OUR SPEAKERS
Holly Heider Chapple
www.hollychappleflowers.com
@hollychapple
Holly Heider Chapple is the creative director behind Holly Heider Chapple
Flowers, a luxury wedding flowers brand, and owner of Hope Flower Farm and Winery based in Waterford, Virginia. Holly is the mother of seven children and credits much of her success to her late husband Evan Chapple's
contributions to their business and family. With over 30 years of successful experience as a floral entrepreneur, Holly now serves as a teacher, speaker, and mentor for other professionals in the wedding industry and in floral design and farming. Holly has developed a product line of floristry mechanics and vases with Syndicate Sales; these innovations help florists design with more sustainable methods.
After traveling the world to teach her design aesthetic, she and her husband Evan set their sights on a twenty-five-acre farm just outside the village of Waterford. There they grew flowers and provided educational workshops. Students are able to stay on-site and learn with Holly and Evan, as it is a registered bed and breakfast venue. The farm boasts beautiful flower fields and prop closets full of inspiration for editorial spreads. In 2020 with travel and weddings shut down, they opened their beloved Hope Flower Farm to the public and began the next phase of their career by sharing their love of flowers with their community.
Visitors to Hope Flower Farm enjoy the vision and dream born from Holly and Evan's love of flowers. The farm not only offers educational workshops, "cut your own" experiences, as well as a fantastic gift shop and a farm winery for tasting and experiencing all the farm has to offer.
Kristen Griffith VanderYacht
Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht is a celebrity floral designer, floral photographer, and the owner of the floral design studio Wild Bloom in Seattle, Washington. Best known as the sassy head judge with a big heart on Netflix’s The Big Flower Fight, he’s been named a top floral designer in the world by Harper’s Bazaar. He and his floral designs have been featured in Vogue, O Magazine, WWD, Town and Country, Traditional Home, New York Magazine, People, Martha Stewart Weddings, and The Knot; his work has been seen on Good Morning America and E! Network.
A dedicated purveyor of beauty and love, Kristen is an enthusiastic educator and advocates for using flowers as a form of self-care. His new book, Flower Love: Lush Floral Arrangements For The Heart and Home, debuted as a number 1 new release on Amazon and continues to be a go-to guide for flower lovers, designers, and joy enthusiasts everywhere.
Kristen describes his design philosophy as a combination of editorial with a sensibility for distinctive and organic perspectives. He has an exquisite and rich design eye which inspires his collections of floral prints and fine art, and has helped to transform the role that florals play in weddings and events. In addition to his extensive portfolio, his studio also provides private classes and workshops for emerging floral artists and curious flower friends.
Kristen views floristry as a gateway to a happier, more sustainable life that focuses on bridging the gap between nature and modern living. He continues his work towards elevating the artistry of floral design as a fine art while expanding his design portfolio to include gardening, house plants and home decor.
Wild Bloom design services are available worldwide for weddings, events, workshops, private classes, advertising campaigns, product shoots and fashion featured in print and digital publications.
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Eileen Tongson
Eileen Tongson is the owner of FarmGal Flowers, an urban flower farm and design studio whose mission is to teach others to grow and share flowers. She is also one of the gardeners at East End Market where she grows flowers and helps maintain the market garden. In addition to growing her own flowers, Eileen designs with them and provides arrangements for special occasions and events. Eileen completed the University of Florida IFAS Master Gardener Program and has studied flower farming and floral design at numerous locations over the years including Floret Flower Farm and Flower School New York.
Eileen is a Gardening and Floral Design instructor at Harry P. Leu Gardens and East End Market. Her flowers and gardening expertise have been featured in Flower Magazine, Florists Review, Edible Orlando, Slow Flowers Society, the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, The Spruce, and in Floret Farm's book, "Small Plot, Big Impact: Inspiring Stories, Profiles & Advice
from 30 Flower Growers From Around the World" and Debra Prinzing’s book, “Where We Bloom.” Eileen was voted Best Florist in Best of Winter Park 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 and was named the Garden Club of Jacksonville's Designer of Distinction in 2022. Clients and collaborations have included The Ford Motor Company, Chico’s (Clothing, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Williams-Sonoma, Celebrity Chef Kelsey Barnard Clark, JoJo’s Shake Bar, the Florida
Federation of Garden Clubs, and the Orlando Museum of Art. Eileen is a contributor to the Growing Kindness Project where she shares her knowledge and skills for growing flowers in hot climates and encourages others to “garden and give.” Eileen is also an educator and contributor to the Seed Library at the Winter Park Library.
Hannah Morgan
Hannah Morgan is the founder and lead designer of Fortunate Orchard, a floral studio in South Seattle. Her designs are deeply rooted in the seasons of the Pacific Northwest and she sources primarily from the West Coast — often from the Fortunate Orchard garden, steps away from the work table.
Hannah holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in one hand and a pair of pruning shears in the other, collaborating with clients who exalt in the natural world and who embrace unexpected beauty.
Toni Reale
Toni Reale founded Roadside Blooms with a story to tell and a mission to share, believing that beauty and sustainability don’t just co-exist, they work in concert. With over 10 years of experience in the event-planning and floral-design industries, Toni’s many adventures have led her to this chapter (ask her about the time she converted a 1971 British ice cream truck into a mobile flower shop; or about her Environmental Geology background).
A leader of Charleston’s “green and local” movement, Toni has served on various nonprofit boards, including the Charleston Green Fair, and has been recognized as one of Charlie magazine’s "50 Most Progressive" in Charleston in 2014.
She's always dreaming up something new for clients, fellow florists, and her team. Toni is a leader in and passionate about the Slow Flowers Movement and is doing all she can to elevate the local and American-grown flowers.
The two most rewarding things about Roadside Blooms are working with couples that appreciate a creative approach to design and her team! It takes a village to run a successful small business and Toni feels very lucky to have her incredibly talented, passionate, and dedicated team by her side to design, dream and laugh with.
Sarah Statham
Simply by Arrangement
@simplybyarrangement
Nestled on a Yorkshire (U.K.) hillside in the grey-green landscape that has inspired great writers is Sarah Statham's home, and the Simply by Arrangement workshop and garden.
It’s here that stories begin. Stories of those who arrive here, from nearby, or from far off corners of the world to learn how to ‘do the flowers’. Flowers that tell the story of time well spent – honing a craft; discovering a new pastime; or just falling in love with flowers.
Sarah's own story is of finding flowers after a 20-year career in a world of more serious stories, where lives were altered by circumstance and where she rarely saw much light. Flowers were, for Sarah, a brief escape. And then one day she found the need to grow more of them and to teach others how to use them to bring lightness, depth and soul into each day.
Now Sarah spends most of her time here (and sometimes in other places that she loves) growing flowers, making floral designs that are wildly abundant – full of texture and movement and life, as if still growing – and, perhaps most importantly, teaching others how to grow their own stories in flowers.
Welcome to a small corner of Yorkshire.
Mara Tyler
Meet Mara Tyler, the creative force behind The Farm at Oxford, where she passionately grows a stunning array of seasonal blooms on her family’s Pennsylvania farm. Specializing in peonies, roses, ranunculus, and dahlias, Mara’s farm has grown steadily over 10 years, driven by her love of the land and commitment to building a sustainable business.
A lover of floral design, Mara has honed her craft with renowned experts such as Ariella Chezar and Tulipina, and has shared her expertise by teaching seasonal design classes Longwood Gardens. When she’s not in the fields, you’ll find Mara sharing her floral journey on social media, leading hands-on workshops at the farm, and collaborating with local small businesses to celebrate the beauty of floriculture.
Briana Bosch
Blossom and Branch
@blossomandbranchfarm
Briana Bosch I started her Colorado flower farm in 2019 with the support of her incredible husband. Though she received her MBA from University of California in 2010, cubicle life was just never a fit. Farming runs her my blood: She is a fifth generation farmer, but never thought she would get a chance to start up her own farm! Things changed when Briana and her husband found 1.7 acres in the suburbs of Denver and moved to the farm in 2018. They named their farm Blossom & Branch Farm because of the unique land--half field (where they raise field-grown flowers such as our annuals, roses and peonies), and half woods--where they focus on providing habitat for native wildlife and pollinators through native plants such as chokecherries, american plum, currants, and serviceberries.
The family is in the process of rehabilitating the farm's neglected land through organic and regenerative processes and have planted over 45 trees to help with sequestration of atmospheric carbon.
Kirsten McMahon
For Kirsten McMahon, Founder and Principal Designer of Ardrie Park Floral Studio, Ardrie Park is a place that holds precious memories of fun times spent with her children.
Ardrie Park is a garden oasis nestled in a residential area of Malvern East, an inner east suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its central pathway is adorned with towering, deciduous Elm trees that stand tall and strong through all weather conditions -- Nature's resilience at play. The park is a haven for many the local area and houses a warm community spirit. The gardens flower through the seasons and provide joy for those who visit.
Kirsten believes that through Ardrie Park Floral Studio, she is able to raise awareness and intentionally commit to creating less "new" waste, re-using, recycling, upcycling and managing waste consciously to minimize our environmental footprint.
Melissa Feveyear
Terra Bella Flowers
@terrabellaflowers
Melissa Feveyear is the visionary behind Terra Bella Flowers & Mercantile, one of the nation’s first sustainably focused flower shops.
Formed in 2006, Melissa combined her formal floral design training with her education in Hazardous Waste Management to create a flower shop that supported locally grown, organic and ethically sourced flowers.
Melissa is a proud founder of the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market. She has been featured in Debra Prinzing’s The 50 Mile Bouquet, on National Public Radio and in many other national and international publications.
Shanda Zelaya
Shanda began her journey with floral design in August of 2016 when she founded Flor de Casa Designs. Since then, she strives to work with clients to visualize and actualize their dream wedding designs. She says...
"I lead the work on my designs with the understanding that the value is always in the details. They matter most. And perhaps because I consider my craft to be an interactive fine art experience, it comes naturally for me to make arrangements that keep my clients’ unique tastes and preferences at the heart of every design."
She and her husband became first-time parents in 2022 and when not immersed in design, she enjoys time with family and friends and attempts to hop on a plane to anywhere in the world whenever she can (yes, now with baby in tow).
Natasa Hansen
Toronto Flower Market
@torontoflowermarket
Natasa Hansen (Kajganic) helps to bring locally-grown flowers into our collective consciousness.
Through the joy of the Toronto Flower Market, thoughtful installations and consultations on urban placemaking Natasa has developed a unique vision of how flowers can play an important role in the human experience.
To date, her work has taken her across Canada and the U.S., where her spirit for collaboration and community building have solidified her as a foremost creator of more floral futures in the public realm.
Becky Feasby
@prairiegirlflowers
Becky’s professional and academic lives have been firmly rooted in the earth since 2001. Having worked, studied, and taught landscape design, gardening, horticultural therapy, and sustainable floristry, Becky’s work has always been committed to improving our understanding of the relationship between plants and humans.
Becky recently completed her Master’s degree in Sustainability at Harvard University, where her thesis research focused on completing an environmental and social life cycle assessment of roses grown in North America.
She currently owns and operates Prairie Girl Flowers in Calgary, Alberta - a sustainable floral design studio that specializes in zero-waste and locally grown flowers for weddings and events.
Becky also works as the Horticultural Therapist at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, where she oversees the Healing Gardens Program and provides horticultural therapy programs for inpatient and outpatient groups at the hospital.
PIlar Zuniga
Gorgeous and Green was created in 2008, and the main tenet of the business was to be eco friendly and sustainable in as many ways as possible while making beautiful things. The business consistently maintained certification as a green business through Alameda County., going above and beyond green certifications as each decision is taken with the health of the environment and community in mind.
G&G's sustainability ethos includes the following: The flowers and foliage we select are local grown, and when available, are organic or non-sprayed as well. We avoid plastics and chemicals, and try to dramatically reduce our waste. We enjoy supporting local growers and farms who are doing their best to continue to grow locally in the Bay Area. We deliver most small orders and gifts via our solar powered electric vehicle, to reduce Co2 emissions!
We started out as an event design firm, and took on mostly weddings and event design. We had two brick and mortar sites in Berkeley, and have found our way back to being a studio florist in Oakland, California.
Recently, Gorgeous and Green was named a Top 50 Wedding Florist in North America by Florist's Review Magazine, and a Mayesh Design Star!
Amy Stewart
Amy Stewart is the New York Times best-selling author of The Tree Collectors, The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and several other popular nonfiction titles about the natural world. She’s also written several novels in her beloved Kopp Sisters series, which are based on the true story of one of America’s first female deputy sheriffs and her two rambunctious sisters. Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide and have been translated into 18 languages.
She lives in Portland with her husband Scott Brown, a rare book dealer who can usually be found at his shop, Downtown Brown Books.
You might’ve heard Amy on NPR’s Morning Edition or Fresh Air, or seen her profiled in the New York Times. Her checkered television career includes CBS Sunday Morning, Good Morning America, the PBS documentary The Botany of Desire, and–believe it or not– TLC’s Cake Boss. (The cake was delicious.)
Amy’s 2009 book Wicked Plants was adapted into a national traveling exhibit that terrified children at science museums nationwide for over a decade. Even better, a few bars around the world are named after The Drunken Botanist. It’s an honor just to be nominated, but it’s even better to win, and she’s won a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, the American Horticulture Society’s Book Award, and an International Association of Culinary Professionals Food Writing Award.
Our Founder
DEBRA PRINZING
@debraprinzing @slowflowerssociety
Debra is the producer of SlowFlowers.com, the online directory to farms, florists, shops and studios who supply domestic and local flowers in the U.S. and Canada. Each Wednesday, approximately 2,500 listeners tune into Debra's "Slow Flowers Podcast," available for free downloads at her web site, slowflowerspodcast.com, or on iTunes and via other podcast services.
She is the creator of American Flowers Week, launched during the July 4th week in 2015 with more than 5.0 million social media impressions in 2017. Debra has authored more than 12 books, including Slow Flowers and The 50 Mile Bouquet.
Debra is editorial director and co-founder with Robin Avni of BLOOM Imprint, a boutique publisher that identifies and develops creative book ideas by and about members of the Slow Flowers Movement.
