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Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com R E A D O N L I N E 17 Joost Bongaerts, owner and president of Florabundance; Carpinteria, Calif. The American Grown Flower Movement Debra Prinzing, PFCI, who helped spark the American- grown flower movement, launched SlowFlowers.com in 2014 to connect consumers to florists, studio designers, wedding and event planners, supermarket flower departments and flower farmers who are committed to using American-grown flowers. Posy Blue, a flower retailer and grower in Meridian (Boise), Idaho, uses American-grown flowers exclusively. "We are committed to using sustainable practices in our designs, and we source only local and American- grown flowers, from my own cut flower garden and local growers, as well as from flower farms in California and Oregon. Every stem at Posy Blue is 100 percent American grown," says owner Roni Pladsen. "I believe that American-grown flowers make my designs more interesting, and they also last longer," says Blair Lynn, owner of Sweet Blossoms in Frederick, Md. "I'm happy to support our local flower farmers because supporting them means supporting our local infrastructure and also reducing my company's carbon footprint." Certified American Grown Certified American Grown (CAG) is an independent national trade association based in California and representing cut flower and greens farmers nationwide. Originally a marketing and governmental relations group under the auspices of the California Cut Flower Commission, CAG now represents a diverse community of American cut flower, cut foliage and potted plant farmers in the U.S. As the voice for domestic flower farms, CAG works toward sustainability and prosperity through a unified voice, effective advocacy and strategic promotion. e Certified American Grown seal communicates to consumers the domestic origins of their purchases and affirms the high quality, freshness and standards involved with producing Certified American Grown flowers, foliage and plants. To become members of CAG, flower farms must go through a third-party origin-verification process. "Certified American Grown is a community of U.S. flower farms, of any shape or size," shares Camron King, CEO of Certified American Grown. "From multigenerational, new and upcoming farms to micro farms and large-volume growers, all are working together through CAG to promote American-grown flowers and foliage. Currently, Certified American Grown member farms generate more than 50 percent of the cut flower and foliage production in the U.S.

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