A few years ago I had the pleasure of attending a Texas-swing Field to Vase dinner at a flower farm in Blanco as the guest of Debra Prinzing, founder of Slow Flowers, which advocates for using American-grown flowers in the U.S. floral industry. Debra is also co-founder, with Robin Avni, of a boutique publishing company called BLOOM Imprint, which showcases floral personalities, creatives, farmers, and artisans.

Their latest publication is the beautiful book Black Flora: Profiles of Inspiring Black Flower Farmers + Florists by Teresa J. Speight. Teri is a garden-writer friend of mine — her website is Cottage in the Court — and she’ll be speaking at my Garden Spark speaker series in October. So I was excited to read her new book!

I’m not familiar with the floral-design or flower-farming industries, but that’s not a prerequisite for enjoying the book, which is really about people, specifically Black people in the U.S. who grow and/or work with flowers. Teri shares the inspiring stories of 23 floral creatives and growers, highlighting the work of Black entrepreneurs in an industry that can seem very White.

Black Flora shows just how diverse floristry actually is, not only in terms of numbers of Black business owners but also through the variety of work they do. Teri profiles botanical artists, floral designers, floral activists, flower farmers, creative directors, and horticultural therapists from across the U.S.

Along with the stories of each person’s journey into the floral industry, the book showcases gorgeous examples of their work. It’s sure to inspire young people of color — or anyone considering jumping into floristry from another career path — to think of floral design or flower farming as something they can do too.

Black Flora is a beautiful book about people and the flowers and work they love, who have long been overlooked as Black creatives in a largely White industry. Their stories are uplifting and inspiring. As Teri writes, “[Y]ounger generations of Black plant-lovers are seeking inspiring examples of successful floral artists and entrepreneurs. When they see their potential — through the representation of people who look like them in farming and floristry — possibilities for the future enable their dreams.”

Disclosure: I bought a copy of Black Flora and reviewed it at my own discretion and without any compensation. This post, as with everything at Digging, is my personal opinion. Photos from Black Flora courtesy of BLOOM Imprint.

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Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.