There’s an ugly truth behind those beautiful alstroemeria, dahlias, and roses we adore—80 percent of them are grown overseas and imported on gas-guzzling jets—often soaked in pesticides—despite the fact that they can be grown right here in the U.S. These blooms are often called “fresh” cut flowers, but they’re anything but.
Frustrated by the lack of awareness people often have when it comes to the origins of their cut flowers, Seattle’s Debra Prinzing—a multi-hyphenate journalist, author, and podcaster—started the Slow Flowers Society as a way to get consumers, farmers, and florists to think more deeply about where their flowers come from and how they’re grown. The idea is to talk about flowers the way a gourmand would want to know precisely where their cheese was made and by whom. “Slow flowers is all about inspiring growers, florists, and buyers to use and grow blooms that are local, seasonal, and sustainable,” Prinzing says. Meanwhile, her website, slowflowers.com, includes an impressive directory of florists and farmers who are part of the movement. (It’s also where you can read an impressive slow flowers manifesto.)
Courtesy of Debra Prinzing
Caring about where and how our cut flowers are grown is an idea that feels exactly right for our environmentally critical times, when our consumption of resources demands to be reconsidered. Here, Prinzing tells us everything we need to know about slow flowers—including how to get our hands on these prized and inspiring blooms.
I used to profile a lot of flower farmers for Country Gardens Magazine, which is not in publication anymore, but I had this amazing editor who basically took every pitch I gave him on flower farmers. Flower farming is so top-of-mind for anybody who’s a
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