In this episode of Mornings with Mayesh, host Yvonne Ashton welcomes Lyn Graves, President of the North Carolina State Florist Association (NCSFA), for an eye-opening discussion about the often-overlooked powerhouse of the floral industry: state floral associations. Lyn unpacks the treasure trove of benefits these organizations offer, from skill-bu…

Welcome to the replay of our latest Mornings with Mayesh episode, where Yvonne Ashton, our Director of Marketing, delves into the heart of the floral industry to bring you inspiring stories and innovative ideas. If you missed our live session, you're in for a treat! In this episode, we had the pleasure of hosting Madison Lee and Thalia Esparza from…

In this exciting episode, Yvonne Ashton sits down with Jazmin Albarran, MBA, the Executive Director of Seed Your Future (SYF), for an in-depth conversation about inspiring the next generation of plant and flower professionals. Discover the incredible work SYF is doing to promote horticulture and expand career opportunities in the field. Jazmin shar…

In this week's episode, host Yvonne Ashton sits down with Becky Hillis, the Creative Director of Accent Decor, for an enlightening conversation about the latest trends in floral hardgoods and what the future holds for the industry. Accent Decor has been a leading innovator in the floral world, consistently setting trends with their exquisite cerami…

Angelina Prikhodko, the owner of Fleur Studio, offers valuable advice and insights for running a successful retail flower shop. From the importance of building a strong relationship with a sales rep to the significance of branding and niche, Angelina shares her experiences and lessons learned. She also discusses her plans for the future, including …

Join us in this captivating episode of Mornings with Mayesh, where Yvonne Ashton is joined by David Dahlson, Amy Balsters, and Joey Azout from Alexandra Farms to delve into the enchanting world of garden roses. Gain valuable insights into the meticulous care and cultivation of these exquisite blooms, discover their favorite varieties, tips for wedd…

Abby has taken our sustainability conversation to another level while taking on topics of sustainability within retail and sympathy design. I’m excited to be able to dive in deeper with her while discussing the importance of profitability, imposter syndrome, barriers to sustainable practices for the average florist, and more! Visit our blog for the…

Ryan O'Neil, the CEO and founder of Curate, joined Yvonne in a live session aimed at equipping us with the knowledge and strategies we need to thrive in the upcoming year of 2024. With his wealth of expertise and innovative mindset, Ryan delved into a plethora of pivotal topics that lie at the heart of business success. Among the crucial subjects t…

In support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Yvonne sat down for an interview with Brooke Raulerson AIFD, CFD, a floral designer who is battling breast cancer. Brooke bravely shares her journey and emphasizes the importance of self-advocacy and support. She discusses her experience with doctors and the need to push for answers and second opinions. …

Alyssa Lytle of Flowering Minds Education and our August & September Mayesh Design Star joined me for a continued conversation on sustainability! We chatted about her innovative & creative design mechanics that have been showcased over the last two months - think hardware store items like wire shelving & bird suet cages - along with her thoughts on…

Yesterday, Yvonne had so much fun delving into the world of floral design with Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht. Kristen is a renowned floral designer and author of the book "Flower Love". He shares his journey in the industry, the challenges he faced, and the valuable lessons he learned along the way. Kristen also discusses his new book and dives into…

Alison Ellis of Real Flower Business offers invaluable business insights into the the process of pricing wedding arrangements and designs. We discuss how to ensure you are profitable, how to ensure you are not over buying flowers, how to handle substitutions, whether or not you should set minimums, and every in between. Alison gives you the insight…

Welcome to the replay of our first segment of our Fall Flower Festival! Gilberto Espinoza of Dogwood & Fir is my first guest and will be creating a large autumn inspired urn arrangement perfect for weddings. While he is designing, we chat about how he got his start in floral design, photography, the un-importance of trends, social media, sustainabi…

Last month, we introduced our 3rd Mayesh Design Star of 2023, Pilar Zuniga of Gorgeous and Green and I’m very excited to share her live interview from earlier this week! She is a sustainable & eco-friendly florist, an advocate & speaker Since 2008, she was name a 2023 Top 50 Wedding Florists in North America by Florists’ Review, and is a host for t…

Our 2nd Mayesh Design Star of 2023, Heather Sardela of Blossom & Bone Florals, was my special guest earlier this week. We chatted about different ways florists can become more sustainable beyond design mechanics that you may not have thought about like composting, working with local ceramicists, paying living wages, and more. What are some sustaina…

The ever-inspiring author, educator, and florist, Sue Mcleary joined us to discuss “Flowers for All”, her brand new book filled with modern floral arrangements for beauty, joy, and mindfulness every day”. Sue wrote this book for all flower people, not just obsessed florists like herself. Learn more about this wonderful publication featuring thirty …

On Tuesday, Amy Balsters of The Floral Coach, joined Yvonne to chat about our recently launched Mayesh X The Floral Coach Design Tour. Amy dove into the curriculum and shared why learning proper spiral bouquet mechanics and color theory is critical, along with talking about the value that is provided with each included component of our in-person wo…

Our very own flower expert, David Dahlson, was our guest for the second time last week! In this episode, David put together a show 'n tell of a selection of our stunning Japanese flowers that are now available! The lineup includes Sweet Peas, Ranunculus, Lisianthus, Cymbidiums, Litsea Cubeba, and Spirea. The season lasts about two and a half months…

Sustainability. It is so much more than the current buzzword and is a very important topic for our industry. Our first 2023 Mayesh Design Star, Sue Mcleary, joined Yvonne along with Holly Chapple, TJ McGrath, Debra Prinzing, Patrick Dahlson and David Dahlson. We defined what sustainability means, examined biodegradable, compostable, and reusable ma…

Steve Dionne, the Executive Director of CalFlowers, came to chat with us about a powerful campaign called That Flower Feeling. Whether or not you have heard of this campaign, we hope you stick around to learn more, hear how the campaign has done so far, what marketing assets are available to you, and understand how That Flower Feeling can uplift th…

Our very own flower expert, David Dahlson, was back on Mornings with Mayesh! David set up a show 'n tell of a handful of NEW flowers along with sharing some of his current seasonal faves that we know you are going to love! He kicks things off with stunning Hybrid Delph, Larkspur, Stock, and Duplo Asters that are open-cut! What does this mean for yo…

Sarah Campbell of Intrigue Teaches joined Yvonne to talk about all the work that is going into the 2022 Intrigued Experience Conference. Dive into the flowers, educators, venues, design trends, and more! If you have ever wondered what this gathering of inspired and driven floral designers is then be sure to tune in and learn about what brings these…

Earlier this week, Jelena Trifunovic of Viola Floral came to share her flower story with us. Jelena talks about how she ended up starting a business named after her mother, dives into how transitioning from teacher to florist went, how flowers were instrumental in her own healing, along with sharing about her passion for helping others understand t…

Have you always wanted a Food Network but for flowers? Well, it's here and it's called BloomTV!! This week, founder and CEO of BloomTV, Monica Michelle, shared why she started this new streaming network, talked about the episode "A Flower's Journey", and what she is planning next! Show notes & video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-bloomtv-monic…

Our latest Mayesh Design Star, Ashley Rodriguez of Garden & Grace Floral Design and Kimber Greenwood of Waterbear Photography sat down with Yvonne to take a deeper dive into their fantastical underwater shoot, chat about developing a great florist-photog relationship, and girl power! Show notes & video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-bts-of-the…