Episode 407: Kicking off American Flowers Week with the Washington (State) Flowers Project

If you're a regular listener to this Podcast, you know that we're gearing up for a very exciting series of activities this week and next, all centered around American Flowers Week, June 28-July 4.

All across the US, our members are planning floral education and promotion activities on their farms and communities, in local shops and studios, in grocery store floral departments and wholesale florist branches. Each event stimulates and nurtures the conversation about local, seasonal and domestic flowers, floral agriculture and sustainable design. If you have something planned, please post it on the Events Page at American Flowers Week web site. We all want to know what you're planning!

There was a fab installation and American Flowers Week party in Seattle today! (c) Missy Palacol Photography

In my own corner of the country, here in Seattle, the Slow Flowers Community threw a fun party and celebration a little early on Wednesday, June 26th, which is the peak market day of the week at the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, the farmer-to-florist regional wholesale hub that has so greatly influenced me and my Slow Flowers mission.

Some of the Slow Flowers members and friends who helped create our floral installation (c) Missy Palacol Photography

We're throwing a red-white-and-blue floral party to celebrate local flowers - complete with a large-scale floral installation, music, refreshments and a few surprises. A special thank you to the Washington State Farm Bureau for providing underwriting for the event.

The timing couldn't be better to welcome today's guest, Laura Ridenour of the Washington State Department of Agriculture. She works for the Small-Farm Direct Marketing and Farm-to-School Program as part of WSDA's Regional Markets division. Laura and her colleagues, along with their collaborators at the Washington State Farm Bureau, are aligning with American Flowers Week to announce the brand new Washington Flowers Project.

One of many wonderful video clips produced to promote Washington Flowers

This project aims to raise the profile and advance the marketing of Washington-grown cut flowers and is a collaborative effort of WSDA's Regional Markets team and the Washington State Farm Bureau. The project is funded by a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant and runs 2017-through 2019. Slow Flowers has joined the project as a supporter and stakeholder. 

Follow the Washington Flowers Project @washington.flowers.project

There is a beautiful new logo

that growers and retailers are invited to use on sleeves and other packaging --

depicting Washington state's outline with graphic flowers and lettering that

reads Washington Flowers. 

The campaign also has its own social media presence on Facebook and Instagram and there are a couple fun hashtags you'll want to use or follow -- #washingtonflowers, #WAflowers and #localflowersmakelifebetter.

https://vimeo.com/343107702

It was so fun to be part of this Washington Flowers promo video, along with our Slow Flowers friends Diane Szukovathy of Jello Mold Farm & Seattle Wholesale Growers Market and Teresa Engbretson and Katie Elliott of My Garden Overfloweth.

There is a lot to learn from this state-specific project, which Laura and I will discuss today. She and I both strongly believe that the format and elements of the Washington Flowers Project can be adapted and replicated by any of you in any of your states -- and we encourage you to download the resources I'll share to set up a meeting with your own department of agriculture or farm bureau to explore and seek funding for a similar campaign.