Emily von Trapp

von Trapp Flowers

Image by Christine Chitnis

Emily von Trapp is a year round flower farmer and the third generation to cultivate the land where she sustainably grows over 175,000 specialty winter tulips, in addition to many varieties of annual and perennial cut flowers in Waitsfield, Vermont. The daughter of a horticulturist and self-taught master gardener, she grew up surrounded by her parents' gorgeous gardens and blooms at the von Trapp Greenhouse. She has been selling sustainably grown seasonal flowers in the form of Market Bouquets to markets in Central Vermont for over 25 years. Emily sells her flowers to 15 markets and shops throughout Central Vermont and also through a Winter Tulip Bouquet CSA. 

Emily founded The Tulip Workshop ( @thetulipworkshop   www.thetulipworkshop.com ) in 2018 which she runs with her business partner and co-founder Linda D'Arco from Little Farmhouse Flowers. Emily is also the co-host of the Frost on Flowers Podcast  ( @frostonflowers ) which she runs with Linda. 

Show Notes

Image courtesy of von Trapp Flowers

  1. Try and use the infrastructure that you have to accomplish what you want to achieve.

  2. This is a great way to bring in additional income during leaner months.

  3. I love the expression, Try to dance with Mother Nature and not fight with her.

  4. Remember growing in the winter months can help bring joy and color into people’s lives during this longer darker time of the year.

  5. One of the great benefits of growing tulips and lilies is you can provide your customers with a beautiful product and a long vase life.

  6. Try growing the OT Varieties of lilies for the different colors, shapes, and fragrance.

  7. Lilies and Tulips are great crops for maximizing small spaces.

  8. Be creative and try and use what you already have.

  9. Collaborate with other stores and growers to help elevate everyone involved.

  10. Lastly, Generosity holds doors open.

Images courtesy of von Trapp Flowers

 

The Tulip Workshop

We’re Emily von Trapp and Linda D’Arco, best friends, hosts of the ‘Frost on Flowers’ podcast, and teachers of The Tulip Workshop. Welcome to our winter wonderland, where we teach hundreds of fellow flower farmers and tulip lovers the art and science behind coaxing beautiful flowers to bloom during the “off season.” We’re both proud and excited to be bringing our 15+ years of experience and experimentation to this platform, where anyone in the world can join us virtually for a workshop and learn how we’ve made winter our most profitable growing season. We also offer on-farm experiences at Emily’s farm in Vermont each fall.