Slow Flowers Podcast

Episode 428: Utah’s Blossoming Floral Renaissance with Heather Griffiths of Wasatch Blooms and Ali Harrison and Lindy Bankhead of Florage Utah

11.20.2019 - By Debra PrinzingPlay

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The Utah sunset at Lindy Bankhead's Paisley Flower Farm in Cache Valley, Utah

The timing is perfect for today's all-Utah episode. As we're working our way through the A-to-Z alphabetical list of U.S. states, this week we land on Utah, sandwiched between last week's Texas focus and next week's Vermont focus!

You will recall that I visited Utah this past September to meet with a dynamic group of flower farmers and farmer-florists at Poppin' Blossoms, where Laura Pittard hosted a wonderful gathering and joined me as a podcast guest. Well, I was so inspired by that visit and wanted to learn more. Today's episode will be educational as I speak with the leaders of two groups of Utah flower farmers whose models are replicable in other markets.

Slow Flowers member Fawn Rueckert of Sego Lily Flower Farm (left) - presenting at a Utah Cut Flower Farm Association meeting

First you'll hear from Heather Griffiths of Salt Lake City. She is the president of the Utah Cut Flower Farmer Association, a new nonprofit formed to promote local and sustainable floriculture by supporting local flower farms through education, outreach, and research programs.  Formed in May 2019, the association currently has 33 members, including certified farms and associated members. The group also focuses on educating flower lovers of the economic and environmental impact of local flowers, as well as the diversity of flowers available through Utah Flower Farms.

Lindy (left) and Ali (right) at a Florage Pop Up sale, selling Utah-grown flowers from their farms and from the farms they represent.

Next, you'll meet Ali Harrison and Lindy Bankhead, two women who formed Florage, an informal flower cooperative based in Cache Valley, Utah, in the northeastern part of the state near Logan. Florage markets and distributes their own flowers as well as the production of several other farms. Florage is a Slow Flowers member organization committed to using sustainable and organic methods to lessen their footprint on the earth. No chemicals or preservative spays are used in bringing their gorgeous blooms straight from their gardens to the table.

The beautiful bounty of Utah botanicals -- photographed at a recent Utah Cut Flower Farms Association

This is a juicy episode, packed with ideas and

inspiration from three women who didn't sit around and ask permission to forge

ahead to create a market for locally-grown flowers in a state not often

associated with ornamental horticulture or cut flowers.

Here's more about all three of these guests:

Heather Griffiths of Wasatch Blooms, based in Salt Lake City, Utah

Slow Flowers member Heather Griffiths owns Wasatch Blooms, a Salt Lake City-based "urban flower farm." She writes this on her "about" page: "When you hold my flowers, when you breathe them in deep, I want you to feel the immense love and connection that I do. I want the flowers I grow to convey the message of profound love for each other, the earth, and ourselves. Because Love is what drives me to grow flowers. I grow sustainably to feed the soil and benefit my community and environment. I blend permaculture ethics with market gardening to grow flowers that do more than decorate the table, but that also protect our pollinators and create a diverse ecosystem for the unseen members of our community. Farming is my passion and my calling. Farming is my artistic expression. Flowers are my heart wrapped in petals."

Ali Harrison of Paradise Valley Orchard and Florage

Ali Harrison owns Paradise Valley Orchard with her husband Lorin. Their flower passion is fueled by the desire to bring natural beauty and art into the lives ...

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