Episode 662: Flower farming meets the retail flower shop with Little Petal Farm

Slow Flowers Podcast

https://youtu.be/lup-FAhWj4s?si=BAyBvf0Cfe8iEp_M Going from flower farmer to full-service retail florist and juggling both – is it possible? Hear from Tammy Osselaer, who started Little Petal Farm in 2019 and then in 2022, opened a retail full-service flower shop as an extension of her farm. Learn how she grows all of her flowers during the farming season AND produces floral designs for her community and beyond. Tammy Osselaer, Little Petal Farm On this podcast, I love it when a listener contacts me with a suggestion for an episode that underscores something I've mentioned, such as an interesting observation or shift in the Slow Flowers Movement. Today’s guest did just that. Tammy Osselaer is a loyal Slow Flowers Podcast listener and member who owns Little Petal Farm in Noblesville, Indiana. After an earlier episode when I commented about flower farmers opening companion retail stores, both on farm and as separate businesses, Tammy reached out to introduce herself. You Pick Flower Experience at Little Petal Farm Little Petal Farm was established in 2019 as a specialty cut flower farm producing high-quality blooms & branches for floral designers, event planners, subscription holders, weddings, and all-around flower lovers. Wedding flowers by Little Petal Farm Its origins are rooted in Tammy’s personal interest in flower gardening and landscaping, a passion she's had for more than 25 years. After designing, planting and nurturing her own gardens with perennials, flowering woodies and graceful ornamental grasses, she turned that passion into Little Petal Farm, first as a farm; then as a farm plus retail shop. A bridal shower centerpiece with flowers grown and designed by Little Petal Farm Let’s jump right in and learn about her path to flowers – and how she manages to run two sister businesses that are infusing Noblesville and the surrounding area with locally-grown botanicals. Find and follow Little Petal Farm on Facebook and Instagram. As mentioned, the Indiana Peony Festival is coming up this weekend, May 18th, so if you’re in the area, find Tammy and say hello! This Week's Good News https://www.youtube.com/live/OlHwLBVQrnI?si=reIDrZSvvYk8aSUq I want to share an important piece of news, a major milestone for the Slow Flowers Movement. Last week, we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the launch of slowflowers.com! One decade ago, on May 8th 2014, we launched slowflowers.com just before Mother’s Day, as a free, nationwide online directory with more than 200 listings of florists, shops, studios, and farms with local, seasonal, and sustainable flowers. It all began with the book – Slow Flowers – which was published in the spring of 2013, quickly followed by the debut of the Slow Flowers Podcast. The Slow Flowers Movement was born with the book, the podcast, and slowflowers.com, and what an amazing decade we’ve experienced ever since! As part of my announcement last week, I shared these observations: We have achieved so much in the Slow Flowers Community during the past decade – and we have YOU to thank. Your shared passion for promoting local, seasonal, and sustainable flowers has propelled Slow Flowers to become an international phrase, used in millions of hashtags around the world. #slowflowers has generated more than 200 million social media impressions in the past four years alone. The term is much more recognizable and powerful that merely using “local flowers,” because SLOW instantaneously communicates a wider range of values than just geographic proximity. We believe in the sustainable and ethical practices outlined in our Slow Flowers Manifesto, and our members are the embodiment of those values. We have grown to 750 members – flower farmers, floral designers, and farmer florists who align with our mission Inspiring the floral industry and its consumers to embrace local, seasonal, and sustainable flowers. Our goals are many,