This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one was guest-hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink. Dave is also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More. Dave has such a wealth of knowledge to share! Here, he answers questions about lots of plants, including ninebark, dahlias, cool flowers, gladiolus, tulips, lisianthus,...

Join Lisa Ziegler and Jessi Graven as they discuss the writing of The Cut-Flower Handbook. This book is scheduled for release in February 2024 and is available for pre-order now. Pre-order The Cut-Flower Handbook directly from TGW to get our FREE bonus resources! Details HERE. Mentions Lisa's book, The Cut-Flower Handbook ⁠⁠Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to receive our Farm News emails!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Field and Garden Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is...

Join me as I catch up with Gretel Adams of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm in Columbus, Ohio. In this episode, we talk about how life on the farm has changed with the addition of their first child, get an update on their flower farming biz, and learn of another big development in Steve & Gretel's farm and home life. Listen in for the scoop on Sunny Meadows! Mentions Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoop & Greenhouses⁠ with Steve & Gretel Adams Learn more...

Dried Flowers = Added Value! My goal was to always sell it all fresh, but, there are always leftovers, right? Why not hang them to air dry and sell them as added-value products? Dried flowers are back in vogue and an excellent cash crop to sell alongside your fresh fall flowers and those holiday-blooming bulb containers. Dried straight bunches, bouquets, and wreaths are all in demand. MentionsAbout Ellen Frost: ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠YouTube ⁠Florist School Online: Growing Your Business with Local...

In this very special episode, TGW staffer Jessi Graven guest hosts as she visits fellow TGW student and established flower farmer Michelle Wheeler of River Bend Blooms in Kentucky! Here, Michelle tells the story of how she came into flower farming, how the business has grown, the selling outlets she's utilizing, and discusses her plans for the future. During the farm tour, she shows us the wildlife conservation practices in place on the farm and gives us a glimpse of her awesome flower...

This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer, hosted by Jennie Love of Love ’n Fresh Flowers. Jennie is a well-known and highly sought-after farmer-florist in Philadelphia specializing in field-to-vase wedding and event work. She is also the author of two of our online courses: Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process, and the online mini-workshop called Making Workshops Work for You. Here, Jennie graciously...

Time for another great chat between Lisa and expert cut-flower grower, Dave Dowling! Dave is also a bulb and plant broker, and the author of our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More.  In this episode, Lisa & Dave talk about the many ways they've sold their flowers, and how you could be selling the flowers that you grow, too. Topics include: Importance of researching your local market to identify opportunities Understanding that...

What does trusting the process mean? Learning the steps and just keep doing them. I lean on mentors, teachers, organizations, resources, and team members. Everyone needs them all. Business is an ever-evolving and changing force meaning every day has scary stuff— we need backup. Doing this podcast reminded me that all will be well. ~Lisa MENTIONS We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25%...

Get your notepad ready! This is an information-packed crash course in lily succession planting from expert grower and bulb broker, Dave Dowling. Dave is also the author of our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More.   In this episode, Lisa & Dave cover lily succession planting from start to finish! Topics include: Why to succession plant lilies Intro to crate growing, how to get crates What types of lilies to grow When and where...

Coming out of the dog days of summer is the time to consider: what are my flower needs for next season? While it is fresh in your memory, consider "Where am I selling and when does it start?" These guiding principles will lead you to what you should grow, how much, and when the blooms should begin. Mentions:Our Online Mini-Workshops Seed Starting Saturdays on YouTube Check out the app for our shopping show! Find it Here Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies! Sign...

Please enjoy this replay of a webinar that Lisa did with Jennie Love called “Top 5 Mistakes New Farmer-Florists Make.” Jennie & Lisa put this one together with the hope of helping new farmer-florists avoid some common pitfalls - all mistakes that Jennie admits to making herself when she was first starting out. There are some great tips here!  Mentions Jennie's Free PDF: Favorite Suppliers of Vases & Other Floral Design Hard Goods Jennie's Course: Farmer-Florist School Online: The...

Do you love the processes of starting, growing, and harvesting lots of cut flowers, but don’t really want to go into business? That is totally doable and in my book, an even higher calling! Mentions We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription. Lisa's course, Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More! Check out the app for...

Today’s episode is a chat that Lisa recently had with Tammy Osselaer, owner of Little Petal Farm in Noblesville, Indiana. During this conversation, they chat about retail sales, farmers markets, the importance of weeding regularly, AND how flower farmers are ALWAYS learning. Listen in to hear how Tammy’s long-time passion for gardening flourished into a thriving flower farm and retail store a few years ago, PLUS what she plans to add next! Mentions Lisa's Course: Flower Farming School...

Lisa recently had a chat with Debra Prinzing to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Slow Flowers Podcast. As part of the festivities, Slow Flowers is reairing selected episodes from each year of the podcast, and Debra chose Lisa’s episode for the second year, which was 2014. During this conversation, which originally aired on Instagram Live, Lisa and Debra get a rare chance to reminisce and catch up. Mentions: Listen to Slow Flowers Podcast Episode #621 Lisa's Book, Cool...

A well-known writer, speaker, and horticulturist, the TGW family might know Dr. Allan Armitage best as the co-author of one of our favorite reference books, Specialty Cut Flowers. Here, Lisa chats with "Dr. A" about how they met, how he got his start in the industry and helped form the ASCFG, his writing and teaching career, and his current and future projects. Mentions Use free shipping code 'LISA' for book orders at: https://www.allanarmitage.net/shop (valid for US domestic orders...

I vividly remember harvesting flowers that I knew were destined for the compost heap. July and August can be tough sales months, but facing and overcoming it can be done. I hope this helps! ~Lisa Mentions Lisa's course, Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More! Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies! Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News! The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author...

Today’s episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, normally called Ask a Flower Farmer. In this episode we instead did an Ask a Florist session with guest host Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers in Baltimore, MD. Ellen is not a flower farmer, but a year-round designer who creates exclusively with flowers and foliage purchased from local growers.  She is also one of our course instructors here at The Gardener’s Workshop. In this Q&A Ellen fielded...

Do you need a break? To continue performing everyone needs time to refuel. For me, marrying into a family that observes Sundays as a day of rest played a significant role in my business success. Looking back I see how it gave me down space to become better. Mentions We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription. Lisa's course, Flower Farming School Online: The...

Lisa, Val, Dave, and Ellen discuss the impacts of the pandemic and how the industry has moved on in the following years from the perspective of a cut-flower grower, a florist, and a wholesale plant broker. Trend Alert: Customizing flower growing to fit your lifestyle, developing a narrow niche to focus on Mentions Ellen's Online School, Dave's Online School, Val's Online Mini-Workshop, Lisa's Online School Association of Specialty Cut-Flower Growers (ASCFG) Shop the TGW Online Store...

This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one was guest hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink. Dave is also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More. Dave is always happy to share his knowledge with our listeners! Here, he answers questions about many different flowers, including peonies, campanula, flowering kale,...

Now is the time for big-picture planning for next spring: where and when. As I am shuffling our gardens again, I am excited to embark on a smaller garden that produces more. I know where I am planting Cool Flowers and when I should plant which leads me backward to mark the calendar with when I start transplants, have seeds on hand, get beds ready, etc. Take a minute to review the book and related resources to plan for the biggest season of the year, spring. Mentions:Join the waitlist for...

Little did I know that being afraid to sell my first flowers was actually the gift that prepared me for a career of success. Becoming a strong, confident seller was not what I thought, it was the result of becoming a prepared and professional flower farmer that led me to selling success. Mentions We are so happy about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any print or digital subscription. Lisa's course,...

This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This one was guest hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink. Dave is also a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More. Dave has such a wealth of knowledge to share! He answers questions about many different flowers, including ranunculus, sunflowers, clarkia, celosia, peonies, amaranth, and...

Lisa was recently featured on The joegardener® Show podcast, joining host Joe Lamp'l to discuss the concept of succession planting with flowers. Topics covered include: Spreading out & making the best use of your resources Maximizing your harvest over time Flowers that thrive late summer into fall How starting seeds indoors in soil blocks benefits your farm or garden Mentions Full The joegardener® Show Episode #315 Podcast & Blog Post Available Here Products: Silage Tarp,...

Join Lisa Z. and Dave Dowling as they talk about some big improvements and changes to Dave's online school! These changes benefit both current owners of the course and prospective students alike, check them out! Mentions Available Now! Dave's online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More! Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies! Sign up to receive our Farm News emails! The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler,...