Slow Flowers Summit Recap
The last week of June I jumped in the car and headed eastbound and down to the Hudson Valley! There is not many things that can pull a farmer away during the season, but the Slow Flowers Summit was definitely worth it.
What is Slow Flowers? Slow Flowers is an organization that promotes the use of American grown, locally grown, and sustainable floristry methods. 80% of the flowers sold in the USA are imported. Flying these in from other countries leaves a large carbon footprint, as well as, the farming practices used in the countries exporting these flowers.
Day One of the summit attendees watched floristry demonstrations from leading sustainable florists across the country. Sustainable floristry means using locally grown or American grown flowers, not using floral foam, and reducing the use of any plastics. This might sound like an easy task, but in the wedding industry not so much. With everyone wanting the Pinterest perfect wedding, florists are having to do more “out of water”, free standing, or stem free arrangements than ever. These require advanced mechanics in order for the flowers to stay hydrated and in position during winds, heat, and movement!
Day Two of the summit brought us to the Stone Barns Center in Tarrytown, NY. This research facility is so cool, and I highly recommend it if you are in the area. As part of the Rockefeller foundation the center studies regenerative agriculture methods and passes that research to farmers. They are huge into “farm-to-table” and “nose-to-tail” methods, using as much of what they produce in different ways. At the center we were fed the most amazing meals, all from ingredients sourced on the farm. We also attended a five course meal at the center’s restaurant which was amazing!
The last day of the summit we participated in workshops lead by resident artists of the center. They focused around natural dying, paper making, ceramics, and a farm tour of their state-of-the-art greenhouses and outdoor flower farm.
It was a great three days, meeting industry professionals from across the country and right in my backyard. As a group we are promoting sustainable flowers, and that makes me proud to offer the flowers that I grow. They do not always look like what you see at the big box stores, but that is not what I am going for. My goal is to grow fresh, sustainable flowers that my customers can use to celebrate meaningful moments with!