A perfect match: American-grown flowers for Syndicate Sales’ American-made vases

Syndicate’s Gold glass cylinder — available in 4-inch and 5-inch diameters and also available in a pretty Rose Gold finish.
Getting ready for our June Slow Flowers workshop at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh

This is the second year that Syndicate Sales has supported the Slow Flowers Movement as a sponsor and we think it’s a perfect fit to pair Syndicate’s American-made glass vases with the local, seasonal and domestic blooms grown by Slow Flowers members.

You can learn more about Syndicate Sales’ story in this interview with Syndicate’s Anne Graves, featured guest inĀ Slow Flowers Podcast Episode 229.

Our partnership provides a perfect way to educate readers, listeners, audience members and floral design workshop participants about the value of keeping our floral purchases local, and the benefit of sourcing American-made floral hardgoods, supplies and accessories.

On numerous occasions over the past year, I’ve incorporated Syndicate’s vases into Slow Flowers events and classes. I wanted to show off three recent events here. Collectively, the photos tell the story of how beautiful it is when people know the origin of the flowers and supplies used in their own floral design, right?

FIRST & BLOOM’S “FRIDAY NIGHT FLOWERS”

Together, more than one dozen bud vases add up to a pretty display (c) Missy Palacol Photography
Tammy Myers of First & Bloom (left) with Missy Palacol of Missy Palacol Photography.

Earlier this month, Slow Flowers member Tammy Myers of First & Bloom invited me to attend her special event for Seattle area lifestyle bloggers — a hands-on floral design workshop and happy hour on her beautiful farm in Fall City. She gave me a chance to share the Slow Flowers story, which I believe is one of the reasons for Tammy’s strong branding in her floral business.

Sometimes, simple is best, right? I had lots of fun playing with these classic Syndicate Sales’ bud vases. (c) Missy Palacol Photography

I knew that photographer Missy Palacol, Tammy’s frequent collaborator, would be in attendance to document the evening’s festivities and I asked Tammy if she thought it would be okay for me to bring a set of Syndicate Sales’ vintage-inspired bud vases to create a vignette and she said “of course.” It was fun to send each participant home with one of the classic 6-inch bud vases, extras from Syndicate’s donation earlier this summer to the Slow Flowers Summit (see next section).

Tammy suggested I arrive early, which was a lovely idea on a warm, August evening. Her setting was playful, vintage and modern-country in its vibe. A cherished floral cloth covered one of tables where I set up a grouping of bud vases, adding stems of summer annuals to show how to make a statement with tiny vessels displayed together.

“Hoosier Glass” — Love this nod to the bud vases’ American-made origin. (c) Missy Palacol Photography

And lucky me, Missy arrived early, too, so she started snapping away, capturing a lovely series of images. I think one of my favorites is the basket caddy with the empty bud vases stacked upside down. Missy sees beauty where others may not. Here, you can see how she admired the “Hoosier Glass” imprint on the bottom of the bud vases, a nod to Syndicate Sales’ hometown of Kokomo, Indiana (the Hoosier State).

SLOW FLOWERS SUMMIT DECOR

Bouqets displayed in Syndicate’s glass vases adorned the July 2nd Slow Flowers Summit in Seattle (c) Hannah Brenland and Luke Holtgeerts
Our Summit stage came to life with beautiful, local Pacific Northwest and American-grown blooms, displayed in a variety of Syndicate Sales’ glass vases. (c) Hannah Brenlan and Luke Holtgeerts

On July 2nd, we held the first Slow Flowers Summit, a one day symposium for progressive members of the Slow Flowers Community. The timing celebrated our American Flowers Week campaign, the third annual week-long event to promote American-grown flowers.

Syndicate Sales donated more than 100 of its USA-made bud vases for our attendees’ swag bags, a fun take-home gift that continued one of the messages discussed at the Summit: putting a priority on sourcing domestically and sustainably.

Alaska peonies, Oregon roses and other delightful PNW-grown botanicals — all donated for the Summit decor. (c) Hannah Brenlan and Luke Holtgeerts
Syndicate’s Ivy Bowl
Syndicate’s Sophia Vase

Syndicate also shipped us a fabulous case from its Garden Collection of USA-made glass vases, showcasing an assortment of traditional and contemporary styles. These vases appeared throughout the Summit venue, on the stage, buffet counter and check in tables. Filled with beautiful local blooms, the vases added floral accents as the everpresent topic of the day.

A very special thank you to our volunteer designers who created the arrangements: Speakers Riz Reyes and Nicole Cordier Wahlquist, and Lacey Leinbaugh, Jason Chen and Agnes Cwalina.

And more thanks goes to our flower donors: Peterkort Roses, Arctic Alaska Peonies, Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, Field to Heart, Suot Farms, Crowley House Flower Farm and Sweet Posy Floral.

SLOW FLOWERS @ PHIPPS CONSERVATORY

A student arrangement using local, western PA-grown blooms with a Syndicate USA-made glass vase.
Some of our students with their arrangements ~ all so happy with their results!
Another gorgeous creation from this workshop.
Love this palette of local blooms in a gold-glass cylinder Syndicate vase.

In late June, I traveled to Pittsburgh where I led a two-part workshop called “American Beauty,” at the famed Phipps Conservatory. After my lecture on the resurgence of American flower farms andĀ increased consumer demand for local, seasonal and sustainable flowers, we jumped into the hands-on design portion of the evening.

The workshop had a lot going in its favor, from the 100% enthusiasm and engagement of the students to the locally-grown western Pennsylvania blooms we sourced from two farm, including Slow Flowers memberĀ Pisarcik Greenhouses and also Goose Creek Farms.

The tall gathering vase was ideal for the larkspur and delphinium!

Syndicate Sales’ USA-made glass added another important detail – and message – to the educational component, important because this workshop fulfilled credit requirements for Phipps’ Floral Design Certificate Program.

I selected two glass vases styles, suitable for a vertical arrangement (8-inch, “ivy” green Gathering Vase) and a lower, wide arrangement (5-inch, “gold” cylinder vase)

Together local flowers — fresh and seasonal botanicals — and American-made glass vases came together with gorgeous results. Enjoy some of the arrangements created by our students.

Local and beautiful!
A bonus! The amazing team from St. Lynn’s Press — Chloe, Holly and Cathy — joined me for the evening. St. Lynn’s Press is the hometown book publisher in Pittsburgh, and the publisher of Slow Flowers and The 50 Mile Bouquet.
My demo arrangement in the Gathering Vase (left) and students concentrating on their creations (right).

Want to learn more about Syndicate Sales’ USA-made line of products? Click here to download the full catalog.

Debra Prinzing

Debra Prinzing is a Seattle-based writer, speaker and leading advocate for American-grown flowers. Through her many Slow Flowers-branded projects, she has convened a national conversation that encourages consumers and professionals alike to make conscious choices about their floral purchases. Debra is the producer of SlowFlowers.com, the weekly "Slow Flowers Podcast" and the American Flowers Week (June 28-July 4) campaign. Debra is author of 11 books, including Slow Flowers (2013), The 50 Mile Bouquet (2012) and Slow Flowers Journal (2020). She is the co-founder of BLOOM Imprint, the boutique publishing arm of Slow Flowers.

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Slow Flowers Journal is brought to you by SlowFlowers.com. Slow Flowers is an award-winning online directory created to help consumers find florists, studio designers, wedding and event planners, supermarket flower departments and flower farmers that supply American grown flowers. Founded in 2014, the site has grown to 850 members across the U.S.

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For more information, please contact Debra Prinzing
at 206-769-8211 or 844-SLOWFLO (844-756-9356); debra(at)slowflowers.com.