The Farmer & The {Florist} Interview: Ariella Chezar
Floret Flowers Blog
by Melissa Reese
3w ago
Today I am thrilled to share a beautiful new book and a really lovely interview with you—I’ve been waiting for months to publish it, and am so excited that the day is finally here! Ariella Chezar is the godmother of seasonal floral design and has led the way for countless designers and farmer-florists to look to nature for inspiration and take their cues from the natural world. Her impact on the industry over the last 30 years is immeasurable. She was one of the first people to use local, seasonal material throughout their work and inspired an entire generation of designers along the way. I’ve ..read more
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The {Farmer} & The Florist Interview: Kori Hargreaves
Floret Flowers Blog
by Melissa Reese
2M ago
I first happened upon Kori Hargreaves of Dawn Creek Farm and her beautiful flowers through a picture on Instagram of a pale blush-pink zinnia. In all my years growing flowers, I had never seen anyone growing that color in any kind of abundance. I immediately reached out to her, and if I remember it right, literally begged her to let me grow a few of her seeds the following year. To my delight, she sent me a little wax paper envelope with 25 precious seeds in it, which I carefully sowed and tended that season. The flowers that bloomed were even more beautiful than I had expected—Kori was really ..read more
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Meet the Floret Originals
Floret Flowers Blog
by Melissa Reese
2M ago
It’s hard to believe that after 7 long years of work, we’re just 2 short weeks away from finally releasing the Floret Original seed varieties out into the world! I feel like I’ve been waiting for this moment for an eternity and can’t wait to see them all growing in your gardens and on your farms this coming season. The official release date is Tuesday, February 6.  I thought now would be a great time to introduce you to these magical little plant souls and share a bit more about what makes them so special. Each variety has a unique personality and while at first glance some might look a b ..read more
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How to Grow Dahlias from Seed
Floret Flowers Blog
by Melissa Reese
2M ago
One of the most exciting and surprising discoveries I made on my dahlia-growing journey was learning how new varieties were created.  Unlike tubers or cuttings, which produce an exact clone of the plant they come from, dahlias grown from seed offer a treasure trove of new possibilities, each one something that’s never existed before.  The opportunities are endless, and if you find one you love, you get to name it!   Dahlia seedlings are extremely cold sensitive, so don’t plant them outside until the weather has sufficiently warmed. We typically transplant them 3 to 4 weeks ..read more
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How to Grow Celosia
Floret Flowers Blog
by Melissa Reese
2M ago
Celosia is a hardworking group of plants grown for their fuzzy, velvet-like flowers that come in a distinct range of shapes, including fans, plumes, and brains. They are vigorous, free-flowering, and easy to grow.  They love hot, dry weather and require very little care. In addition to producing an abundance of gorgeous, textural stems that are a wonderful accent for arrangements, they can be dried and used any time of the year. Because celosia is very cold sensitive, even the slightest nip of frost will be the end of them, so don’t start seeds too early. We wait until about 6 weeks befor ..read more
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The {Farmer} & The Florist Interview: Peace Seedlings
Floret Flowers Blog
by Melissa Reese
2M ago
I heard about Peace Seedlings, a delightful and obscure little seed company down in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, from Eric who heads up our seed program. He remembers Dylana Kapuler and Mario DiBenedetto selling their seeds in handwritten manila envelopes at the Corvallis Farmers Market when he lived there.  When I first visited their blog (which also functions as their main catalog) I was a little bit skeptical, since there was nowhere to place an order. But I quickly learned that they are still doing things the old-fashioned way and you have to mail them a list of what you want, plus a f ..read more
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The {Farmer} & The Florist Interview: Grand Prismatic Seed
Floret Flowers Blog
by Melissa Reese
2M ago
I first learned about Grand Prismatic Seed when researching dye plants to add to our garden. I have always been fascinated by the art of natural dyeing and was on the hunt for suitable flower varieties that could be grown from seed. Owners and farmers, James and Guy have put a tremendous amount of work into their website—it’s super informative, filled with great photos, and I love their seed descriptions. All of the seeds I have ordered from them (which is a lot!) have done exceptionally well–their quality is top-notch. Grand Prismatic is located in the mountain foothills of Utah, so the varie ..read more
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Gardening in a War Zone
Floret Flowers Blog
by Melissa Reese
3M ago
“Sometimes I am trying to get to sleep, and I begin to think about the war, about the explosions, about this possibility that any time my dearest persons can be killed. I say to myself, do not think about that. Think about flowers,” says Alla Olkhovska. Alla is a gardener, an expert in finicky clematis, a photographer, a writer, and a caretaker. She lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the eastern border. On the morning that the war started, she could hear the explosions and gunfire. Munitions and debris have landed just yards away from her grandmother’s home. Air al ..read more
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The {Farmer} & the Florist Interview: Alla Olkhovska
Floret Flowers Blog
by Melissa Reese
3M ago
This spring when I was researching clematis varieties for the cutting garden, I stumbled upon an interview on Grace Alexander’s blog with a Ukrainian grower named Alla Olkhovska. I then started following Alla on Instagram and was completely taken aback by her beautiful photography, her unusual seed offerings, and most of all her story.  Alla, her husband Vitaliy, and her family live in the eastern part of Ukraine, about 20 miles south of the Russia-Ukraine border. When the war started in February of 2022, Alla was unable to leave the country due to Vitaliy’s severe health issues and being ..read more
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Meet the 2024 Floret Scholarship Winners
Floret Flowers Blog
by Melissa Reese
5M ago
Every fall our team reads thousands of essays submitted as part of our Floret Scholarship application process. This is our 11th year of offering workshop scholarships and the process gets richer every time we do it. It’s such an honor for all of us to get the opportunity to hear from so many deserving people all over the world about their lives and their hopes and dreams for the future.  Initially, we had planned on awarding 20 scholarships, but some generous donors came forward allowing us to increase the total to 25—our most ever! Each scholarship recipient will receive free tuition for ..read more
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