Podcast
Field and Garden with Lisa Mason Ziegler
Hosted by Lisa Mason Ziegler · EN
Join Lisa Mason Ziegler of The Gardener's Workshop on the Field and Garden Podcast talking flower farming, cut-flower gardening, business, and all things related!
50episodes
Episodes
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#377: Much to Learn from Dogs
Jan 1300:32:41Tap to summarizeWhat Dogs Teach Us About Flower Farming, Business, and JoyIf you love flowers and dogs, this one’s for you. In this episode, Lisa reflects on how the simple routines dogs love—like the same walk every day—can teach us powerful lessons about farming, business, and finding joy in repetition. Tune in to hear how consistency and calm can build not only better farms, but better lives.MentionsMental Aspect account on InstagramLisa BooksThe BIG Calendar-JournalDiscover our online courses!Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Transcribe →#355: Dave Dowling's June Q&A, Ask A Flower Farmer
Aug 12, 202500:21:45Tap to summarizeThis episode features a takeover of our popular weekly live Q&A session on Instagram, called Ask a Flower Farmer. It was guest-hosted by Dave Dowling of Ball/ColorLink, a former flower farmer and the instructor for our online course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More. Dave is always happy to share his knowledge with our listeners!Topics CoveredPeony care: fertilizer timing, summer watering, and planting in warm zonesDahlia care: watering needs, pests, mildew, pinching, and harvest techniquePest and disease basics: powdery mildew and spider mitesSunflowers and crop rotation: how to plant and when to amend bedsFoliage picks for cut flower farms and shade-friendly perennialsPractical reminders: soil tests, drip irrigation checks, harvest timesEpisode originally aired 6/25/25 on Instagram. Join Lisa and her guest hosts Wednesdays at 3:00PM Eastern time to get your cut flower growing questions answered by the experts!MentionsSouthern Peony: Growing Peonies in the SouthWalters Gardens, an online perennial wholesaler Dave's Course: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and More!Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Transcribe →#354: Lisa Talks Cool Flowers on The Dirt on Flowers Podcast
Aug 5, 202501:00:38Tap to summarizeIn this special episode of Field & Garden, we're thrilled to share an interview that originally aired on The Dirt on Flowers podcast. Lisa Mason Ziegler dives into the world of cool-season hardy annuals — what she calls “cool flowers” — and why fall planting can be a game-changer for flower farmers and gardeners alike. Whether you're new to the concept or looking to refine your approach, this conversation is full of practical tips, inspiration, and real-world insights. MentionsThe Dirt on Flowers Podcast: Website, Instagram, Apple MusicBook: Cool FlowersOnline Course: Cool Flowers from Seed to HarvestSign up to receive our weekly Farm News!Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Transcribe →#353: Top 5 Mistakes, Cool Flowers Edition (Encore)
Jul 29, 202500:19:35Tap to summarizeThese are the top 5 mistakes I see folks making related to Cool Flowers, don't be one of them!1. Not knowing your first & last frost dates, along with your lowest expected winter temperature2. Not preparing your garden beds ahead of time3. Not knowing how each seed prefers to be started (indoors or outside, direct sow vs transplants)4. Not providing the right environmental conditions seed sprouting and optimal seedling growth (light, temperature, air, and water)5. Failing to realize that you do NOT have to start all seeds yourself (plugs are an option!)Avoid these common mistakes to save time, money, and most importantly, your sanity!MentionsSilage TarpPlug Suppliers: Farmer Bailey, Ball Hort/ColorlinkCool Flower Seeds from The Gardener's WorkshopLisa's Book, Cool FlowersOnline Course: Cool Flowers from Seed to HarvestTGW Phone App/Live Shopping ShowShop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Transcribe →#352: Cool Flowers, Unveiling the Truth (Encore)
Jul 22, 202500:32:29Tap to summarizeIf you are a Southerner or a Northerner, you may think the Cool Flower concept doesn't work for you. Nothing could be further from the truth! When you find your planting time sweet spot, you will be the envy of all your grower friends, and your customers will think you are nothing short of a miracle worker!As a Southerner, I spent years at the farmers market watching customers love on my sweet peas and tell me why they can't be grown here - Ha!Meanwhile, I hear from my northern flower farming friends that they have become driven to find ways to get this plant family in the ground earlier and earlier each year to reap the benefits!Cool Flowers are for everyone. Myth busted, truth unveiled!Enjoy this week's episode for my best Cool Flower tips and recommendations for Southerners and Northerners.MentionsRequest the FREE webinar: 3 Foolproof Steps to Success with Cool FlowersLisa's Book, Cool FlowersRequest the Cool Flowers video book studyOnline Course: Cool Flowers from Seed to HarvestLisa's Book, The Cut Flower HandbookTGW Phone App/Live Shopping ShowShop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Transcribe →#351: Easy Flower Sales, Spring vs. Summer (Encore)
Jul 15, 202500:28:31Tap to summarizeStepping away and looking at the big picture, it is easy to see why and how we have been skipping over spring crops. Some of us go to extremes to get warm plants blooming sooner than they should be and others are still planting this family way too late to reap the rewards that well-established plants give. Warm-season plants are familiar, which makes them seem easier to grow.I want to fast forward to where this journey of embracing seasonality with cool-season hardy annuals can lead.This is a trend that I have seen over and over, and I think it is so smart. My first experience with flower farmers making a clear decision to move away from offering summer crops and focusing on spring and or fall crops was with good friends Megan and Jonathan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm in North Carolina. I met them before their babies came, and I watched as they started a family, lived the homesteading life, and grew cut flowers as a piece of their family life, not allowing it to consume them. They developed their model as an early to late spring offering flower farm.Now we're seeing more and more flower farmers realizing they can maintain control as they grow their businesses, molding them into a more manageable part of their life. I had the honor of visiting one of my student's farms a couple of years ago. She came to the rescue of furnishing some flower crops for a photo shoot for my newest book, The Cut Flower Handbook. I knew I wanted to revisit her farm with the team to learn and film about how she got into flower farming and where her journey is headed. I was thrilled to hear her story of creating a more manageable flower farming business. Our visit with Emma will be released as a Field & Garden podcast episode later this season. MentionsRequest the FREE webinar: 3 Foolproof Steps to Success with Cool FlowersLisa's Book, Cool FlowersOnline Course: Cool Flowers from Seed to HarvestEmma Mobley, End of Nowhere Flower Farm Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Transcribe →#350: Why Grow Annuals? (Encore)
Jul 8, 202500:24:25Tap to summarizeI stumbled into growing annuals. I initially began planting perennials, but I quickly saw the error of my ways - I was going to run out of space, QUICK!As my business was gaining more demand than flowers I had-- I became a little crazy figuring out how to make the most of my total property of 1.17 acres that also had my home and outbuildings.I already had a nice stand of hydrangeas in our landscape and thought-- bingo, use it all. But then I needed a consistent supply-- I didn't see it yet but annual plants were knocking down my door.Then I got it! To maximize my space and to have a consistent supply I needed annuals.What I discovered along that journey is that annuals are the perfect fit for the small-space flower farmer.It's the recommended way all farmers get started to learn how to farm, maintain, seed start, harvest, and find customers:Low investment,Max production small space,Constant ability to change up-colors & varieties,The annual system has been so misrepresentedA little-known reality of the "Annual Farmer" is that this style of farming can become an asset to your home. I could literally stop farming any day, plant trees or grass, and call it a life well lived.MentionsOnline Courses from The Gardener's WorkshopSign up to receive our weekly Farm News!Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Transcribe →#349: Lennie Larkin's May Q&A, Ask A Flower Farmer!
Jul 1, 202500:27:28Tap to summarize💐 Struggling with flower pricing or choosing the right crops? Get real-world advice from a seasoned flower farmer and coach on how to price confidently, pick profitable perennials, and deal with pesky pests like thrips. Whether you're just starting or growing your flower biz, these tips will help you build a thriving, sustainable farm.🌿 Learn how to:Set smart prices for retail and wholesaleUse foliage like raspberry & eucalyptus to boost bouquet valueGrow reliable, profitable perennialsManage pests with an ecological mindsetMentionsLennie’s Instagram: flowerfarming.forprofitLennie's online course: Profitable Flower FarmingThe Gardener’s Workshop on InstagramShop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!Sign up to receive our weekly Farm News!The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Transcribe →#348: Top 3 Perennials That Pull Their Weight with Dave Dowling
Jun 24, 202500:54:46Tap to summarizeDiscover the Top 3 Perennials that truly earn their keep on a cut flower farm! Join Lisa Mason Ziegler and Dave Dowling as they share expert advice on growing peonies, Baptisia, and sedum -perennials that offer high yield, low maintenance, and long-term profitability. Perfect for beginner and seasoned flower farmers alike.MentionsDave's Course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and MoreFlower Farming School Online: Growing Cut Flower Crops in Hoop and GreenhousesBall/Colorlink: plant brokerWalter's Gardens: perennial wholesalerAssociation of Specialty Cut Flower GrowersSign up to receive our weekly Farm News!Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
Transcribe →#347: Succession Success: Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, and Woodies
Jun 17, 202500:29:26Tap to summarizeReady to take your flower farming to the next level? Join Lisa Mason Ziegler as she shares how to transition from growing annuals to incorporating perennials, bulbs, and woodies into your operation. Learn how succession planting, smart crop choices, and careful planning can create a more sustainable and profitable business. Lisa offers real-life lessons, practical tips, and the encouragement every grower needs to grow confidently and thrive.MentionsLisa's Course: Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and MoreDave's Course: Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies, and MoreSign up to receive our weekly Farm News!Shop the TGW Online Store for all your seeds and supplies!The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-winning author of The Cut Flower Handbook, Vegetables Love Flowers, and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener’s Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa’s Story and connect with Lisa on social media!
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