Field & Garden

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  Gr...

  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...

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 s...

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 Vase...

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, ...

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...

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 c...

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...

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!...

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 o...

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...

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 answer...

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...

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....

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 d...

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 joegarden...

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 r...

This episode is an encore presentation of a chat with my friend and student Nicole Pitt of Flower Hill Farm. Nicole farms in Boonville, New York on the land of her childhood (and current) home. A former TV news reporter/anchor, Nicole is now in her fifth year of cut flower production, selling through a CSA, to florists, and at her newly opened nursery. In this interview, we talked about how she go...

Do you refer to yourself as a flower farmer or a cut flower grower? I wonder if our verbal preference is a reflection of our subconscious focus. Either way, I believe telling our story has far more reach and impact in the future than we can imagine. Tell your story often, because it will go way beyond you.  ~Lisa   P.S. Stay tuned until the end for a special message from Charissa. :)   Mentions Li...

As I am facing the struggle of realigning my business priorities as my book project is wrapping up, I am revisiting class one in Flower Farming School Online which is helping me so much. It is making me take a look at what I'm doing with my business day and what I may need to do to take the next step. If you are overwhelmed in business or looking for your next move, these steps will flush out your...

This episode features a takeover of our popular "Ask a Flower Farmer" live Q&A session on Instagram. This one was hosted by Daniel Schavey of Petal Pickers Flower Co. in Greenville, SC. Daniel is a 7th-year flower farmer growing in zone 8a and an alumnus of most of The Gardener's Workshop's online courses as well. Here, he answers questions about lots of flowers, including ranunculus, sunflowers,...

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...

This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This episode was guest hosted by Val Schirmer of Three Toads Farm. Val is a flower farmer based in the Lexington, Kentucky area, and also the current president of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, the ASCFG. She's one of our course instructors here at The Gardener's Work...

You never know where your interests and hobbies will take you! Sarah shares her dream scenario here, going from a flower enthusiast in a busy healthcare career to a successful flower farmer. She was introduced to the world of local flowers and her local flower community when she attended a design class at Ellen Frost's studio, Local Color Flowers. From there, Sarah chose to dive deep into her flor...

This episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. This episode was guest hosted by Amelia Ihlo. Amelia is a flower farmer based in rural New Hampshire and owns the Rooted Farmers online flower-selling platform. She is also one of our course instructors here at The Gardener's Workshop. In this Q&A Amelia fielded questions about selling...