Happy Thanksgiving from the Slow Flowers Cutting Garden

Two bonus arrangements to showcase my fall mums

Vintage creamware urn with fall foliage and orange-copper chrysanthemums
Vintage creamware urn with fall foliage and orange-copper chrysanthemums
My second arrangement in a handmade Kara Wise vase.
My second arrangement in a handmade Karra Wise vase.

In the weeks leading up to today, Thanksgiving Day, I have continued my year-long “Slow Flowers Revisited” series, a project to redesign each of the 52 weekly floral arrangements I originally created for my 2013 book, Slow Flowers: Four Seasons of Locally Grown Bouquets from the Garden, Meadow and Farm.

Mums, and more
Mums, and more
Cotinus
Cotinus — wow!

The dahlias are over, and there’s hasn’t been much left in the garden, bloom-wise, other than our diehard but tiny roses. But . . . I have been waiting to use the gorgeous chrysanthemums all season! I grew several varieties from small starts in 2022, but only one survived last winter and returned this season. It is incredibly prolific.

Glorious mum petal detail
Glorious mum petal detail

I’ve been interviewing so many flower farmers lately, and in answer to my question about pinching my mums, the advice is so varied! But I didn’t pinch or disbud this year, and as a result, the stems produced voluptuous sprays of multiple flowers.

I created two arrangements using the same ingredients:

  • Chrysanthemums (variety unrecalled)
  • Ferns
  • Golden Cotinus
  • Cotinus ‘Grace’
  • Ninebark ‘Diabolo’
  • Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

More Details:

Cranberry viburnum
One lone stem of cranberry viburnum adds a glossy touch
Foliage details
Foliage and Ferns
Glorious mum petal detail
Glorious mum petal detail

The colors are so varied and as the days have passed, it has been fascinating to watch the ferns dry and become wheat-colored, as well as watching the changes in the foliage. And through it all, those mums continue to look pretty amazing.

Note to self: Add more mums to the garden next spring. They are a beautiful remedy for the bloom-deprived at this time of the year!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, friends!

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.

Subscribe to SlowFlowers newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list

Powered by Robly

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.

FOLLOW US ON

Media Contact:

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