BLOOM Imprint

NEW BEGINNINGS. Floristry’s conventional wisdom says the largest expenditure any client will make at any time in their lives is when and how they choose to flower their marriage ceremony. That may be true, but we’re not interested in price tags. Instead, we’re intrigued by the size of the emotional investment in flowers that any couple might make. Again, it’s not about the dollar amount (while that is certainly important), but it’s about the value placed on having flowers – seasonal and local flowers – at the center of a ceremony. We love floral forward weddings, and this issue delivers just that. Creatives are inspired to do their best work when a couple lets the flowers express their sentiments, be it a backyard family wedding, an elopement for two, nuptials in the dahlia fields, or a classic church ceremony. We hope you are equally inspired by the narratives and the thoughtful artistry collected in these pages. The Spring 2026 issue of Slow Flowers Journal is all about flowers for weddings, but we also have great contributions from several members whose essays, columns, and a book review round things out in this issue. Finally, we’re delighted to profile artist Elizabeth Barlow, whose hyperreal oil paintings magnify flowers to monumental scale. More, please! @debraprinzing @robinavni @bloom.imprint COVER: An editorial photoshoot presented farmer-florist Rebekah Mindel of Meadow Wilds @meadowwilds a chance to creatively design in a unique place, full of elemental power. She considered the ceremony’s stunning location — literally on top of a mountain – as a key element of her beautiful florals. (c) Molly McCauley, @mollymccauley_photo . READ THE FULL ISSUE📖 Link in bio

It’s here!......Mother’s Day Week at Drees of Olympia @dreesolympia Join us for a special evening to toast ‘The Flower Farmers’ — including a book-signing with co-authors Debra Prinzing and Robin Avni as they share the stories of inspiring flower farmers💐 . TONIGHT, Thursday May 7th from 4 - 7 We are so excited about this event! Enjoy special refreshments. Flowers for sale from Ojeda Farm, one of the farmers featured in their book. @ojeda_farms . @debraprinzing @robinavni @bloom.imprint

We just love being booked & busy with so so many inspiring lectures, diy workshops, podcast interviews, and connecting with our Slow Flowers Society members at @nwfgs ❤️ #nwfgs #slowflowerssociety #slowflowers #slowflowersmovement #sustainablefloristry

At the Slow Flowers WORLDWIDE Summit, Max Gill returns to teach and we are thrilled. His session: “Florist’s Guide to Cultivating and Designing With Clematis” . A luxury wedding and event florist who has developed an enviable clematis collection in his own cutting garden, Bay Area designer Max Gill considers clematis the special defining detail for many of his floral creations. . In “The Flower Farmers,” a book by Debra Prinzing and Robin Avni, Max introduces his favorite clematis varieties, adding: “There are literally hundreds still to discover . . . I love that there’s no end to the varieties – and I love that ‘cousins will marry,’ a quote from a gardener whose name I don’t remember that refers to how readily clematis naturally hybridize!” .
In his presentation, Max will share his advice on favorite species and cultivars for the garden (and vase) and tips on when to plant and how to harvest. He’ll end the session with a design demonstration featuring clematis as the star!
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Here's a bit more about Max Gill:
After receiving his degree in Environmental Science from UC Berkeley, Max Gill was compelled by more creative pursuits, eventually finding floral design the perfect medium as it seemed to him to draw from all of his greatest passions: gardening, sculpture, painting and art and theater history.  Originally from upstate New York, Max has called the Bay Area home for over 40 years. Perhaps best known for his work at Chez Panisse where he did the flowers for two decades before stepping aside in 2024, Max started Max Gill Design in 2005 and now offers full floral services for weddings, special events and private clients such as Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, and Lauren McIntosh.  Informed by natural process, Max’s work is distinguished by his reliance on specialty blooms and botanical rarities gleaned from local growers, his own formidable cut flower garden in Oakland, and a long list of bay area nurseries.  . Registration link in our bio fo @slowflowerssummit Jan. 30-31 online!

2025 was a year full of flights, flowers, and friendship ✈️💐❤️✨ We thank you, our Slow Flowers Society, for choosing to spread the Slow Flowers message near and far. We can’t wait to see what 2026 will hold, but we sure hope it’s just as connecting as this year! #2025recap #slowflowerssociety #slowflowers #slowflowersmovement #sustainablefloristry sustainabilty sustainableflowers

Our Fall 2025 issue of the Slow Flowers Journal has arrived 💌❤️✨ Just in time for Harvest and Holiday, we are delighted to share the Fall 2025 issue of Slow Flowers Journal. Ours has been a season filled with book promotions and events to celebrate the publication of The Flower Farmers, and we are so grateful to the many Slow Flowers members who have hosted us on their farms and in their flower shops. We believe strongly in storytelling and have dedicated the book “to living a flower-filled life.” This issue is for flower lovers, of course. We are inspired by Muriel Poure’s Gilded Age-inspired installation featuring all dried flowers at Lyndhurst in Bloom, as she filled one room of the historic mansion with her botanical artistry. We love Nicole Wright’s “From the Heart” essay, in which she tells the story of a family heirloom that has passed from one generation to the next. And we’re excited to read how Susan Larder and Carol Millett host fellow artists to paint their gardens and flowers, en plein air, at Foraged Florals in the heart of Nova Scotia. We hope each of these heartfelt narratives will prompt ideas and insights for your floral enterprise! As always, please reach out to share your creative news. We’d love to see more of our Slow Flowers members in the pages of this magazine. Visit the link in our bio to check it out today! Photos: ✨ COVER & Exquisite Everlastings with @muriel.fleurs / photos by @alisonsheehyphoto ✨ The Flower (Flour) Hutch with @thepinkpeonyllc ✨ Plein Air Day with @foragedfloralsnewross #slowflowerssociety #slowflowers #slowflowersmovement #sustainablefloristry #sustainabilty #sustainableflowers #slowflowersjournal

What a lovely celebration of florists who source local and seasonal flowers + flower farmers and growers who bring such exquisite beauty into the world! . That’s why @robinavni and @debraprinzing wrote #theflowerfarmersbook 🌱 . Thank you to @therealkatherineraz and the team at @thefernseed in Tacoma for hosting a lovely and affirming evening on November 18th. . We love that Ada, The Fernseed manager, demonstrated one of the store’s signature vase arrangements with heirloom and specialty mums from local NW flower farmers (+ and from their own garden patch!). . With flowers from 3 farms featured in the book: @everydayflowers_farmer @ojeda_farms + @raindropfarms and our friends at @fieldtoheart - all via @seattlewholesalegrowersmarket . Signed books are available at The Fernseed🌱

You’re Invited!! Join Robin Avni and Debra Prinzing on Tuesday, November 18th (6-8 p.m.) to celebrate the publication of The Flower Farmers! Robin and Debra will give a reading, followed by a Q&A and book-signing (copies will be available for purchase). . Fernseed’s team will share a live floral demo celebrating local blooms and the spirit of The Flower Farmers. Please RSVP for this Free Event. Link is in our bio.

Slow Flowers is coming to Saint Louis! ✈️ You’re invited to a Slow Flowers community meet-up at @flowersandweeds to welcome author and Slow Flowers founder @debraprinzing ! Join us for a reading and Q&A, refreshments, & design demonstration with @flowersandweeds owner Jessica Douglass (2nd pic)! This event is FREE. Books will be available for purchase and signing — Sunday, November 2nd from 4:00 -5:30 pm. PLUS Special guest, Miranda Duschack, featured in The Flower Farmers, who will share an update about her new venture @theflowerbagcompany (3rd pic)! FLOWERS & WEEDS 3201 Cherokee Street St Louis, Missouri 63118 RSVP: [email protected] All Slow Flowers members are invited and welcome to bring guests! #slowflowerssociety #bloomimprint #theflowerfarmers #sustainableflowers #floraleducation #flowerbook #flowerfarming #flowerfarmers #theflowerfarmersbook

Yesterday was a blast! Robin Avni @robinavni and Debra Prinzing @debraprinzing spent the afternoon in Anacortes, Washington (gateway to the San Juan Islands) as guests of the Skyline Garden Club. . Not only did the 65+ guests come to hear our presentation about #theflowerfarmersbook, but the club’s floral design challenge closed out the session. . We each were given a novelty pumpkin that had been cut to hold a large yogurt container. And we had a huge selection of flowers from Gale Schwarb’s garden. . What a blast to design on the spot. Robin’s sage-and-plum palette was gorgeous; while Debra opted for an explosion of orange, yellow, and burgundy. . Thanks to everyone who attended and supported our beautiful book, especially Gale, President Karen Nelson, and many familiar friends from Master Gardeners and beyond.

Reminiscing some of our favorite views from our night at @penflora_designs at the start of the week ✨ #slowflowerssociety #bloomimprint #theflowerfarmers #sustainableflowers #floraleducation #flowerbook #flowerfarming #flowerfarmers #theflowerfarmersbook

Yesterday we celebrated ’The Flower Farmer’ book and @bloomincouture florals — and it was quite magical ✨ We are currently on our last leg of our beautiful book tour stops in the Bay Area… and tonight we visit @penflora_designs ! #slowflowerssociety #bloomimprint #theflowerfarmers #sustainableflowers #floraleducation #flowerbook #flowerfarming #flowerfarmers #theflowerfarmersbook