https://youtu.be/WyNiGHbJz48?si=XFhufDuhKnwbDi0c

What can flower people learn from tree collectors? For Amy Stewart, whose 2007 book “Flower Confidential” ignited the spark of the Slow Flowers Movement, the tree world is filled with people who are as equally fascinating and inspiring as the flower world contains. Amy and I discuss her new book, its 50 vignettes of remarkable people whose lives have been transformed by their passion for trees, as well as her approach to writing and illustrating humans and their beloved specimens.

Amy Stewart (c) Scott Brown

I’m so thrilled today to share my recent conversation with Amy Stewart. The New York Times best-selling author of The Tree Collectors, The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and several other popular nonfiction titles about the natural world, Amy is best known in the Slow Flowers community for writing Flower Confidential – the Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers – in 2007. She wrote the foreword to my 2012 book that launched the Slow Flowers Movement, The 50 Mile Bouquet, and I’m honored to call Amy a friend.

Amy has also written several novels in her beloved Kopp Sisters series, which are based on the true story of one of America’s first female deputy sheriffs and her two rambunctious sisters – there are seven books in the series and you’ll want to read them all.

Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide and have been translated into 18 languages. Amy lives in Portland with her husband Scott Brown, a rare book dealer who can usually be found at his shop, Downtown Brown Books.

Today, you’ll learn about The Tree Collectors, and Amy and I discuss the connections between the tree community and the floral community.

When Amy discovered the universe of tree collectors, she expected to meet horticultural fanatics driven to plant every species of oak or maple.

But she also discovered that the urge to collect trees springs from something deeper and more profound: a longing for community, a vision for the future, or a path to healing and reconciliation.

In this slyly humorous, informative, quite poignant volume, Amy shares captivating stories of people who spend their lives in pursuit of rare and wonderful trees and are transformed in the process.

The Memorialist: Linda Miles, Netherton, England, illustrated by Amy Stewart

The Arboreal Therapist, Janusz Radecki, Pruszcz, Poland, illustrated by Amy Stewart

I’m delighted that Amy has populated her lively tree compendium with her own hand-drawn watercolor portraits of the extraordinary people and their trees, interspersed with side trips to investigate famous tree collections, arboreal glossaries, and even tips for “unauthorized” forestry. This book is a stunning tribute to a devoted group of nature lovers making their lives—and the world—more beautiful, one tree at a time.

The Landscape Architect, Diane Jones Allen, New Orleans, Louisiana, illustrated by Amy Stewart

Learn More:Book Tour for The Tree CollectorsSubscribe to Amy's Newsletter: “It’s Good to Be Here” Listen to Episode 140 (May 2014), Amy Stewart's past guest appearance on the Slow Flowers Podcast

News of the Week

Summer is in full swing, and I just want to take a moment to celebrate the exciting news that just appeared in last week’s New York Times!

Writer Amanda McCracken’s piece, “Your Wedding Flowers Could be in Your Backyard,” blew up the web with excitement from our Slow Flowers community.

She writes: “Ms. Prinzing attributes the rising interest in local flora partly to social media, where couples and florists have shared photos of romantic bouquets featuring nonconventional flowers,” and also quotes a talented lineup of our @slowflowerssociety members:

Jessica Stewart, @bramble_blossom_pgh; Lennie Larkin, @b.side.farm.flowers; Heather Henson, @borealblooms; and Becky Feasby, @prairiegirlflowers.

The response from our social media community underscores ...