Flower Friends

Latest Episodes:

Sourcing Seeds with Renee Shepherd Aug 21, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever gotten a seed packet and wondered how those seeds made it to you? Or what an organic seed really is? Or what 'heirloom' means? Well today we get to learn all about seeds with THE Renee from Renee's Garden today. Her company offers flower, veggie, and herb seeds specifically for home gardeners, with a huge host of cool offerings that they test in their trial gardens in California and Vermont.
I ask Renee all the questions about trialing, sourcing, and selling the seeds that so many gardeners grow from, what she's excited about in her trial garden this year, her recommendations for new growers, her favorite flowers she grows at home, and so much more. I loved hearing her advice after having been in the industry so long, and her perspective on how gardening connects us to different cultures and history. I learned so much from this conversation and hope you will too! Follow along with Renee's Garden on Instagram @reneesgardenseeds.
In the intro, I get into some of the specific varieties of flowers I've sourced from Renee's Garden, and some recent updates from my garden and small floral design business. The Flower Friends Flower Fact is about hellebores this week, so listen in to learn something new! Stay til the end for the song of the week, which you can also find on the Spotify Flower Friends Song of the Week playlist.
Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast, and with Sarah at @growgirlseattle. Thanks flower friends!

Michelle Nathan from Little Free Flowery Aug 15, 2022

Show notes

This week we're talking to Michelle Nathan from Little Free Flowery, a flower stand where Michelle shares her homegrown flowers with her neighbors and community. It's such a big hit! Michelle describes why and how she started the stand, how she sets it up, what it means to her, and about the connections she's made. Her idea has inspired other stands to open in her neighborhood and beyond, and I was so excited to hear more about what she's doing and share that with you! We also chat about some of her favorite flowers to grow. Follow along with Michelle & Little Free Flowery on Instagram @littlefreeflowery.
In the intro, I talk about some garden clean-up and support I was working on for dahlias and chrysanthemums this weekend, and about co-planting mums and daffodils in perennial beds since they bloom at different times. I also give an update on a few things blooming in the garden right now: dahlias, zinnias, echinacea (the absolute star of my garden and arrangements - note to self: PLANT MORE ECHINACEA NEXT YEAR), Sahara rudbeckia, fata morgana scabiosa, toad lilies, and blooming soon - lisianthus and sunflowers. I’m looking for advice on how to get longer side stems on fata morgana scabies, and how to deal with lisianthus “wilt”. And I’m having fun experimenting with getting smaller (and more) sunflowers in lots of unique colors.

The Flower Friends Flower Fact has three questions this week, so listen in to learn something new! Stay til the end for the song of the week, which you can also find on the Spotify Flower Friends Song of the Week playlist.
Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast, and with Sarah at @growgirlseattle. Thanks flower friends!

Celebrating Local Flowers with Rebecca Noble Aug 08, 2022

Show notes

It was such a pleasure to speak with floral designer and podcaster Rebecca Noble from LLB and Dish the Dirt podcast. Rebecca is located in Australia and designs with seasonal flowers grown by farmers in her area, who she has built wonderful relationships with, and in 2020 she started her podcast to share their stories and knowledge and connect florists with farmers.
We talk about how she got into floral design, the struggles and successes of starting her business, the importance of placing a value on time, how she moved into using local flowers, how using local blooms supports farmers, community, and the environment, and provides access to some of the most special and inspiring flowers that come with the story of where they were grown. I ask about some of Rebecca's incredible design work and installations, her inspiration, and if using local flowers changed how she designs. Then we talk about her podcast and all of the amazing connections and sense of community that has evolved from it.
I am in awe of Rebecca and her gorgeous design work, but most of all by how she has promoted the local flowers and farmers in her region with such passion, and worked to celebrate their hard work and beautiful blooms through her floral creations and through the connections her podcast has built and deepened in her community and country. Listening to Dish the Dirt has been one of the more heartwarming experiences of the last few months, and has helped build my confidence to emphasize that part of my own business even more, and to reach out to local growers to directly buy more of my flowers. I'm so thankful to Rebecca for joining Flower Friends to chat about all of this and more.
Follow along with Rebecca on Instagram @llb_florals and @_dishthedirt_, and listen to Dish the Dirt wherever you get your podcasts.
In this week's intro, I talk about what I'm going to do with some of flower beds now that their crops have stopped blooming (...to cover crop or grow one more round of fast-bloomers!?), and about making room for all of the flower bulbs that will be coming this fall & getting in last orders. The Flower Friends Flower Fact this week is about tulips, so listen in to learn something new! Stay til the end for the song of the week, which you can also find on the Spotify Flower Friends Song of the Week playlist.
Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast, and with Sarah at @growgirlseattle. Thanks flower friends!

Cacti & Other Cool Plants with Meg Meyer Aug 01, 2022

Show notes

Brain-like cactus? A cactus that only blooms for one night? Slime mold? Hair ice!? Zebra succulents? How cool are these plants!?? Cactus CEO Meg Meyer from Propagate Positivity fills us in on all of the amazing plants in their collection and that they encounter in the wild!
We first chat about Meg's habitat restoration work where they spend a lot of time outdoors removing invasive species and replacing them with native plants, the importance of homeowners knowing about invasive species (it turns out a lot of us home gardeners grow invasives in our gardens without even knowing it!), and some of the natives species that they are planting in their garden.
Then we get into cacti - including species native to the Pacific Northwest (who knew!), the new cactus garden Meg built, how to propagate and grow cacti, and some of Meg's plant recommendations and faves in their collection.
Last, I do a quick rundown of some of the amazing plants, fungi, and hard-to-categorize species Meg posts about on Instagram, and we get the scoop on carnivorous plants, Meg's backyard bog project, native orchids, slime mold, hair ice, and more! I'm fascinated.
In the intro, I give updates from the week including attending the book launch for Flower Gardening for Beginners (congratulations to author Amy Barene from Capital Blooms!!!) and getting to meet many fellow flower growers, designing for two events in the heat, selecting and testing flowers that will be out of water, processing flowers and foliage (takes so much time! Hi baptisia), and all the time, thought, and prep that goes into what you buy from a florist. I've also been thinking a lot about what type of work is fulfilling and how to attract clients who place importance on local flowers and trust my aesthetic, rather than clients who micromanage and want to specify every flower type.
The Flower Friends Flower Fact this week is about orchids, so listen in to learn something new! And in the outro I give a little roadmap of what's coming up for the podcast, and get back to embarrassing myself singing you out with the song of the week. If you like the song recs, you can listen to all of them on our new Spotify Flower Friends Song of the Week playlist.
Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast, and with Sarah at @growgirlseattle. Thanks flower friends!

Season Check-In with the OG Flower Friends Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

On this episode, we check back in with Margaret Ullman-Hess from Ballard Urban Flowers, Kristin Ryzebol from Neighborhood Flower Co., and Jess Wesley from Curly Girl Gardens, the OG flower friends who helped inspire this podcast! We talked about how spring and summer are going so far, the rainy season and some unexpected outcomes from that (longer seasons for some plants, and delayed seasons for others), highlights and lowlights of the year so far, what's blooming right now, some flower recommendations, lessons learned, and how we all want to be more like Margaret! On this episode we discuss dahlia seedlings, overwintering dahlias, new-to-us flower varieties, second-year stem lengths on rudbeckia, the importance of soil temps when planting, and so much more. I loved chatting about the different directions and interests we all have and am so thankful to these three for all of the flower chats and support.
In the intro I discuss another field trip I took up to Stanwood, WA to see beautiful pitcher plants and experiment with them in arrangements, and if you love hearing about carnivorous and other super interesting plants you'll really enjoy the episode we have coming your way next week!
The Flower Friends Flower Fact is about rosehips this week - stay tuned til the end to hear the answer and catch the song of the week. If you like the song recs, you can listen to all of them on our new Spotify Flower Friends Song of the Week playlist.
Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast, and with Sarah at @growgirlseattle. Thanks flower friends!

Dahlias with LeeAnn Huber Jul 18, 2022

Show notes

Today we're talking dahlias with LeeAnn Huber from Coseytown Flowers! LeeAnn discusses her background in agriculture, how she got interested in dahlias, what her growing space is like, and then introduces us to some of her Coseytown dahlia varieties - and even gives a preview of a few breeding program beauties that might be on the horizon!
LeeAnn's focus with Coseytown Flowers is to develop varieties with a strong plant habit that will grow well and produce beautiful flowers with lots of blooms (and tubers), so it was wonderful to hear her insights on breeding and developing dahlias that are built for strength and success.
I got to ask LeeAnn about dahlia virus and the intensive research project she's been conducting on virus - she is full of information that is super helpful for anyone growing dahlias. If you're not already, follow along with Coseytown Flowers.
In the intro I give some updates from the garden - on dahlias, snapdragons, bells of Ireland and more. I discuss the beauty of seed starting and trying new varieties and colors in a low cost and low risk way, as well the challenges of timing succession planting and crop rotation, especially in late spring when we get busy outside. The Flower Friends flower fact question is about dahlias this week - listen into the end for the answer.
Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast, and with Sarah at @growgirlseattle. Thanks flower friends!

Roses and More with Arielle Zamora Jul 10, 2022

Show notes

Today we are joined by Arielle Zamora from Small Yard Flowers to chat about her farm, flowers, and artful floral design. We talk about her growing spaces, what she grows there, her event and design work, the unmatched beauty of fresh local flowers, and then dive into roses. Arielle shares some of her favorite rose varieties to grow, tips on supporting them, and how to combat disease. She also offers tips on how to let fresh-from-the-garden flowers guide your designs.
If you're not already following Arielle, go visit Small Yard Flowers' website and Instagram, and check out her videos on YouTube, including how to plant a bare root rose, and how to prune your roses!
In the intro Sarah gives some garden updates and shares some of her failures from this season with a reminder that we're often sharing way more of our successes than our failures online! Stay til the end for a flower fact about top states for floriculture, and the newest addition to our song of the week - which we just created a Spotify playlist for!
Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast, and with Sarah at @growgirlseattle. Thanks flower friends!

Minisode in Athamma's Garden Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

In this bonus episode, Sarah walks through her Athamma's (mother-in-law's) beautiful flower and vegetable garden. Usha Nayani grows several varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers at her home in Yorktown, Virginia. It was such a special visit, listen in to hear more about Usha's glow-in-the-dark feature, her painted tiles, recycled bottle pots, sunflowers, jasmine, special Indian vegetables, and more.

Farm Tour of The Farmhouse Flower Farm with Marryn Mathis Jul 03, 2022

Show notes

It's the start of season 2, and our first ever Flower Friends Field Trip to the Farmhouse Flower Farm in Stanwood, Washington! The intrepid Marryn Mathis walks us through her sweet pea tunnels, field grown sweet pea rows, her bearded iris and perennial beds, and dahlia fields, and we get to meet her pups, see her ponds, woods, and gorgeous 10-acre property, and then sit down in her farmstand to answer some listener questions. This episode is jam-packed with info, including Marryn's growing tips for sweet peas, how to get the best stem length, her favorite sweet pea varieties, some of her favorite perennial flowers and foliage, how she and her family found and transformed their farm, and so much more! Thank you Marryn!
If you're not already following Marryn, go visit the Farmhouse Flower Farm website and Instagram.
In the intro Sarah gives a little background about the pod for new listeners. Stay til the end for a really cool flower fact about honey bees, and the newest addition to our song of the week - which we just created a Spotify playlist for!
Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast, and with Sarah at @growgirlseattle. Thank you, flower friends!

Floral Design with Alyssa Lytle Jun 05, 2022

Show notes

In the Season 1 finale of Flower Friends, Sarah sits down with Alyssa Lytle, whose floral design business Color Theory Design Co. and educational platform Flowering Minds have been hugely inspirational (14:35). Sarah asks how Alyssa got her start in the flower world, how she decided to start her own business, and what it was like to move that business to a new city (twice). This lived experience is pivotal to what Alyssa teaches on Flowering Minds, which covers how she creates florals, but also delves deeply into how she has established a profitable business. In our convo, Alyssa touches on something so important about her desire to start her own business - taking on projects that make sense financially and creatively for her life and her business, connecting with her ideal clients, and building space for family and the important moments in life. She discusses the importance of creating a portfolio in one clear voice - your voice - to attract the projects and clients that you want. A consistent portfolio also builds trust in communicating what your vision is and trust in what your clients will receive, which ultimately leads to more creative freedom and less micromanaging from clients. Sarah also asks about Alyssa’s favorite flowers to work with and where she draws inspiration. See her beautiful work on Instagram (@colortheorydesign.co, @floweringminds.education).

In the intro, Sarah mentions some of the things she’s working on in terms of sustainability on the floristry side of her business (0:59) and asks the flower fact trivia question (14:12). Hear the answer at the end (57:22). Sarah is also looking for feedback on a few things: (1) What are you doing to be more sustainable in your garden or floral business? (2) Do you have ideas for how to better communicate with the Flower Friends community for Season 2 (like a forum or platform)? (3) What guests would you like on the pod for Season 2, and what topics do you want to hear about? Please send responses on Instagram (@flowerfriendspodcast) or by email (sarah@growgirlseattle.com)!

Thanks so much for listening to our first season of the podcast, and we’ll be back in a few weeks to kick off Season 2!

Subscribe to the Flower Friends pod wherever you get your podcasts, and follow along on Instagram at @flowerfriendspodcast, and with Sarah at @growgirlseattle. Thank you, flower friends!

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