The Sustainable Flowers Podcast

We're back for 2023, with a bit of change- mostly field notes interspersed with interviews as we have time.   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing is done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

We're back for 2023, with a bit of change- mostly field notes interspersed with interviews as we have time.   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing is done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

We're back for 2023, with a bit of change- mostly field notes interspersed with interviews as we have time.   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing is done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

We're back for 2023, with a bit of change- mostly field notes interspersed with interviews as we have time.   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing is done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

We're back for 2023, with a bit of change- mostly field notes interspersed with interviews as we have time.   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing is done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

We're back for 2023, with a bit of change- mostly field notes interspersed with interviews as we have time.   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing is done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.  

We're back for 2023, with a bit of change- mostly field notes interspersed with interviews as we have time.   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing is done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.  

We're back for 2023, with a bit of change- mostly field notes interspersed with interviews as we have time.   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing is done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.  

We're back for 2023, with a bit of change- mostly field notes interspersed with interviews as we have time.   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing is done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.    

This episode is our last for a while.  Time for a sabbatical to determine next directions.  Thanks so much to all of our listeners for your encouragement and support these last 4 years. Clara and Heather 

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Our chat with cut flower growing veterans, Ralph and Jerriann of Bindweed Farm is a deep dive into growing, business and philosophy.   From subsurface irrigation to weed management to balance,  this was a wide ranging and oh so fun conversation! Be sure to check out Ralph's books on growing All Pollen No Petal  Deadhead: The Bindweed Way to Grow Flowers  And his other books No Sage Essays from the Margin Leaving the Bucket: Searching for the Sacred in Addiction Loving Alice Chalmers: Essays from Agraria Open Range: Grief Humor Music and Other Occasions And find Jerriann's art on her website at jerriannsabin.com   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week!   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

This week we are chatting with Dr. Nathan Jahnke again, this time about his research on long term tulip storage!  Nathan recently published a fabulous paper in Hort Science on his comprehensive study of storage of tulips and Dutch Iris.  You can find the paper here:  Postharvest Handling Techniques for Long-term Storage of Cut Tulip and Dutch Iris He published an earlier version of the results through the ASCFG, you can find that write-up here: https://www.ascfg.org/wp-content/uploads/2019-SU-Jahnke-Tulips.pdf During our conversation he mentions the Ball Growers Talks and a new series of Newsletters Ball's cutflower division is publishing - you can find one of them here and also links to the previously published news letters: Ball Grower Talks Flower Newsletter   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

We're back with more critical information about pesticides in the ornamental industry, this time with the amazing Dr. Christine Bishop.  Dr. Bishop is a research scientist at Environment Canada in the area of Conservation and Protection of Species At Risk, her current research focuses on cumulative stressors on Species at Risk and bird, reptiles and amphibian indicator species in riparian, wetland, and grassland ecosystems.  She has published over 100 peer reviewed journal papers, and several books on wildlife toxicology, but today we will be focusing on her work on pesticide effects on hummingbirds and other songbirds. The papers we discuss can be found below: Temporal and spatial patterns of systemic insecticides in avian and insect pollinators and flowers in western Canada (2018, 2019) Imidacloprid and chlorpyrifos insecticides impair migratory ability in a seed-eating songbird Bluebirds Experience Impaired Hatching Success in Conventionally Sprayed Apple Orchard Habitats: A 31-Year Study   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week!   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week!   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.  

Just field notes this week!   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.  

Just field notes this week!   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.  

Just field notes this week!   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.  

Sorry to say, you need to worry about more than just the neonics being used in horticulture/agriculture and silvicuture/arboriculture.  As fast, actually way faster, as one pesticide's use is restricted slightly several more "novel" ones are licensed for use.   Add to that the horrifying number of pesticides used on plants/soils in our industry, and those related to ours, you get a  fatal stew of synergistic fatal effects for our beloved insects.    This week we chat with the truly brilliant, Dr. Harry Siviter, who has published an astonishing number of powerful research papers so early in his career.  His rigorous and extensive analyses and research has allowed him to make strong statements in top-tier scientific journals.   One of his key messages: "Therefore, while our results confirm that bans on neonicotinoid use will likely benefit wild bee populations, they will only be successful if paired with (1) changes to the agrochemical regulatory process, that ensures novel insecticides do not have a similar sub-lethal effects on non-Apis bees and (2) a reduction in intensive agriculture, and a move towards an integrated pest management approach that promotes biological control, and reduced insecticide use (Colin et al., 2020; Siviter & Muth, 2020). A failure to radically change food production, and agrochemical regulation, will result in a continued decline in bee populations that we rely on for functioning eco-systems." Listen in to hear why. And if you want to read more, here are the references to just a few of his impressive papers: Siviter H, Richman SK & Muth F (2021) Field‐realistic neonicotinoid exposure has sub‐lethal effects on non‐Apis bees: A meta‐analysis. Ecology Letters, 24, 2586–2597. Siviter H, Bailes EJ, Martin CD, Oliver TR, Koricheva J, Leadbeater E & Brown MJF (2021) Agrochemicals interact synergistically to increase bee mortality. Nature, 596, 389–392. Harry Siviter, Anthony K Johnson, Felicity Muth, Bumblebees Exposed to a Neonicotinoid Pesticide Make Suboptimal Foraging Decisions, Environmental Entomology, Volume 50, Issue 6, December 2021, Pages 1299–1303. Siviter H, Muth F. (2020) Do novel insecticides pose a threat to beneficial insects? Proc. R. Soc. B 287: 20201265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1265 Siviter, H., Brown, M.J.F. & Leadbeater, E. Sulfoxaflor exposure reduces bumblebee reproductive success. Nature 561, 109–112 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0430-6   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.  

Just field notes this week...   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Just field notes this week...   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

This week is part 2 of Heather's chat with our fabulous friend, Lorna Jackson of Ninebark Farm about how the implementation of her business plan went and about the book Lorna recommended to Heather, The Day the World Stops Shopping,  and what it means for their flower businesses and business in general.  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Dr. Tallamy kindly agreed to chat with us again, this time on invasive plants.  You may recall we did an episode on this topic a couple years ago, as use of invasives in floral design and in gardens is a serious issue in our industry.   Dr. Tallamy talks about the most important reasons, and the science behind them, for not ever using invasive plants.  Please note, invasiveness varies from state to state, province to province.  Please, please, please talk to your agricultural extension officers or google noxious weeds/ invasive plants for your location before buying plants.   And if a plant is labelled as invasive somewhere near you, don't introduce it to your garden, choose a wonderful native plant instead!  And even better, if you see invasives offered at your local garden centers tell them this is not acceptable- consumer pressure is powerful! For our listeners in Alberta the following are some great links: Alberta Ag Noxious Weeds List Alberta Ag Prohibited Noxious Weeds List Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.  

This week is part 1 of Heather's chat with our fabulous friend, Lorna Jackson of Ninebark Farm about how the implementation of her business plan went and about the book Lorna recommended to Heather, The Day the World Stops Shopping,  and what it means for their flower businesses and business in general.    Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

We address the feedback we received on our episode with Sharon at Xerces in this episode.   Once again please please download Xerces Buying Bee Safe Plants document and keep asking the questions of everyone you buy plants from and be sure to ask about their use through the ENTIRE supply chain.   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

This week is the second part of our  fun and informative conversation with the lovely Grace Lam of Fivefork Farms near Boston.  Grace shares the development of her business and how she approaches staying sustainable with a 500 member CSA and an uber-successful on-farm market and u-pick operation, including why she isn't using annuals much anymore!   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

This was a bombshell of an interview for us.  We were horrified and brought to tears by what we learned from Sharon in this conversation.  Please please please download the two excellent guidelines for consumers and retailers about what to ask suppliers about the persistent systemic insecticides that may be present in your nursery bought plants-  ESPECIALLY if you buy from big box stores.  Buying Bee Safe Plants Offering Bee Safe Plants: Guide for Nurseries You can also learn so much from Xerces webinars on these topics: Buying Bee Safe Plants Webinar Sharon's top notch webinar about pesticides, which will teach you so much can be found here: Pesticides and Pollinators - Sharon's excellent webinar You think you are buying plants to help the pollinators- when in fact you are luring them to a potentially toxic plant that will kill them or prevent them from multiplying.  Yes, it is horrific... we all have to put pressure on the nursery industry- retail and wholesale to come clean about what they are doing. The essential references mentioned in the conversation: Understanding Neonicotinoids All the other systemic insecticides the nursery and ag industries are using And lastly, but by no means least- a timeline of the regulation (lack thereof) in Canada by the good folks at Edmonton Chapter of the Council of Canadians and Mark Stumpf-Allen of Alberta Organic Master Gardeners Neonicotenoid Timeline Canada   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

This week is the first of two episodes containing our fun and informative conversation with the lovely Grace Lam of Fivefork Farms near Boston.  Grace shares the development of her business and how she approaches staying sustainable with a 500 member CSA and an uber-successful on-farm market and u-pick operation, including why she isn't using annuals much anymore!   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

We were a little star struck this episode, having the opportunity to chat with Dr. Doug Tallamy, professor of entomology at the University of Delaware and author of several best selling books on conservation, sustainable gardening and insects  Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees In this interview we focused on his recent paper in Nature Communications about the key trees that support 80% - yes you read that right, 80% of the lepidoptera species in North America.  If you can include some of these trees in your yard, garden, farm you will be helping these critical insects immeasurably. You can find this important paper at this link: Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species Narango, D.L., Tallamy, D.W. & Shropshire, K.J. Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species. Nat Commun 11, 5751 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19565-4 From this paper the top 5 genera were:  Quercus (‘Oaks', mean score: 0.79), Salix (‘Willows', 0.55), Prunus (‘Cherries, Plums, Peaches, etc.', 0.51), Pinus (‘Pines', 0.46), and Populus (‘Poplars, Aspens, and Cottonwoods', 0.44). Dr. Tallamy has several excellent youtube videos, a recent one on keystone plants is: Native Keystone Plants for Wildlife - Doug Tallamy You Tube     Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Back in September 2021 Dr. Hammett published a series of comprehensive instagram posts about taking cuttings from dahlias.  We just had to follow up with him and, as always, he was so generous about chatting with us about his methods.  His series of posts on instagram are an absolute must if you are interested in taking dahlia cuttings - his first post on this was September 7, 2021 and proceeded through the fall. Find them all here:  Dr. Hammett's Instagram    Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

This week we caught up with Jen Gruninger the vibrant woman behind Farm Fresh Florals, a successful u-pick flower farm and intimate event venue located just SW of the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  Jen generously shares details of her journey developing her farm and business and the things she's learned along the way.  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Talking about our most profitable flowers in 2021 this week. Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

oops-- glitch in schedule-- only field notes this week   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

This week we had the opportunity to talk with Heather's physiotherapist and yoga teacher, Angela Plaquin of Elevation Health and Yoga Cold Lake.  Ang has such a deep, thoughtful approach to physicality and we had a delightful, thought provoking conversation about how to approach our physical sustainability.  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

Heather shares a comprehensive summary of her fall ranunculus procedure and results. Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

We were delighted to finally catch up with Nick Maycher, a wonderful young peony enthusiast and hybridizer, based right here in Edmonton, Alberta!  In what we hope is the first of many discussions, this week we learn about how Nick was bit by the peony bug, a little bit about hybridizing and hardiness and some of his favorite varieties. Nick shared a bunch of excellent references too, here they are  International Peony Registry - https://americanpeonysociety.org/cultivars/peony-registry/ Hybridizing resources. A primer and helpful overview on breeding basics, flower anatomy, and the document that lists peonies and their parents that we discussed can be accessed towards the bottom of this page in the "Additional Resources" section. It turns out Buckeye Belle's parentage is a species peony mom (P. officinalis) and an unknown lactiflora dad contributed the pollen, to answer Heather's question! https://americanpeonysociety.org/learn/hybridizing/ Canadian Peony Society website - https://peony.ca/ Nick's CPS Floral Design Demo - https://youtu.be/RVMQ6oRkS3s 2021 Bloom Season Highlights- https://youtu.be/ZNTtD4BZqqA Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.

We are delighted to catch up with Dr. Lien Luong, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, to get an update on her research on slugs and on "the Ecology of Fear" and how diverse farming systems might enhance this natural pest control phenomenon. In the episode we mention Dr. Luong's research paper and she linked us up with several more- here are the references: Koprivnikar J, Weinstein SB, Luong LT and Buck JC (2021) Editorial: Ecology and Evolution of Non-Consumptive Effects in Host-Parasite Interactions. Front. Ecol. Evol. 9:779102. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.779102/full Horn, C.J., Mierzejewski M.K., Elahi M.E., Luong, L.T. (2020) Extending the ecology of fear: Parasite-mediated sexual selection drives host response to parasites. Physiology and Behaviour.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113041 Mierzejewski MK, Horn CJ, Luong LT (2019). Ecology of fear: environment dependent parasite avoidance among ovipositing Drosophila. Parasitology 146, 1564–1570. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0031182019000854 Horn CJ, Luong LT (2018). Proximity to parasites reduces host fitness independent of infection in a Drosophila–Macrocheles system. Parasitology 145, 1564–1569. https://doi.org/10.1017/ S0031182018000379   Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.  

We can hardly believe we are entering our 4th season!  To kick it off we share our list of favorite "new to us" plants, cultivars, and/or varieties that we trialed this year. Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.    

Like last field season, we are taking a break from full episodes during the crazy busy growing and market season.  However, we will post our "field notes", giving you an update on what's going on around our flower farms each week through this busy season. Hope you enjoy them. Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and the challenging job of audio editing done by the uber-talented Laura Eccleston.