The Flower Podcast

Sarah Winward is a floral artist and event designer based in Salt Lake City, Utah, specializing in destination weddings. Her work, known for its seasonal, nature-inspired designs, has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, Martha Stewart, and she has been named a top florist by Vogue. Sarah’s floral arrangements evoke the beauty of nature, often sourced locally or foraged near event locations to seamlessly integrate with the surroundings. Passionate about flowers, Sarah collaborates closely with clients to create unique, memorable designs that reflect the season and environment. She believes in prioritizing key floral elements within a budget, planning for delicate blooms, and using mock-ups to ensure a flawless result. Above all, Sarah encourages embracing creativity, trusting your instincts, and allowing your designs to evolve as you grow. Learn more about Sarah and today’s show notes with all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! When you select an app be sure to subscribe to receive the episodes automatically. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

Lisa Mason Ziegler, cut-flower farmer, author, educator and founder of The Gardener’s Workshop is returning to The Flower Podcast. Since 1998, she has cultivated her three-acre urban farm in Southeastern Virginia, producing thousands of flower stems weekly for florists, supermarkets, farmer’s markets, and her members-only on-farm market. Lisa has authored several books, including Cool Flowers, and she is the creator of Flower Farming School Online, which has expanded to include courses for both flower farmers and florists, in addition to starting two podcasts, Field and Garden and Seed Talk. I’m really excited to have Lisa back for a personal year-in-review for flower growers. It’s been several years since our last episode, and I always learn something new from my conversations with her. In this episode, Lisa shares some of the valuable lessons she’s learned along the way, many that are at the heart of what she teaches in her courses. We talk about the importance of setting clear goals and truly understanding your market. I appreciate how she encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to tackle challenges with confidence while keeping customer convenience front and center. Her practical advice on building a solid foundation for success in flower farming is incredibly helpful, and she also offers a realistic perspective on business and the importance of continually moving forward. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone looking to grow in the industry!  Be sure to listen Lisa’s other episode on The Flower Podcast and also search The Gardener’s Workshop on our YouTube Channel to watch my chats and an instagram Live with Lisa.  Learn more about Lisa and listen to her first episode with today’s show notes and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com  Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more!  Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras.  Sponsors of The Flower Podcast The Gardener's Workshop ASCFG  Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor

My guest this week is Sarah Jo Eversole, owner of Everbloom Fields in Lancaster, TX. It might be a micro flower farm, but she produces not only exceptional quality blooms but high volume as well. She shares many of her experiences as a grower especially decisions on what to grow to be more profitable. There’s a wealth of growing and business tips in this episode, and it’s our hope that you’re inspired and encouraged that no matter the size of your business, it’s yours and has every opportunity to succeed.  Learn more about Sarah Jo and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

I’m excited to share that Charlotte Smith is our guest again on The Flower Podcast. Charlotte teaches farmers the skills they need to make money on their farms and live calm, balanced lives through mindset coaching. Going against what most of us have been taught, Charlotte coaches in 13 countries to build successful profitable farms while also getting out from feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. In 2016, Charlotte was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Women in the World in Food and Agriculture by the non-profit, Food Tank and she is giving us a little dose of her coaching today on The Flower Podcast.   The great thing about this kind of coaching is that it’s good for any kind of business. So this episode isn’t just for farmers, it’s also for florists, educators, or anyone that’s an entrepreneur with a business. Today we chat about the importance of having and growing an email list for your business. In addition, we chat about hiring and putting systems in place to help encourage and strengthen your team and the importance of charging enough for your products so that you can cover all the expenses of hiring extra help, plus paying yourself. Listen to our first episode with Charlotte Smith. Learn more about Charlotte Smith and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

Ready to talk Dahlias? This week my guest is Kristine Albrecht of Santa Cruz Dahlias. Known for her award winning dahlia hybrids and her book, Dahlia Breeding for the farmer florist and the home gardener, Kristine is sharing her flower journey along with numerous tips and insights on her hybridizing process, cover crops, soil testing and more. She is the president of the Monterey Bay Dahlia Society and travels with her blooms to local and national dahlia shows and today we get to step into the world of dahlias with Kristine. So get your notebooks ready, we’re talking dahlias, now on The Flower Podcast. Learn more about Kristine and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, IG Lives, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

I’m in Ecuador this week so we’re replaying our episode with my guest Kimberlee Mitchell owner of  Botanica Floral located in Atlanta, Ga. She has been a part of the floral community for over 20 years and has been fortunate to grow her business to include 5 star hotels and work within the film industry. Kimberlee has been working on many major films including the recently released new HBO movie of Father of the Bride as well as several TV series many of which can be found on Netflix. We had a great chat about how she buys her flowers for her hotels and movies, she also shares tips for helping flowers last longer, and the importance of perseverance. Learn more about Kimberlee and all of our past guests on TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, IG Lives, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast Farmer Bailey Accent Decor Real Flower Business Rooted Farmers ASCFG The Gardener’s Workshop

My guest this week is Natalie Geehr and her business is theflowerfarmer.com located in Fresno, California. She grows in her backyard in addition to the 1/4 acre that she leases. Her big dream has allowed her to grow into doing weddings and events. Community has been an important part of her journey with growing flowers which let her to become one of the founding members of the San Joaquin Flower Collective that supplies local florists and shoppers with flowers that are grown in their own town. Learn more about Natalie Geehr and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

We’re excited to have Marryn Mathis from The Farmhouse Flower Farm on The Flower Podcast this week. She shares how she’s grown and adapted her business to work with her family schedule while maximizing her product reach. Dahlias and Sweet Peas have become two of her main crops. Today, with the launch of her new book, we’re diving into growing sweet peas again. Hopefully we cover some challenges that will help you with producing this iconic cut flower. Learn more about Marryn, plus all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com  Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more!  Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras.  Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

We're excited to share this NEW and second episode with Brenna Estrada!!  Scroll below to connect with her page and listen to her first episode with The Flower Podcast. Home gardeners, flower farmers, and florists are always looking for flowers to help set them apart in their offerings and esthetics. My guest this week found her way to growing cut flowers eventually on Camano Island, Washington. Brenna Estrada and her business Three Brother Blooms takes pride in growing a wide variety of stunning, pollinator-friendly plants. She is passionate about growing several flowers, but especially pansies and violas. It was great to have Brenna on the podcast as a guest again. We took another dive into her world with pansies. We chatted about the long history of this family of flowers, how they’ve been used as cut flowers for centuries, how to take cuttings, overwintering them, and so much more. Oh and Brenna’s new book that’s available for preorder right now. You can listen to Brenna's first episode here. Learn more about Brenna and her exciting world of Pansies with all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

Rick Davis of Amaryllis Design in Landover, Maryland is our guest this week on The Flower Podcast. Featured in publications such as Town & Country, Southern Accents, and listed as one of the Top Wedding Florists in the nation by Martha Stewart, Rick shares his transformation story that has made Amaryllis a premiere wedding and event company. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and share!! Learn more about Rick and Amaryllis with all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

During a recent visit to the Monroe Blooms Flower Show in Monroe, GA., I met Ashley Blackstone and Samantha Kramer from Wellspring Flower Farm. What stood out were their vibrant flower varieties and color palettes. In this episode, they discuss their farm's growth from a small plot on a horse farm to a flourishing 3-acre operation, with plans to expand further. We explore how they've optimized their space and resources, their success in serving florists across Monroe, Athens, and Atlanta, and their use of platforms like Rooted Farmers. This conversation is filled with insights on business growth, client engagement, and the creative use of farm space. A must-listen for anyone looking to expand their flower farming or floristry business! Learn more about Ashley, Samantha, and Wellspring Flower Farm, plus all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

Last week when we released our episode with Henk Onings I mentioned at the end that we continued the conversation about Ranunculus, Anemones, and the Tulip bulb crop this year. So be sure to go and listen to Part 1 of our chat with Henk. So to recap, my guest this week is Henk Onings and soon after graduating school he moved to Pompeii, Italy for a couple of years to learn the floral industry with the family business. Then the opportunity to start Onings America brought him to the United States where he developed a business selling and suppling lily bulbs to North America. 27 years later they have grown to so much more and I’m excited to share my conversation with Henk this week on The Flower Podcast. It’s really good to chat about growing this special flowers and the time that it takes to hybridize, grow inventory, and then release new varieties of these Italian beauties. Learn more about Henk, Onings America, and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com You can listen to Part One with this Link.  Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.  We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras.  Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

This week’s guest was born in the Netherlands into a family that started their business in 1935 and now 3 generations later, soon to be 4 generations Onings Holland is known for distributing a wide range of flower bulbs, tubers, and seeds around the world. My guest is Henk Onings and soon after graduating school he moved to Pompeii, Italy for a couple of years to learn the floral industry with the family business. Then the opportunity to start Onings America brought him to the United States where he developed a business selling and suppling lily bulbs to North America. 27 years later they have grown to so much more and I’m excited to share my conversation with Henk this week on The Flower Podcast. We chat about how the bulb sales and production is often determined by big box stores. Lilies can be an important part of your flower production. It was also great to chat about freesia, a flower that I wish was grown by more local farmers. Next week we are going to release part 2 of our conversation. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts to receive it automatically. Learn more about Henk, Onings America, and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

This weeks my guests are Leandra Gollob and Daniel Mench of Cocolani Gardens located on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Both were born and raised on the windward side of Oahu, where they’ve grown up with a love for all things nature. Together with this love and gratitude, they farm one-acre of lush tropical land with over 50 varieties of ginger and heliconia! Some species include sexy pink heliconia, kawauchi, stricta, tagami, torch gingers and an assortment of beehive gingers amongst many others. They strive to push the boundaries of tropical floristry by searching for uncommon species of flowers, and using novelty plants and fruits found locally in their arrangements. From seed to table, they personally manage the entire process to ensure their clients are provided with the best possible blooms for the events they produce. Learn more about Leandra and Daniel and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

We are starting off our new season with Julia Keel, co-owner of Full Keel Farm in north central Florida. Julia brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to the table as she specializes in cultivating specialty cut flowers while navigating the unique challenges of a hot and humid climate. She’s passionate about teaching, has presented and lectured at national conferences, and truly embraces the challenge of adapting production methods to Florida’s climate. This week, Julia shares techniques she uses like paper pot planters and releasing beneficial insects and other insights as a flower farmer that she hopes will help other growers in their own flower journey. Julia also shares about her expansion on their new property and we dive into growing spray larkspur, didiscus, and delphinium in her climate. Maybe a flower farm isn’t your first thought when you think of Florida but it’s a different kind of Florida fun and beauty and it all starts now on The Flower Podcast.   Learn more about Julia, Full Keel Farm, and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com  Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop  

One of the most exciting trends that I believe is here to stay is flower trucks. These mobile floral shops bring fresh blooms directly to communities, markets, and special events, offering a fun and unique experience for customers. Flower trucks also present fantastic opportunities for aspiring florists and small business owners. With lower overhead costs compared to traditional storefronts, entrepreneurs can focus on sourcing high-quality blooms and building their brands on a scale that fits more comfortably within a new business budget. I’m thrilled to introduce Mattie Bush-Martin, the creative force and founder behind Amelia’s Flowers. Inspired by her time in Paris, Mattie aimed to create a unique and artistic floral experience that Nashville had never seen before. In 2016, with just one truck, Mattie set out to bring this vision to life, and it quickly resonated with the local community.  Today, Amelia’s Flower Truck is a thriving company with three trucks, three brick-and-mortar stores in the Nashville area, one in North Carolina, and has expanded to nationwide delivery and subscription services.  Learn more about Mattie and Amelia's Flowers with all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com  Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras.  Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

Welcome to The Flower Podcast, the podcast for anyone who grows or designs with flowers and even then, we talk about so much more. I'm your host, Scott Shepherd and I love chatting with guests about their stories, and uncover the beauty and challenges of working with flowers. I’m excited to share this special conversation this week. Several months ago, LuAnn Dickson Founder and CEO of EveryStem Software asked to turn the microphone on me for her members. We had a great time chatting about how the podcast began and diving into several questions surrounding floral wholesalers, her members had questions about ordering, pricing, credits, and more. So, I hope you find this chat helpful too. We’ve edited the interview down, but I know it was a lot of fun talking shop and hopefully helping to understand how to maximize your relationships with some of your flower suppliers. You can watch and listen to the entire conversation by visiting the YouTube channel of EveryStem Software. Learn more about all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

My guest this week is Heather Cain, owner of Petal Pink Flower Farm. From the urban life in San Francisco to the somewhat accidental purchase of a rundown farm in Eugene, Oregon, Heather shares about the family farm life, her incredible trip to Italy and seeing how they trialing the latest in Italian ranunculus. We are also discussing one of my personal favorite crops, hellebore, and much more. It’s a flower journey that takes us from Petal Pink Flower Farm to the greenhouses of beautiful Italy and it all begins right here on The Flower Podcast.  Today we chat about: Heather’s trip to Italy with other American growers to see the latest in ranunculus and anemones. We discussed growing Hellebores and what to look for when picking varieties. * We also chatted about Salpiglossis and growing it.  Finding ways to create boundaries to help manage time. Why it’s a good idea to take some business courses to help you as you grow your business. Learn more about Heather and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.  We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

From planning your planting schedule based on lunar cycles to predicting weather patterns that could impact your crops, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been a go-to guide offering invaluable insights into moon phase planting, weather prediction, and continues to evolve, meeting the needs of modern farmers and gardeners while staying true to its roots. Today my guest is Carol Connare, the 14th editor in the history of the old farmer’s almanac. Carol oversees this cherished publication to create a perfect blend of new, useful, and entertaining content. So I hope you enjoy the special episode as we learn more about what goes into the pages and uncover what makes this publication a timeless favorite.  Today we chat about: -How they approach weather predictions -Planting by Moon Phases -Container Gardening -New trends in plants Learn more about Carol and The Old Farmers Almanac with all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com  Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more!  Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras.  Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop

This week we're replaying our episode with our guest Sandra Sigman, award winning floral designer, owner of Les Fleurs, and author. She launched her first book, French Blooms, last year, which is a beautiful book displaying the design principles she learned from her favorite Parisian florist. Get ready to be transported to a world of elegance and creativity as we dive into the story behind this French inspired floral journey. Sandra moved to France in her early 20’s working as a professional ice skater and fell in love with Paris. The daughter of a floral designer and influenced by her childhood love of flowers, she came back to the states and founded Les Fleurs, a French inspired flower shop. We thought that Sandra's journey, which began with her Mother would be great episode to replay with the Mother's Day holiday this week.  Learn more about Sandra and Les Fleurs along with all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras. Sponsors of The Flower Podcast ASCFG Farmer Bailey Rooted Farmers Real Flower Business Accent Decor The Gardeners Workshop