex_brks

Location:
Old Goat Farm, Orting, Washington

DAHLIA LOOK

Floral Palette: 350 dahlias, Aztec Dahlias (Petaluma, Calif.) @aztec_dahlias; Herbs and succulents, Full Bloom Farm (Sebastopol, Calif.) @fullbloomflowerfarm 

Designer: Hedda Brorstrom, Full Bloom Farm

Harvesting/Production Assistance: MaryAnn Nardo, 7 Petals Floral Design @7petalsdesign; Sarah Reyes, Unfurled Design @unfurleddesign; Dan’yell Powell @danyellily

Model/Hair/Makeup: Sophia Lane (with assistance from Amanda Lane), @sophiajlane

Photography: Becca Henry, Becca Henry Photography

Location: Aztec Dahlias, Petaluma, California

IRIS LOOK

Floral Palette: 1,500 ‘Hong Kong’ irises, Sun Valley Flower Farm (Arcata, Calif.) @sunvalleyfloralfarms

Designer: Faye Zierer Krause, Flora Organica Designs @fayekrause

Model: Morgan Mireles

Hair and Makeup: Angela Cheung, Onxy-Private Holistic Studio, @onyxarcata

Photography: Leon Villagomez, Leon Villagomez Photographer @leonvillagomez

Location: Flora Organica Designs, Arcata, California

Download Social Media Graphics of all these Looks and show your support for American Flowers Week.

Behind the Scenes as we ready for American Flowers Week 2018

21 Saturday Oct 2017

Posted by Debra Prinzing in American Flowers Week 2018, Floral Design, News & Events

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

7 Petals Floral Design, Amanda Dumouchelle, Amy Kunkel-Patterson, Anna Peters, Ashley Johnson, Aztec Dahlias, Becca Henry, Beth Van Sandt, Brittney Veldstra, Elizabeth Morphis, Full Bloom Flower Farm, Gather Design Co., Grunden's, Hedda Brorstrom, Imagine Three Beauty Studio, Joshua Veldstra, Kate Rowe, Kelly Shore, Kelly Uhlig, Kurt Weichhand, Lisa Thorne, Monique Montri, Omar Durah, Passionflower Events, Petals by the Shore, Scenic Place Peonies, Sonshine Farm, Sophia Lane, Susan McLeary, Thorne & Thistle, Yessie Libby

“In Process” — Kelly Shore (left), preps her Alaska Peony model Ashley Johnson; Hedda Brorstrom (right) attends to a few details for the dahlia dress worn by model Sophia Lane

American Flowers Week began in 2015, and it has grown significantly in three short years to involve participation across all channels of domestic flowers — from seeds to bouquets to beautiful floral fashions.

Your involvement helped us generate more than 5 million impressions on social media (Instagram and Twitter) during this year’s campaign, a major leap from the 400,000 measured in 2015 and 1.2 million measured in 2016.

We’re making a difference in the relationship people have with their flowers — and that’s inspiring!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update here, but not because I have forgotten about American Flowers Week! The fact is, we’ve been hard at work developing next year’s amazing promotions, partnerships and platforms to elevate and expand this one-week celebration of domestic botanicals and you can be sure that plans are well underway for an incredible American Flowers Week 2018.

I’m excited to share some of the latest news with you!

Susan McLeary of Passionflower Events created our red-white-and-blue floral ‘fro for 2016, with graphic design from Jenny Diaz

As you know, for 2016, we commissioned Susan McLeary of Passionflower Events to design a beautiful red-white-and-blue floral ‘fro using all American-grown blooms.

With talents of photographer Amanda DuMouchelle, makeup artist Imagine Three Beauty Studio and our beautiful model Monique Montri, the iconic image is still posted and shared today.

That led to the ambitious campaign to produce an extensive lineup of floral fashions showcasing the best local, seasonal and domestic flowers, unveiled earlier this year.

The floral creativity we witnessed by Slow Flowers members — flower farmers and floral designers — was mind-blowing and we’ve yet to share all of the images captured by our photographers.

You can read about our first piece of 2017, a sunflower gown designed by Amy Kunkel-Patterson of Gather Design Co., modeled by stylish flower farmer Kelly Uhlig of Sonshine Farm and captured on film by Anna Peters, with hair and makeup by Yessie Libby.

A quartet of four other amazing floral fashions followed, and I’ve been remiss about posting those — so look for the back-story of our rose tutu, floral cape, woodland menswear vest and peony Geisha in the coming weeks. Those were created by Teresa Sabankaya of Bonny Doon Garden Co., Tara Folker of Splints & Daisies, Riz Reyes of RHR Horticulture and Arthur Williams of Babylon Floral Design.

From left: Ashley & Kelly during our prep time; Kelly’s tapestry of Scenic Place peony blooms; and floating peonies, on location at the Homer Marina

But for now, let’s jump ahead to 2018 . . . and our PEONY Look!

Slow Flowers‘ designers and flower farmers have already stepped up to help us capture two of next year’s five floral looks on film and while we can’t reveal the completed designs yet, we can credit the talented teams and give you a little behind-the-scenes taste of what to expect when promotions launch for American Flowers Week 2018.

In July, with Kelly Shore of Petals by the Shore and Beth Van Sandt & Kurt Weichhand of Scenic Place Peonies, we visually documented a quintessential moment for Alaska-grown peonies!

Kelly and Beth partnered on numerous creative endeavors during a single week at the end of July 2017 . . . including the Field to Vase Dinner and a romantic styled shoot that Kelly designed, which was photographed in Scenic Place’s peony fields and published in the October issue of Florists’ Review (in the Slow Flowers Journal section).

But . . . thanks to Beth’s brainstorm and Kelly’s willingness to jump in and say “yes,” we also produced a thoroughly unique peony experience on the docks and shoreline of the fishing marina in Homer, Alaska. Beth wanted our American Flowers Week “look” to blend Homer’s two economic engines — commercial fishing and peony farming.
We were lucky for so many reasons, including:

  • Joshua and Brittney Veldstra of Homer-based Joshua Veldstra Photography signed on to document the story with their amazing talents.
  • The folks at Grunden’s donated a pair of white bib overalls and “Deck Boss” boots, the feminine version of the attire you’ll see worn by commercial fishing pro’s.
  • Our beautiful model jumped right in and said “yes” to everything we asked of her. Ashley Johnson, flower-farmer-in-training, spent this past summer as a WOOFER (that’s World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) at Scenic Place. We were super lucky that she agreed to be our model!
  • There were other helpers who made this shoot such a success: Lisa Thorne of Thorne & Thistle, a Slow Flowers member who traveled to Homer to volunteer for all of the Field to Vase activities; and Elizabeth Morphis, a Scenic Place Peonies team member who assisted with hair, makeup and design!

Enjoy a sneak peek of our visual story above — you’ve never before seen Alaska-grown peonies expressed in such a creative way that underscores the importance of season, place and beauty! The entire reveal will occur during American Flowers Week, June 28th through July 4th! I thank everyone who made this happen — they are my heroes!

From left: designer Heddah Brorstrom attaches more than 350 local dahlias to the “skirt”; a lovely detail of the floral artistry expressed in this project; and real-time photography.

Next up: Dreaming of DAHLIAS!

I’ve been wishing for a dahlia “look” for American Flowers Week for many reasons, the most obvious of which is that the renaissance of field-grown dahlias has been a game-changer for Slow Flowers members — farmers and designers alike. No other flower is so precious and coveted in summer and early autumn. No other flower is dependent on local sourcing, a boon for those who grow and design with them.

I asked Slow Flowers member Kate Rowe, co-owner with Omar Duran of Aztec Dahlias in Petaluma, California, if she would sponsor a photo shoot depicting dahlias in a floral fashion — and she said YES!

We agreed together that Hedda Brorstrom, a farmer-florist who owns Full Bloom Farm in nearby Sebastopol, California, would be THE person to design the look.

Yet the larger backdrop for our October 16th photo shoot, captured by Becca Henry at Aztec Dahlias’ farm, was less than ideal.

Everyone in Sonoma County has been coping with the onslaught of horrendous wildfires — in fact, every person involved in this photo shoot has a connection with a loved one who has lost everything to the fires. Working conditions for flower farmers in Sonoma County have been highly risky due to the poor air quality and intense heat. We weren’t really sure that the schedule would work out due to all these external (negative) conditions.

But . . . the dahlia dream team pulled it off — and I’m so impressed with their talents! The entire look, worn so elegantly by model Sophia Lane, was achieved due to the “village” of talents. THANK YOU to everyone involved!

Hedda Brorstrom – Floral Designer
Full Bloom Flower @fullbloomflowerfarm 
Becca Henry – Photographer
Becca Henry Photography @becca.henry.photography
MaryAnn Nardo – Harvesting / Floral Design Assist
7 Petals Floral Design @7petalsdesign
Sophia Lane – Model
@sophiajlane
– Amanda Lane, Mom
Dan’yell Powell – Harvest / Assist
@danyellily
Sarah Reyes – Assist
Unfurled Design @unfurleddesign
Kate Rowe – Dahlias
Aztec Dahlias @aztec_dahlias

What’s Next?

Our anticipation for American Flowers Week 2018 continues and I’m eager to involve more Slow Flowers members in the campaign! The Peony and Dahlia fashions will be published in the Slow Flowers Journal section of Florists’ Review magazine in our June 2018 issue — that’s the big “reveal” of all this gorgeous American-grown creativity! And stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes news to come . . .

Want a box of fresh Alaska peonies?!

25 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by Debra Prinzing in 50 States of American Grown Flowers, American Flowers Week 2016, Floral Design, News & Events

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

50 States of American Grown Flowers contest, Alaska peonies, Beth Van Sandt, contest prizes, Scenic Place Peonies

Slow Flowers member Beth Van Sandt of Scenic Place Peonies in Homer, Alaska

Slow Flowers member Beth Van Sandt of Scenic Place Peonies in Homer, Alaska

Beth has donated a box of 20 stems of her gorgeous Alaska peonies to the July 4th American Flowers Week drawing!

Beth has donated a box of 20 stems of her gorgeous Alaska peonies to the July 4th American Flowers Week drawing!

So far, we’ve received 35 entries from 21 states . . . so here’s your reminder! There’s still time to submit a photo of your Red-White-And-Blue bouquet, centerpiece or armload of blooms to the 50 States of American Grown Flowers invitational! Lots of great prizes will go to winners in our July 4th drawing.

Here’s how to enter and submit a flower photo from your state

Here’s a list of previously announced prizes, donated by our sponsors.

Thanks so much, Beth! We can’t wait to share your Alaska-grown, American-grown blooms with one lucky winner!

Prizes Announced for 50 States of American Grown Flowers Drawing

08 Wednesday Jun 2016

Posted by Debra Prinzing in 50 States of American Grown Flowers, American Flowers Week 2016, News & Events, Promotional Ideas, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

50 States of American Grown Flowers, Alaska-grown peonies, Beth Van Sandt, Certified American Grown Flowers, Longfield Gardens, Mayesh Wholesale, Scenic Place Peonies, Slowflowers.com, Sponsor Prizes, Syndicate Sales

smIMG_5104Our Sponsors, Friends and Partners are super-generous! To show their support for American Flowers Week, these “flower friends” are donating some awesome prizes for our July 4th Drawing. Below is our initial list — we’ll soon expand this list with more prizes.

How do You Win?

Enter the “50 States of American Grown Flowers” contest and your name will be added to the pool of those eligible for an amazing array of giveaways.

From Mayesh Wholesale: Five $100 gift certificates for buying beautiful, local and American-grown Flowers!

From Syndicate Sales: Three $100 shopping sprees for American Made glass vases and other accessories!

From Longfield Gardens: Two $50 gift certificates for bulbs and plants!

From Certified American Grown & Slowflowers.com: Five “Swag Bags” from the 2016 Field to Vase Dinner tour, which each American-made tote bag including a signed set of Debra Prinzing’s books, “The 50 Mile Bouquet” and “Slow Flowers.”

From Slow Flowers member Scenic Place Peonies: One box of 20 beautiful and fresh Alaska-grown peonies shipped to you! More details here.

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