Floral Guild Radio

An educational podcast for florists and flower growers. Creating a unified team spirit so we can all thrive. Sponsored by the Philadelphia Floral Guild, this podcast is focused on sustainable floral design and helping florists learn why and how to source local flowers. We share business advice and share the stories of florists and farmers.

Episode 15: Pursuing Sustainable Luxury Event Design with Annie Pertes of Wildbird Flowers 12/16/2025

Selling Wholesale Flowers as a Micro Urban Flower Farm with Elise Hanks of Terra Luna Herbals 08/01/2025

Selling Wholesale Flowers as a Micro Urban Flower Farm with Elise Hanks of Terra Luna Herbals In this episode you’ll get to know one of the talented and dedicated farm members of the Elise Hanks owns and operates , a microfarm located in the very urban Norris Square neighborhood of Philadelphia. Elise has been working in flowers for over a decade, both in florist shops and at farms. In fact, she was an employee at my flower farm all the way back in 2012 so this conversation and the way we work together now as peers feels beautifully full circle to me. Elise launched Terra Luna out of a small community garden space in 2015, at first focusing on homegrown, value-added herbal products. There are several crossover crops between herbal medicine and floristry, so Elise soon found herself selling bouquets to Riverwards Produce, a local, independent grocery store. Today her focus has shifted considerably to growing high-quality, specialty stems for wholesale to florists. She joined PFG in 2024 and has proven the old adage “small but mighty” is true. While Elise grows on a very small footprint, her unique offerings, high quality, and reliability have made her a standout at PFG. I’m excited for you to get to know Elise a little bit better through this chat! You can also find Elise on Instagram where she frequently posts very real glimpses into the highs and lows of flower farming and small business ownership. Her handle is . ---- This podcast is brought to you by the , a collective of flower farms in the mid-Atlantic region selling together to florist and other wholesale buyers. We help you elevate your design work and manifest a better tomorrow with locally-grown stems. Visit to learn more and follow us on Instagram for regular inspiration. to stay up to date on what's in season, tips and tricks for design, and the latest episodes. Not near Philadelphia but would like to source local flowers for your business? Check out and to find a flower farm near you. What Can Locally Grown Stems Do For Your Floral Business? Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, our stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Our growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. More Inspiration: Designing with the seasons sparks creativity. No two weeks are the same. More Community: Workign with local growers is a very personal connection. You'll grow your community every time you buy local. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/37640605

Quality Control in the Local Flower Supply Chain 05/08/2025

Quality Control in the Local Flower Supply Chain This episode is all about quality control in the local flower supply chain. To share some insight on this topic, Katy Beene, market manager for the joins us. Founded in 2011, the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market is really a frontrunner in the local wholesale cooperative model that has inspired so many flower collectives like the Philadelphia Floral Guild. With 18 growers, thousands of florist customers, and an annual sales volume topping 2.5 million, the SWGM is moving a lot of stems! To help educate their growers and foster consistent quality across all their products, they compiled and published a Floral Standards book. or we have it for sale at the Philadelphia Floral Guild. Right now there’s lots of buzz in the industry about tariffs. Florists may be wondering if they can really trust local growers to provide the quality and the volume they are used to with imports. We feel strongly that product from the Philadelphia Floral Guild is higher quality than most imports. And, as you’ll hear in this conversation with Katy, local farmers are working hard to meet demand for more volume. Local is growing and we are excited to serve you! -- This podcast is brought to you by the , a collective of flower farms in the mid-Atlantic region selling together to florist and other wholesale buyers. We help you elevate your design work and manifest a better tomorrow with locally-grown stems. Visit to learn more and follow us on Instagram for regular inspiration. to stay up to date on what's in season, tips and tricks for design, and the latest episodes. Not near Philadelphia but would like to source local flowers for your business? Check out and to find a flower farm near you. What Can Locally Grown Stems Do For Your Floral Business? Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, our stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Our growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. More Inspiration: Designing with the seasons sparks creativity. No two weeks are the same. More Community: Workign with local growers is a very personal connection. You'll grow your community every time you buy local. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/36489995

Growing a Floral Event Business Through Friendships with Jessica Cummings of We Are Wildflowers 04/09/2025

Growing a Floral Event Business Through Friendships with Jessica Cummings of We Are Wildflowers Today we are hearing the story of how Jessica Cummings built her floral event business, . Jess has had a unique approach to growing her business slowly through friendships and now does 80+ weddings a year with a merry band of floral freelancing friends. The We Are Wildflowers crew is committed to sustainable floristry that highlights locally-grown stems and uses zero floral foam. Lots of great tips for event design workflow in this episode! Jess is also a musician and finds being in a band () a great way to release stress from flowers and recharge her creativity. This podcast is brought to you by the , a collective of flower farms in the mid-Atlantic region selling together to florist and other wholesale buyers. We help you elevate your design work and manifest a better tomorrow with locally-grown stems. Visit to learn more and follow us on Instagram for regular inspiration. to stay up to date on what's in season, tips and tricks for design, and the latest episodes. Not near Philadelphia but would like to source local flowers for your business? Check out and to find a flower farm near you. What Can Locally Grown Stems Do For Your Floral Business? Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, our stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Our growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. More Inspiration: Designing with the seasons sparks creativity. No two weeks are the same. More Community: Workign with local growers is a very personal connection. You'll grow your community every time you buy local. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/36061275

How Retail Florists Can Sell More Local Flowers 02/21/2025

How to "Sell Local" to Event Clients with Ellen Frost from Local Color Flowers 01/26/2025

How to "Sell Local" to Event Clients with Ellen Frost from Local Color Flowers , owner of in Baltimore, joins host Jennie Love for a lively chat about how to "sell local". As a florist working exclusively with locally grown stems for the past 17 years, Ellen has valuable insights into how to find the right customers and get their buy-in. In this episode, the conversation is focused on selling local to event clients, namely weddings and corporate. Come back again soon to listen to the next episode coming out, which will be about how to sell local to retail customers. Ellen and Jennie both teach online courses that may be valuable to your floral business. Here is and here is . Ellen also has a and a . This podcast is brought to you by the , where we're building community around sustainable local flowers. If you're a florist in the Philadelphia area, we'd love to have you shop with us! . . Not a Philadelphia area florist? Look for flower farms near you on the website or through . Why use local stems? In addition to give your shop or studio a unique value proposition that will galvanize and inspire your customer base, local stems mean: Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, our stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Our growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. Less Carbon Burned: Imported flowers in the US typically travel 2,500 or more miles in refrigerated planes, trucks and boats to reach you. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/35008585

Flower Camps for Kids and Other Community Building Ideas from Grace McDonald at Flower Clvb 01/08/2025

Flower Camps for Kids and Other Community Building Ideas from Grace McDonald at Flower Clvb In this episode, I’m chatting with a fun little floral studio in West Philly. Grace is a builder of strong community and an advocate for the earth. She's put a unique spin on educating the next generation about flowers and nature. This episode is packed full of gems to apply to your own business! Be sure to check out Grace's Instagram feed . It’s a great spot to see all-local designs and get inspiration. This podcast is brought to you by the , a collective of flower farms in the mid-Atlantic region selling together to florist and other wholesale buyers. We help you elevate your design work and manifest a better tomorrow with locally-grown stems. Visit to learn more and follow us on Instagram for regular inspiration. to stay up to date on what's in season, tips and tricks for design, and the latest episodes. Not near Philadelphia but would like to source local flowers for your business? Check out and to find a flower farm near you. What Can Locally Grown Stems Do For Your Floral Business? Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, our stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Our growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. More Inspiration: Designing with the seasons sparks creativity. No two weeks are the same. More Community: Workign with local growers is a very personal connection. You'll grow your community every time you buy local. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/34780915

On Growing Up In a Flower Shop and Three Decades in the Biz with Rose Oland of Mullica Hill Floral Co. 07/31/2024

On Growing Up In a Flower Shop and Three Decades in the Biz with Rose Oland of Mullica Hill Floral Co. In this episode, I’m chatting with Rose Oland from , a florist shop that has been in business for 37 years. Rose and her mom who founded the shop are dedicated to supporting local flower farms and approaching floristry with sustainability at the forefront. Rose’s perspective of the industry is unique in that she literally grew up in the flower shop and has seen just about everything in the past three decades, including how the industry has shifted from guarded competitiveness to supportive collaboration. Be sure to check out Rose’s Instagram feed It’s a great spot to see all-local designs and get some inspiration for color blending and floral photography. Mentioned in this episode is , creators of a compostable alternative to traditional floral foam. This podcast is brought to you by the , a collective of flower farms in the mid-Atlantic region selling together to florist and other wholesale buyers. We help you elevate your design work and manifest a better tomorrow with locally-grown stems. Visit to learn more and follow us on Instagram for regular inspiration. to stay up to date on what's in season, tips and tricks for design, and the latest episodes. Not near Philadelphia but would like to source local flowers for your business? Check out and to find a flower farm near you. What Can Locally Grown Stems Do For Your Floral Business? Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, our stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Our growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. More Inspiration: Designing with the seasons sparks creativity. No two weeks are the same. More Community: Workign with local growers is a very personal connection. You'll grow your community every time you buy local. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/32359612

Being an Eternal Novice and Defining Your Sustainable Floral Business with Emalee Lally of Bird Seed Florals 04/13/2024

Being an Eternal Novice and Defining Your Sustainable Floral Business with Emalee Lally of Bird Seed Florals Today we're chatting with Emalee Lally, owner of . Emalee has been a stalwart supporter of the since day one. Her design style and story are unique, including her attitude towards being an eternal novice. Three years in the biz, she’s still stretching her designer legs and has found being a beginner has some serious perks. Like coming up with a really clever way to enhance designs in pin frogs! Get a look at her singular design style on Instagram . This podcast is brought to you by the , a collective of flower farms in the mid-Atlantic region selling together to florist and other wholesale buyers. We help you elevate your design work and manifest a better tomorrow with locally-grown stems. Visit to learn more and follow us on Instagram for regular inspiration. to stay up to date on what's in season, tips and tricks for design, and the latest episodes. Not near Philadelphia but would like to source local flowers for your business? Check out and to find a flower farm near you. What Can Locally Grown Stems Do For Your Floral Business? Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, our stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Our growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. More Inspiration: Designing with the seasons sparks creativity. No two weeks are the same. More Community: Workign with local growers is a very personal connection. You'll grow your community every time you buy local. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/30805903

Tips for Selling Flowers Wholesale with Scott Shepherd 04/03/2024

Tips for Selling Flowers Wholesale with Scott Shepherd We’re back on air with a conversation about selling flowers wholesale. This episode is geared more towards flower farmers, but might be a fun peek behind the scenes for florists as well. Many of you are already familiar with today’s guest, . Scott is the host of . If you haven’t checked out that podcast yet, be sure you do. Scott has such a unique position in our industry. He studied horticulture in college and has been a producer of specialty stems like hellebores. But his main job over the past three decades has been working in sales and sourcing at wholesale houses, first in Georgia and now in Tennessee. In that role, he’s touched every facet of the global flower market. This episode is an excerpt from a longer conversation that took place on the podcast . This podcast is brought to you by the , a collective of flower farms in the mid-Atlantic region selling together to florist and other wholesale buyers. We help you elevate your design work and manifest a better tomorrow with locally-grown stems. Visit to learn more and follow us on Instagram for regular inspiration. to stay up to date on what's in season, tips and tricks for design, and the latest episodes. Not near Philadelphia but would like to source local flowers for your business? Check out and to find a flower farm near you. What Can Locally Grown Stems Do For Your Floral Business? Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, our stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Our growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/30654593

Flower Math Part 5: Being Team Players 03/14/2024

Flower Math Part 4: Delivery and Handling Fees 01/15/2024

Flower Math Part 4: Delivery and Handling Fees , owner of in Baltimore, joins host for a five part series focused on key drivers of flower math for floral shops. An informative listen for both florists and growers! Fees add up! In Part 4 of the Flower Math series, we expose this often unseen sinkhole for profit. Growers have to charge delivery fees and often collectives and wholesalers charge handling fees. Florists have to absorb all of these fees. We go into how florists should be thinking about working fees into their flower math. Spoiler, opting out of delivery and instead picking up the flowers yourself is not "free". We also talk about what delivery fee florists need to charge their own customers to make the flower math work. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to go back and listen to Ellen and Jennie both teach online courses that may be valuable to your floral business. Here is and . This podcast is brought to you by the , where we're building community around sustainable local flowers. If you're a florist in the Philadelphia area, we'd love to have you shop with us! . Why use local stems? You'll hear a lot about that throughout this podcast series but here's a few of the reason: Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, local stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Local growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. Less Carbon Burned: Imported flowers in the US typically travel 2,500 or more miles in refrigerated planes, trucks and boats to reach you. Less Disconnect: When you buy flowers from far away, you don't have a relationship with the grower and your dollars fly away from your local economy, the one you do business in yourself. Buying local means you stay connected and contribute to your local community. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/29500308

Flower Math Part 3: Quality Tiers 01/15/2024

Flower Math Part 3: Quality Tiers , owner of in Baltimore, joins host for a five part series focused on key drivers of flower math for floral shops. An informative listen for both florists and growers! In Part 3 of the Flower Math series, we discuss quality and how that can impact flower pricing. What is "quality" to a florist? There's baseline quality that should be observed with all flower sales. But then there variable factors like product mix, stem length, stage of harvest, amount of processing, and even sleeving that are all part of how florists make decisions on what to buy. Growers, find out why pumping out only premium stems can be hurting your florist sales. Be sure to listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of this series to learn how price per stem and product shrink impact flower math. Ellen and Jennie both teach online courses that may be valuable to your floral business. Here is and . Ellen also has a and a . This podcast is brought to you by the , where we're building community around sustainable local flowers. If you're a florist in the Philadelphia area, we'd love to have you shop with us! . Why use local stems? You'll hear a lot about that throughout this podcast series but here's a few of the reason: Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, local stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Local growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. Less Carbon Burned: Imported flowers in the US typically travel 2,500 or more miles in refrigerated planes, trucks and boats to reach you. Less Disconnect: When you buy flowers from far away, you don't have a relationship with the grower and your dollars fly away from your local economy, the one you do business in yourself. Buying local means you stay connected and contribute to your local community. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/29500203

Flower Math Part 2: Product Shrink 01/15/2024

Flower Math Part 1: Price Per Stem 01/15/2024

Flower Math Part 1: Price Per Stem , owner of in Baltimore, joins host Jennie Love for a five part series focused on key drivers of flower math for floral shops. An informative listen for both florists and growers! In Part 1 of the Flower Math series, we dive into price per stem and how what a grower is charging a florist wholesale gets amplified through the mark up process. The price per stem has a huge impact on the profitability of both a flower shop and a farm. How do florists consider price per stem as they shop? What are the right choices to make your flower shop profitable? Mentioned in this podcast was a flower shop accounting handbook, which we thought was from AIFD. Turns out it's from and . Ellen and Jennie both teach online courses that may be valuable to your floral business. Here is and here is . Ellen also has a and a . This podcast is brought to you by the , where we're building community around sustainable local flowers. If you're a florist in the Philadelphia area, we'd love to have you shop with us! . Not a Philadelphia area florist? Look for flower farms near you on the website or through . Why use local stems? You'll hear a lot about that throughout this podcast series but here's a few of the reason: Less Shrink: Without the stress of a long ride in the global supply chain, our stems are superior in quality with much less breakage and far better hydration. Less Labor: Our growers do all the work of a studio assistant, stripping stems and making fresh cuts on stems that go directly into water and never leave a water source. This means you do not have to process anything! Less Trash: There are no boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, box straps, plastic sleeves, and all the other usual trash that comes with a flower delivery from the traditional wholesaler. Less Carbon Burned: Imported flowers in the US typically travel 2,500 or more miles in refrigerated planes, trucks and boats to reach you. /episode/index/show/2ee3d2a6-aa41-47b1-b968-eb4628d7cd9e/id/29499913

Floral Guild Radio Trailer 01/15/2024

Floral Guild Radio

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