In Part One of our opening day programming, Melanie will present the story of Dahlia May Flower Farm and share her journey to flowers, floral entrepreneurship, and more. 
Melanie says she started Dahlia May Flower Farm to grow flowers for her own designs. "But that idea has turned into me running a flower shop. It's so rewarding to bring customers to the farm where they can actually see how flowers are grown. During Mother's Day, for example, shoppers saw tulips growing in all of the beds here at the farm; they walked through the greenhouses and saw even more tulips inside. It gives customers one more point of connection when they meet a real person who grows a real flower. It helps them value our flowers and know how special they are."

Monday, June 24th, Illustrated lecture and design demonstration, followed by a Q&A.

In Part Two of our opening day programming, Janis will present the story of Harris Flower Farm and share her journey to flowers, floral entrepreneurship, and more. 

Janis will introduce our audience to this multi-generational family operation that originated with Janis and her husband, Mark Harris. Their children (Cameron, Nathan & Megan), born into the business of flowers, can often be found in the flower fields along side Mom & Dad.
Janis's family has been working the same acreage since the early 1950s. Her paternal grandparents had a successful dairy cow operation and loved to collect flowers for their garden. Janis has fond memories of learning about flowers from them and some of Harris Flower Farm's perennials, shrubs and trees are from their collection. 
 

Monday, June 24th, Illustrated lecture and design demonstration, followed by a Q&A.

Heather will lead one of three afternoon break-out sessions during our Floral Immersion Experience. She will introduce the her approach to growing cut flowers for drying, and share tried and true techniques for designing with dried flowers for events, weddings, and arrangements.

Participants in this half-day session will explore designing with dried flowers from Boreal Blooms and other local farms. The hands-on group project will produce a floral installation that will be on display throughout the Summit.

Monday, June 24th. Lecture, demonstration, and hands-on group design experience. 

Lourdes will lead one of three afternoon break-out sessions during our Floral Immersion Experience. She will cover growing dye plants and touching on several of her favorite techniquest taught in her popular, on-farm series: the TINTA Experience.

Participants in this half-day session will explore various methods of adding botanical prints and colors to fabrics, while using pigment flowers and foliages from Masagana Flower Farm. The hands-on group project will produce a textile installation that will be on display throughout the Summit.

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Monday, June 24th. Lecture, demonstration, and hands-on group design experience.

Hitomi will lead one of three afternoon break-out sessions during our Floral Immersion Experience. She will introduce how to design a variety of sustainable and reusable armatures that incorporate fiber, yarn, and other natural materials. These sculptural pieces are designed to be seen, as essential to the botanical elements they support.
Participants in this half-day session will experiment with Hitomi's armature techniques using a range of materials. The hands-on group project will produce an artful installation that will be on display throughout the Summit.

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Monday, June 24th. Lecture, demonstration, and hands-on group design
 

Start your day with nature and our resident native plant expert, Latifa Pelletier-Ahmed. She will lead an introductory walk to explore the wildflowers and wild plants that reflect season and place in the scenic and natural wilderness area of Banff, which is adjacent to the Canadian Rockies.
Bring your notebook and camera to document the botanical lessons you'll learn on this inspiring morning walk, which will take place prior to the indoor sessions. The walk is designed for beginners, but you will want to wear appropriate footwear, plus a hat!

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Tuesday, June 25th (7-9:30 a.m.)

Following our morning wildflower hike, Latifa will present an illustrated lecture and overview of native plants, with a special look at how and why flower farmers and floral designers can incorporate native plants into their businesses.

She will help us understand what defines a plant or flower as "native," and how to use natives to boost the diversity of your own growing areas. From  improving pollinator habitat to a shift toward more regenerative growing practices, native perennials, grasses, bulbs, and other botanicals offer myriad environmental benefits. Latifa will also cover issues of invasive plants and her recommendations for how to substitute native plants as alternatives.

She will provide additional take-home resources to help you seek out native plants in your own region.

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Tuesday, June 25th, Lecture and Q&A

When Cynthia Zamaria, author of House + Flower: Reviving Forgotten Homes and Gardens, was interviewed entertaining by the New York Times she explained: “When friends come by, you want to make them feel special and welcome. One of the ways to do that is by creating a beautiful table for them. You can still be working on the potato salad, but the table is set and it’s lovely."
Cynthia will present a demonstration of her signature vase and flower pairings as she creates a seasonal tablescape with Canadian-grown botanicals and plants, vintage textiles, and her favorite accessories -- all inspired by lessons from her 2022 book. 

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Tuesday, June 25th, Lecture and design demonstration, followed by a Q&A
and book-signing.

Our 90-minute panel introduces two regional flower hub models, as the founders discuss how they established a farm-to-florist wholesale market for Victoria, British Columbia (Island Flower Growers) and Toronto, Ontario (The Local Flower Collective).
You'll meet Lorna Jackson and Cara Scott from Island Flowers Growers, a cooperative of flower growers on Vancouver Island, and Jaime Reeves, a florist who co-founded Toronto's solely-owned The Local Flower Collective.

These women will discuss their journeys, the decisions that led to their format, and the benefits that collective flower hubs bring to the floral communities they serve.

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Tuesday, June 25th, Illustrated lecture and design demonstrations, followed by a Q&A

Hitomi Gilliam returns to her farmer-florist roots for the Slow Flowers Summit's capstone presentation.

We've asked this world class floral artist to demonstrate a Canadian-grown floral arrangement in her signature style, as she shares her insights on the shifts and changes in the floral industry -- shifts to a more sustainably-minded approach to the craft. 

She'll use all-local and seasonal, B.C.- and Alberta-grown botanicals for her design, and leave us inspired to continue sharing the Slow Flowers Movement in our own practices as growers and designers.

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Tuesday, June 25th, design demonstration, followed by a Q&A