Growing Heirloom Mums with Steve and Mandy O'Shea of 3 Porch Farm
Release Date: 10/30/2023
Growing in the Heat with Julia Keel, Full Keel Farm
The Flower Podcast
We are starting off our new season with Julia Keel, co-owner of Full Keel Farm in north central Florida. Julia brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to the table as she specializes in cultivating specialty cut flowers while navigating the unique challenges of a hot and humid climate. She’s passionate about teaching, has presented and lectured at national conferences, and truly embraces the challenge of adapting production methods to Florida’s climate. This week, Julia shares techniques she uses like paper pot planters and releasing beneficial insects and other insights as a flower...
info_outline
Amelia's Flowers with Mattie Bush-Martin
The Flower Podcast
One of the most exciting trends that I believe is here to stay is flower trucks. These mobile floral shops bring fresh blooms directly to communities, markets, and special events, offering a fun and unique experience for customers. Flower trucks also present fantastic opportunities for aspiring florists and small business owners. With lower overhead costs compared to traditional storefronts, entrepreneurs can focus on sourcing high-quality blooms and building their brands on a scale that fits more comfortably within a new business budget. I’m thrilled to introduce Mattie Bush-Martin, the...
info_outline
Questions for a Floral Wholesaler: Scott Shepherd
The Flower Podcast
Welcome to The Flower Podcast, the podcast for anyone who grows or designs with flowers and even then, we talk about so much more. I'm your host, Scott Shepherd and I love chatting with guests about their stories, and uncover the beauty and challenges of working with flowers. I’m excited to share this special conversation this week. Several months ago, LuAnn Dickson Founder and CEO of asked to turn the microphone on me for her members. We had a great time chatting about how the podcast began and diving into several questions surrounding floral wholesalers, her members had questions about...
info_outline
Heather Cain: Family Life, Italian Ranunculus, and Petal Pink Flower Farm
The Flower Podcast
My guest this week is Heather Cain, owner of Petal Pink Flower Farm. From the urban life in San Francisco to the somewhat accidental purchase of a rundown farm in Eugene, Oregon, Heather shares about the family farm life, her incredible trip to Italy and seeing how they trialing the latest in Italian ranunculus. We are also discussing one of my personal favorite crops, hellebore, and much more. It’s a flower journey that takes us from Petal Pink Flower Farm to the greenhouses of beautiful Italy and it all begins right here on The Flower Podcast. Today we chat about: Heather’s trip...
info_outline
Are You Using The Old Farmer's Almanac?
The Flower Podcast
From planning your planting schedule based on lunar cycles to predicting weather patterns that could impact your crops, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been a go-to guide offering invaluable insights into moon phase planting, weather prediction, and continues to evolve, meeting the needs of modern farmers and gardeners while staying true to its roots. Today my guest is Carol Connare, the 14th editor in the history of the old farmer’s almanac. Carol oversees this cherished publication to create a perfect blend of new, useful, and entertaining content. So I hope you enjoy the special episode as...
info_outline
Replay: Get Back Up! Sandra Sigman of Les Fleurs
The Flower Podcast
This week we're replaying our episode with our guest Sandra Sigman, award winning floral designer, owner of Les Fleurs, and author. She launched her first book, French Blooms, last year, which is a beautiful book displaying the design principles she learned from her favorite Parisian florist. Get ready to be transported to a world of elegance and creativity as we dive into the story behind this French inspired floral journey. Sandra moved to France in her early 20’s working as a professional ice skater and fell in love with Paris. The daughter of a floral designer and influenced by her...
info_outline
Pushing the Boundaries with Anna Jane Kocon of Little State Flower Company
The Flower Podcast
Anna Jane Kocon is the owner of Little State Flower Company. A sustainable 5 acre flower farm based in Tiverton, Rhode Island that produces cut flowers almost year round. Anna Jane has been professionally growing and selling cut flowers for 18 years by pushing the boundaries of her seasons through the use of heated greenhouses, companion planting perennials and diversifying her market based on the time of year. All while maximizing her small and rugged farm space to its utmost potential. Little State Flower Company focuses steadfast on environmentally-friendly growing in an effort to create...
info_outline
Dundee Butcher: Paving the Future with Phoam Labs
The Flower Podcast
My guest is Dundee Butcher, a florist, educator, artist, and advocate for sustainability. After training with the premier London florists of Jane Packer Flowers and McQueens, Dundee established the Russian River Flower School in California. Her journey didn't end with education; in 2016, she took a significant leap by co-founding what would become Phoam Lab. Dundee and her team at Phoam Labs are pioneering the development of next-generation floral foams that are not only biobased and non-toxic but also designed to safely break down in a more environmentally friendly way, setting new standards...
info_outline
The New Field Guide by Dr. Allan Armitage
The Flower Podcast
I'm thrilled to welcome my former professor, Dr. Allan Armitage, to this week's episode of the Flower Podcast. Dr. Armitage, a revered expert in cut flower production and a key figure in horticulture, has profoundly impacted the field worldwide We are discussing* his latest project, A Field Guide for Specialty Cut Flowers co-authored with Kelly Garcia. This guide represents Dr. Armitage's extensive expertise and provides essential insights for anyone interested in growing cut flowers and gardening. We'll explore the valuable information in this new book and learn from Dr. Armitage, who remains...
info_outline
The Future of Floristry: Rita Feldmann of The Sustainable Floristry Network
The Flower Podcast
Today we tackle an increasingly critical and sometimes controversial topic within the floral industry: sustainability. Amid growing concerns about environmental impacts, the conversation on how the floral industry can adapt and evolve is more relevant than ever. Leading the charge is Rita Feldmann, founder of The Sustainable Floristry Network. Rita's floral journey began in her childhood at her family's flower stand in Melbourne, Australia, and her passion for flowers, combined with a solid background in botany, eventually led her to establish a successful wedding and events business. However,...
info_outlineFor those who might have missed their previous visit to our podcast, let me quickly reintroduce this great duo. They're not just flower farmers; they're visionaries in flower farming, dedicated to being the most sustainable flower shipping option in the U.S. Their mission of "Principles before Profit" has guided their journey from the beginning. Steve and Mandy O ’Shea’ s story of 3 Porch Farm is one of shared passions – for sustainable living, renewable energy, and of course, beautiful, farm-fresh flowers.
Today, we're catching up with them to chat about their newest offerings —heirloom Chrysanthemums. Mums have taken a new spotlight in the last couple of years and it’s exciting to see an older flower can come to life again. We're chatting about it all including their new partnership with Farmer Bailey.
I’m grateful to have Steve and Mandy share their journey through the pandemic, completely reorganizing their business model, and through it all finding new ways to encourage and inspire other flower farmers and florists with their ideals and flowers.
Learn more about Steve and Mandy and 3 Porch Farm, their past episodes and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com
Listen to the original and bonus episode with Steve and Mandy O'Shea.
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Gaana, and many more!
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for access to all of our Zoom chats, tutorials, Live’s, and video extras.
Sponsors of The Flower Podcast