Episode 787: Floral journalist Jill Brooke on her new book, “The Genius of Flowers”

https://youtu.be/ISLSuR2MQEA?si=OxJ43x9BJ_YyNlhJ

In The Genius of Flowers, award-winning journalist and flower historian Jill Brooke reveals a truth that resonates: flowers are not passive, fragile objects. They don’t suffer in silence—they are master strategists, adapting, collaborating, and thriving through ice ages, climate shifts, and constant change. Blending science, history, and personal growth, this eye-opening book explores the meaning of flowers, the symbolism of flowers, and how nature’s intelligence can guide us toward resilience, happiness, and success.Jill is an award-winning journalist, former CNN correspondent, and founder of Flower Power Daily, an online platform celebrating the beauty and meaning of flowers. A columnist for Florists’ Review magazine and recipient of the American Institute of Floral Designers’ Merit Award, she brings decades of storytelling experience to the world of flowers. Through her work, she explores the intersection of flowers, culture, wellness, and human connection. We recently recorded a conversation about The Genius of Flowers, as Jill introduces her new book to the Slow Flowers Community.

Jill Brooke describes herself as a flower historian. She is a gardener; she lives on a flower farm from the 1790s; and she documents the stories of flowers through the lens of a journalist. For every major news story or world event, Jill identifies the flower “angle,” the connection between the flower world and the rest of the universe.

In her introduction to “The Genius of Flowers,” she writes: “People often dismiss flowers because they fade. But that’s precisely their genius. Their beauty if fleeting by design – a reminder to pay attention now, not later. They bloom to teach presence, not permanence. If they lasted forever, we’d stop noticing.”

She concludes . . . “One should never mistake a flower’s softness for weakness. Flowers have their own way of knowing, one deeply attuned to the rhythms of the Earth, the turning of the seasons, and survival. The power of the flower has toppled empires, crowned monarchs, and mended hearts, and it has been history’s most impressive peacemaker – a task very much needed in these times.”

In my conversation with Jill, we discuss the many ways flowers can float into and intersect with our lives. Her book is a curation of chapters meant to inspire, and to offer ways to access the power of flowers in your own life.

Order The Genius of FlowersFollow Jill Brooke on Instagram and Facebook

NEWS: Slow Flowers Summit 2017 -- Meet our Speakers

Top Row, from left: Leslie Bennett, Melissa Olson, Nichole Skalski, and Hannah MullerBottom Row, from left: Jacqueline Pham, Kristine Albrecht, Jennifer McClendon, and Jim Salyards

We’re thrilled to announce our speaker lineup for the 2027 Slow Flowers Summit! In developing our program, we have invited inspiring presenters for the 10th annual conference, live and in-person, June 20-22, 2027 at Filoli Historic House and Garden in Woodside, California.

This is a reunion of sorts because we’re welcoming author and landscape designer Leslie Bennett, owner of Pine House Edible Gardens to the stage – she is also the founder of the Black Sanctuary Gardens project in Oakland and the Bay Area – and Leslie was a speaker at our first Slow Flowers Summit in 2017! In addition to sharing the story of Black Sanctuary Gardens and the ways you can incorporate your mission and values into your floral enterprise, Leslie will be joined in a second presentation by her team members as they speak about and demonstrate the idea of creating a “Landscape for Your Vase” – a topic that will appeal to gardeners, growers, and florists.

We’ve made a commitment to a Slow Flowers California celebration, and our speakers represent member flower farmers, farmer-florists and designers from the Golden State. Others include floral designers Melissa Olson of Penflora Designs, Nichole Skalski of California Sister Floral Design, Jennifer McClendon of JenniFl