Repairs are underway at FernTrust. David Register shares with us the impact on his farm and the region.

David Register is a stand-up guy. Despite significant damage to his farm from Hurricane Irma, he’s promising an amazing American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour at FernTrust in Seville, Florida, on Nov. 18. In fact, he thinks the hurricane presented the perfect opportunity to really educate guests about how fern and foliage farmers handle whatever Mother Nature deals them – and bounce back in record time.

Register, executive vice president at FernTrust, rebounded in a matter of

If our map has a blank look on its face, it’s because we’re just getting started with identifying stops for the 2018 American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour.

The Society of American Florists recently announced that the American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour has been awarded the “2017 Marketer of the Year.”

As we ramp up for our fourth year of this wildly successful tour – bragging timeout: the tour just won Marketer of the Year from the Society of American Florists (SAF)! [“Field to Vase Dinner Tour Wins Marketer of the Year“] – we’re busy asking flower farmers, florists, wholesalers, flower designers and our sponsors where we should stop in 2018.

We’re canvassing the country, checking out locations and looking to shine the spotlight on America’s best flower farms, floral designers and communities that exemplify the growing support and movement for American Grown Flowers.

Got a suggestion for the perfect location? Email us at  info@AmericanGrownFlowers.org and tell us why the American Grown Dinner Tour should stop in.

The American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour has earned the 2017 Marketer of the Year Award from the Society of American Florists’ (SAF) Floral Management magazine.

The prestigious award recognizes original, highly successful marketing campaigns that increase awareness and the overall sales of cut flowers. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize sponsored by Design Master Color Tool Inc.

The official presentation of the award and prize, scheduled to take place at the SAF Annual Convention in Palm Beach, Florida, was instead made today via a Facebook Live event hosted by SAF due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irma. SAF cancelled its convention earlier this week.

“Marketer of the Year judges were impressed with the American Grown Field to Vase Dinner campaign on several fronts. It was so professionally executed – the branding is beautiful and carried throughout all elements of the campaign so thoroughly. And the media pickup was impressive. But what the judges really liked was that it is a smart and effective use of experiential marketing,” described Kate Penn, SAF chief content and publishing officer. “The campaign immerses the consumer in a floral experience in such a unique way – they’re on the farm with the farmers and the designers, and then they’re surrounded by the beautifully designed flowers during the dinner, and then they leave with their own bouquet. As one of the judges commented, ‘when a consumer experiences flowers in this way, it’s a win for the industry.’”

“The Field to Vase Dinner Tour has certainly inspired a national conversation about the importance of buying American Grown Flowers, while providing an intriguing way for consumers to show their support,” said Kasey Cronquist, administrator for Certified American Grown. “Thanks to the vision and commitment of our flower farmers, the Certified American Grown logo is now the largest consumer-facing brand in the floral industry, spotlighting the homegrown origin of flowers.”

The American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour, now in its third year, is a cross-country series of elegant, intimate pop-up gatherings located on flower and foliage farms from coast to coast. Seasonal, homegrown and sustainable blooming flowers dazzle on beautiful tablescapes elegantly dressed by top U.S. floral designers, while scrumptious meals are prepared by local farm-to-table chefs.

Click the image above to watch a video created in celebration of the Marketer of the Year Award

At each unique meal and through the accompanying farm tour and design demonstrations, guests, who attend from all areas of the country, make a personal connection between flowers and agriculture as part of America’s floral landscape. Along the way, they experience the age-old art and science of flower farming while being served platters of delicious, seasonal and locally grown fare through four courses, including specialty desserts accompanied by vintage wines, micro-brewed beers and floral-inspired cocktails.

Each event includes a tour of the host farm by the resident farmer and a floral design demonstration with one of the nation’s premier floral designers.

The American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour is annually presented by Certified American Grown Flowers, a unified and diverse coalition of U.S. flower farmers, including small and large farms located throughout the country. Certified farms participate in an independent, third-party supply chain audit to verify U.S. origin and assembly of the flowers they grow.

The dinner tour has been featured in Sunset Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Martha Stewart’s online blog and in local print and broadcast media in nearly every city it visits. The American Grown Field to Vase Dinner format was also recently adopted by a floral industry group in Canada that deemed its event “Petals to Plates.”

Previous winners of the Marketer of the Year award, now in its 24th year, include an app that drives customer loyalty and engagement, a re-imagined florist’s business in Pennsylvania and a campaign to celebrate Women’s Day in the U.S.

As the Marketer of the Year Award winner, the American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour will be the cover story on the September 2017 issue of Floral Management.  Read the Floral Management feature story here.

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About Certified American Grown Flowers

Launched on July 1, 2014, Certified American Grown represents a unified and diverse coalition of U.S. flower farms, including small and large entities in multiple states across the country. Certified American Grown flower farms participate in an independent, third-party supply-chain audit to verify both origin and assembly of the flowers they grow. When it appears on bouquets, bunches and other packaging or store signage, the Certified American Grown brand and logo give consumers confidence in the source of their flowers and assures them that the flowers they purchase come from a domestic American flower farm. For more information about Certified American Grown flowers, visit www.americangrownflowers.org or Facebook/AmericanGrownFlowers.

Certified American Grown Flowers has selected Where Food Comes From Inc. (WFCF) as its official exclusive third-party certifier.

The new partnership will be launched via video conference on September 14, introducing the team at WFCF and highlighting  program improvements as well as  the new benefits of the Certified program going forward.

WFCF is an agriculture-focused certification company that specializes in origin claims for food and products. Based in Castle Rock, Colorado, WFCF has over 20 years of experience with source verification programs and is recognized as the No. 1 provider of certification and verification services to the food industry.

“WFCF’s depth of experience, paired with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for the great potential they see in further developing Certified American Grown, will really help take our program to another level,” said Kasey Cronquist, administrator for Certified American Grown.

Millions of stems of flowers are now Certified American Grown every year to help consumers quickly identify homegrown blooms at point of purchase.

Certified American Grown is the largest consumer-facing brand in the floral industry, communicating the importance of origin and buying American Grown Flowers.

With WFCF in place, Certified American Grown has created a new online audit processing system that streamlines the procedure  for farms seeking to earn this valuable certification for marketing and increasing sales.

Earning certification as an American Grown flower farm not only communicates the homegrown origin of a farm’s flowers and foliage, it also  helps consumers quickly make purchasing decisions based on their understanding of quality, sustainability, seasonality, freshness and consistency.

The American Grown Flowers brand symbolizes a unified and diverse coalition of U.S. flower farms representing small and large entities across the country. Together, the brand and its logo give consumers confidence in the homegrown source of their flowers and assure them that the bouquets and bunches they purchase come from an American flower-farming family.

“The Certified American Grown national marketing program that we’ve really does help drive our sales,” explains Rita Jo Shoultz, owner of Alaska Perfect Peonies. “It’s the only guarantee in the floral industry and our customers tell us they are seeing sales increase in their stores with the Certified American Grown logos.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to be selected as the exclusive certification company for Certified American Grown,” shared Leann Saunders, co-founder and COO of Where Food Comes From. “We see great potential for this program. Combined with our certification experience within the agricultural industry, we’re excited to see this program grow for America’s flower farmers.”

While standing on the property that would eventually become Hope Flower Farm, floral designer and flower farmer Holly Chapple let her imagination run wild, imagining a flower festival held in the gently sloping fields and impressive barns.

Holly’s dream expanded after she purchased the farm and witnessed the tranquility the location brought to the floral designers who traveled to spend time there learning and renewing their passion for their craft.

And as she created a playground for floral design and teaching, Holly’s vision was enhanced, opening the door to bringing the American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour to Hope Flower Farm in Waterford, Virginia, on Oct. 8, just a day before “Flowerstock,” Holly’s visionary flower festival.

Click here to watch the Flowerstock video shared by Holly Chapple on Instagram.

Flower lovers won’t want to miss out on the opportunity to experience Hope Flower Farm, meet Holly and dine in the flower fields at this, the next stop on the American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour.

Guests will be transported by the historic charm of the grounds located in the heart of Loudoun County’s breathtaking countryside. The farm is a tranquil retreat, design facility and destination (also a registered bed and breakfast) where American Grown Flowers and floral designers grow together.

The historic site was once a working dairy farm and has several impressive barns and a stone Quaker house dating back to 1820.

Holly will bring her signature lush and wistful floral design style to the dining table, and guests will enjoy a four-course artisanal meal that includes wine, craft beer and custom cocktail parings.

A reception, a farm tour and a floral design demonstration are part of the experience.

The dinner is the perfect kickoff to Flowerstock, scheduled for Oct. 9-10 on the farm.

Now in its second year, Flowerstock features demonstrations and talks by renowned floral designers, flower play, live music, food trucks, barn dancing, campfires and glamping.

Don’t miss out on this one-two punch for flower fans. Reserve your seat and the Field to Vase Dinner and follow that once-in-a-lifetime experience up by attending Flowerstock.

Floral designer Kelly Shore was an early adopter of the locavore flower movement. In 2010, after moving to the Washington, D.C., area from the midwest, Kelly began working with nearby flower farms to include locally grown flowers in the wedding bouquets she was creating. She also got involved in farm-to-table dinners being held in the region.

Kelly Shore of Petals by the Shore is the featured designer for our next Field to Vase Dinner in Homer, AK.

And just like that, she was hooked on American Grown Flowers.

Kelly developed a unique, lush garden style that includes myriad flower varieties and foliage – because she knows texture makes all the difference and bold color combinations bring the wow factor.

Always an innovator, Kelly embarked on a year-long project at one of her Maryland flower farms where she designed seasonal photo shoots to highlight how event designers might use 100 percent locally grown flowers, foliage and plants to create bouquets, centerpieces and wedding ceremony decor. The project highlighted how the quality and variety of flowers available locally was more important – and more beautiful – than creating cookie-cutter designs. The project was featured in industry magazines.

Kelly led the design team for the annual First Lady’s Luncheon in Washington, D.C. on May 4, 2017.

But Kelly wasn’t done being imaginative. In May 2017, she led a 20-person volunteer team to design the floral decor for the annual First Lady’s Luncheon in Washington, D.C., where 18,000 Certified American Grown stems were featured in every single floral design at the event.

Imagine being able to soak up Kelly’s expertise, design prowess and love for local flowers. Now you can!

As the featured designer for the Homer, Alaska Field to Vase dinner, Kelly will also host a design workshop at this stunning locale.

Guests at the American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour on July 29 in Homer, Alaska, can learn alongside Kelly at a design workshop Friday, July 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at Scenic Place Peonies. (Add the workshop when you reserve your dinner seat. Already attending? Add the workshop today!)

The workshop will include a light breakfast and hands-on training on how you can incorporate Alaska’s highly coveted peony blossoms into a show-stopping centerpiece.

Kelly will guide participants from beginning to end as she discusses how to choose blooms and the supporting flowers and foliage. You’ll also receive professional images of you designing and the finished product, and you’ll take home  your centerpiece made of all American Grown Flowers.

It’s not every day that you can design alongside one of the country’s premier designers who’s passionate about designing with American Grown Flowers.

Make the most of your entire Alaskan experience by adding Kelly’s workshop to your visit. Only a few spots remain!

Register now!

Just before the Congressional Club’s First Lady’s Luncheon in Washington, D.C., on May 4, I had the opportunity to meet first lady Melania Trump at a reception. It was an opportunity I wanted to make the most of. After all, it’s not every day you meet the first lady of the United States; and her husband’s position on “buy American” initiatives meant this could be the chance of a lifetime to share the “origin matters” message on behalf of America’s flower farmers.

Once she had finished taking photos with prior guests, I approached the first lady, reached for her hand and

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday June 27, Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) introduced a bipartisan resolution designating July as “American Grown Flowers Month.” Co-sponsored by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03), Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Rep. Duncan Hunter (CA-50), Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Rep. Don Young (AK-1), Rep. Jared Huffman (CA02), and Rep. Darrell Issa (CA-49), House Resolution 413 declares July as the month to celebrate the economic and cultural impact of America’s cut flower and greens farmers and demonstrate Congress’ commitment to support America’s flower farming families.

Click to Watch: Rep. Carbajal Speaks on House Floor in Support of American Grown Flowers Month

Congressman Carbajal spoke from the House Floor, introducing the legislation and encouraging fellow members of Congress to support American Grown Flowers Month.

“I have seen firsthand the value the cut flower industry adds to our economy and communities during my