Deanna Kitchen

Growing up, Deanna just assumed her deep desire to connect with people and find ways to create community was just the by-product of being born and raised in a town so small it only had one stop light. But she's come to realize it’s the very fiber of who she is and was the seed that eventually led her to founding the Growing Kindness Project.

Deanna believes deeply in the importance of connection and community, the power of small acts of kindness, and leaning in to the limitless possibilities that our limitations provide us.

Married to her high school love (true story: they met through 4H at the county fair) and mama to three amazing boys, they live together on their small scale flower farm Twig and Vine Farm, in tiny town north of Seattle. It's also home to hundreds of dahlias, a small flock of sheep, a handful of chickens, a faithful farm dog, and more tree forts and bike jumps than one can count. Deanna and her family have always seen their farm as an opportunity to to invite others into a place of rest and gathering and the Growing Kindness Project has become a very special extension of that deeply held value.

 Jill Gaynor

Jill Gaynor currently serves as Vice President of the Growing Kindness Project, where she passionately contributes to the organization's mission with unwavering dedication and enthusiasm. Her journey to this role reflects the beauty of serendipity.

Jill's connection with Growing Kindness Project founder, Deanna Kitchen, traces back to 2017 when they crossed paths at a Sinclair & Moore Workshop. Their continued correspondence blossomed, and during the onset of the pandemic, Deanna's thoughtful care package filled with dahlia tubers and planting instructions became a heartwarming turning point for Jill. Through nurturing these flowers, Jill discovered the profound joy of growing and giving, which ignited her passion for The Growing Kindness Project. In December 2020, she joined the Board, infusing it with her entrepreneurial acumen, compassionate spirit, and steadfast commitment to fostering kindness and community growth.

Jill's professional journey commenced as a gallerist for Gagosian Gallery, followed by the founding of an educational game company in Los Angeles. Following twelve successful years in the toy industry and a relocation to the East Coast, she immersed herself in the enchanting world of flowers, establishing Jill Gaynor Design—a floral design and decor business in the heart of New York City. Despite pandemic challenges, including downsizing her floral business, Jill's resilience and entrepreneurial spirit propelled her into her next venture. She founded Jill & Co., a company specializing in crafting exquisite websites and providing essential business services to non-profits, floral-related companies, and entrepreneurs alike.

 Kaite Scott

Kaite Scott is a Limited Licensed Master of Social Work (LLMSW) practicing as an Infant Mental Health Clinician in southeast Michigan. Kaite serves families and young children supporting the parent-child dyad through a variety of intervention and theories, infuses gardening into treatment plans through therapeutic horticultural intervention in addition to simply sharing flowers with families.

Kaite came to flowers during the pandemic and shortly thereafter found Growing Kindness -- the act of growing and sharing flowers has been tremendously healing for Kaite during a season of personal familial death and loss. Her hope is to share her early childhood knowledge, non-profit awareness, group facilitation wisdom and loving-kindness with the Growing Kindness community.

Kaite lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan with her husband, Tim and their problematic pets, Lola and Kim.

Inga Sweet

Inga Sweet is a seasoned leader for a San Francisco-based institutional investment consulting firm. As chief operating officer, she brings corporate experience to the Growing Kindness Project, as well as prior experience with other nonprofits including the United Way Bay Area.

Inga’s journey with flowers began just a few years ago when she took a class at a local florist. It opened a new world of joy and creativity, starting with floral arrangements and quickly spreading to growing and giving flowers. She seeks ways to spread kindness by gifting her flowers to those facing challenging times.

Inga lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and dog, Riley, and loves to spend time with her three grown children. When she’s not working or gifting flowers, she enjoys family travel, cooking, and walks and hikes with Riley.

Brenda Brieden

Sarah Pabody

Sarah Pabody founded Triple Wren Farms in 2012. She owns and operates the first generation family farm together with her husband Steve, where they share beauty by growing and selling amazing cut flowers and dahlia tubers, building gorgeous weddings, and mentoring new flower farmers.

Sarah works closely with her field crew manager to handle harvesting, grocery bouquet production, field maintenance, and dahlia tuber shipping, and is the lead designer for the Triple Wren Weddings crew.

Kelly Perry

Sarah Pabody founded Triple Wren Farms in 2012. She owns and operates the first generation family farm together with her husband Steve, where they share beauty by growing and selling amazing cut flowers and dahlia tubers, building gorgeous weddings, and mentoring new flower farmers.

Sarah works closely with her field crew manager to handle harvesting, grocery bouquet production, field maintenance, and dahlia tuber shipping, and is the lead designer for the Triple Wren Weddings crew.

Amy Balsters

Amy Balsters, The Floral Coach, is an acclaimed floral designer and educator with vast industry experience spanning two decades in retail floristry and special events. Amy teaches and trains floral designers across the country through workshops online and in person as well as speaking at conferences nationwide. Featured on Design Sponge as one of the “20 Florists to Follow on Instagram,” Amy’s work has been featured and published in major international and national wedding blogs, including Martha Stewart Weddings, Once Wed, and more.

 Amy Barene

Amy Barene lives in the Pacific Northwest where she runs her business, Capital Blooms. A self-taught cut flower gardener and florist, Amy combines her love of teaching with botanicals by empowering others to fill their yards with blooms. Capital Blooms was started in 2017, and consists of floral design workshops, cut flowers, and wedding work.

Amy works on her 2,067 sq ft micro flower farm with her husband, Nick, and her three pups, Heidi, Cosmo, and Billie. When she isn’t gardening, Amy loves exploring with her dogs, traveling, and finding the best cup of coffee in new towns. Keep up to date with Capital Blooms at CapitalBlooms.net.

Anne Long

Anne Long is a flower farmer and educator in Skagit Valley, Washington.  She’s known for her ability to make growing and designing simple and joyful.  In addition to growing and selling cut flowers and teaching both gardening and floral design classes, Anne hosts seed, corm and tuber sales. Her mission is to get specially curated and hard to find blooms into your hands, growing in your gardens and presenting Pinterest worthily on your kitchen table…and maybe on your neighbor’s table too. See more of what she is doing at The Dahlia House.

Inga Sweet

Danielle is the owner of Northlawn Flower Farm, a small-scale cut flower farm in southern Pennsylvania. She used to grow cut flowers in traditional rows, but longed for a backyard garden that could still function as a small flower farm. So, she took a leap of faith and meshed her love of gardening and selling cut flowers! Now she grows cut flowers primarily in the landscape and sells them at her farm stand.

Danielle is Penn State master gardener and garden writer for Longfield Gardens. She has managed public gardens, vegetable farms, and shares her love of cut flower growing on YouTube. Her ½ acre is a certified pollinator friendly garden and she’s committed to organic gardening and farming practices.

Danielle wants to encourage others to embrace whatever space they’re given, and to grow cut flowers in a way that brings them joy. She’s here to support, encourage, and uplift you along the way!

Eileen Tongson

Eileen Tongson is the owner of FarmGal Flowers, an urban flower farm and design studio. She is also one of the gardeners at East End Market where she grows flowers and helps maintain the market garden. In addition to growing her own flowers, Eileen designs with them and provides arrangements for special occasions and events. Eileen completed the University of Florida IFAS Master Gardener Program and has studied floral design at numerous locations over the years including Floret Flower Farm and Flower School New York.

Eileen is also a Gardening and Floral Design instructor at Harry P. Leu Gardens and East End Market. Her flowers and gardening expertise have been featured in Flower Magazine, Florists Review, Edible Orlando, Slow Flowers, Orange Appeal, Houzz.com, The Spruce, and most recently, in Floret Farm's book, "Small Plot, Big Impact: Inspiring Stories, Profiles & Advice from 30 Flower Growers From Around the World" and Debra Prinzing’s book, “Where We Bloom.” Eileen was voted Best Florist in Best of Winter Park 2021, 2020, and 2019 and was named the Garden Club of Jacksonville's Designer of Distinction in 2022. Clients have included The Ford Motor Company, Chico’s (clothing), Williams-Sonoma Winter Park, the Orlando Museum of Art, and the Orlando Magic. Eileen is also a contributor to the Growing Kindness Project where she shares her knowledge and skills for growing flowers in hot climates and encourages others to “garden and give.” She continues to expand and refine her skills through floral design/flower farming workshops across the country and as a member of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers.

Heather Cain

When the Cains started renovating their farm in 2013, Heather had no intention of being a flower farmer. But she did plant a row of zinnias next to the tomatoes. The next year she planted two rows. Four years (and many flowers) later she decided to become a flower farmer.

Petal Pink Flower Farm, which was named by Heather’s son, grows flowers for florists in the Wilamette Valley of Oregon. They specialize in growing unique varieties and colors that are sought after by designers, using organic practices. They also grow many crops specifically to dry, and are expanding their dried flower offerings to include retail wreaths and dried bouquets. See more of what she is doing here.

Heather Schloe

Heather Gitts-Schloe has had the dream opportunity of being born into the Nation’s Largest Dahlia business, Swan Island Dahlias. She has a passion for gardening and teaching others about her love of dahlias. She spends as much time as possible in the almost 50 acres of dahlias during the blooming season and loves being hands-on in all parts of the business. She currently helps manage Swan Island Dahlias and is their spokesperson.

In her spare time, Heather enjoys spending time with her family whether it be traveling to sunny locations, camping, or relaxing in her own yard and garden.

Helen Skiba

Heather Gitts-Schloe has had the dream opportunity of being born into the Nation’s Largest Dahlia business, Swan Island Dahlias. She has a passion for gardening and teaching others about her love of dahlias. She spends as much time as possible in the almost 50 acres of dahlias during the blooming season and loves being hands-on in all parts of the business. She currently helps manage Swan Island Dahlias and is their spokesperson.

In her spare time, Heather enjoys spending time with her family whether it be traveling to sunny locations, camping, or relaxing in her own yard and garden.

Holly Chapple

Holly Heider Chapple began her floristry career 28 years ago as a wedding and event floral designer. Known for her garden-inspired designs, she has influenced trends in the profession by exposing designers and the public to unique and hearty blooms. Peers in the industry refer to her sought-after style as "Hollyish". Holly has 7 children ranging in ages 11-33, and she purchased Hope Flower Farm in 2015. Hope Farm is a functioning flower farm and an educational facility and bed and breakfast for floral designers. The flowers grown at Hope elevate Holly's editorial work, supplement the designs created for clients, and sweeten the experience of inperson educational offerings. Beyond teaching from the farm, Holly has taught floral design across the country and internationally in Russia, Australia, China, England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Ecuador and Canada. In July 2018, Holly was invited to do a main-stage presentation at the American Institute of Floral Designers Symposium in Washington, DC. The event was significant because the traditional organization recognized Holly, who is not AIFD certified, for her talent and contributions to the floral industry. Working with designers, growers, and suppliers from all over the world keeps Holly at the forefront of the floral design industry and accentuates her education. Holly has her own product line of sustainable floristry tools and containers manufactured by Syndicate Sales. Holly is a panel member of the American Floral Trends Forecast and Trend Summit hosted in Canada. Holly is also the founder of a global community called Chapel Designers, a collective of wedding and floral event designers that she mentors and educates. See more of Holly’s work here.

Jennifer Gulizia

Jennifer has always loved growing flowers and was a professional photographer for almost a decade before deciding to become a full-time flower farmer. While photographing a wedding back in 2015, Jennifer thought to herself, “I grow these flowers, I could be growing these for weddings.” In 2018, Jennifer grew her dahlia garden from 64 dahlias to over 200. It quickly multiplied, becoming 400, then 800, and now over 2,000 dahlias plus seedlings.

The Flowering Farmhouse is located in Hood River, Oregon in the gorgeous Columbia River Gorge. They specialize in growing dahlia tubers along with specialty wedding and event flowers. Jennifer from The Flowering Farmhouse is also passionate about educating and helping others cultivate a beautiful home and garden.

Jesalyn Pettigrew

Jesalyn Pettigrew is owner and farmer of Mossy Gate Flower Farm, a sustainably grown cut flower farm in Washington state that focuses on wholesale distribution as well as a roadside stand. She started back in 2015 with little to no knowledge about farming of any kind. Her background is in business management with a focus on hotels and hospitality. She took jobs as a farmhand on some of the areas leading wholesale cut flower farms 2016 through 2020 while building her own farm simultaneously. She went from 1600 sq ft of growing space to over 2 acres in the last few years.

Due to Covid-19 she took the leap to focus on her kids (she is also a single mom!) and her own farm as of November 2020. She is a founding member of Genuine Skagit Valley brand and the first flower farmer to be accepted at the Puget Sound Food Hub Cooperative where she has a few grocery and restaurant accounts. 

Deanna’s project means getting peoples’ hands back in the dirt. Sharing kindness and beauty is so important - more than ever these days. I am so honored to be asked to share my knowledge with you and help you grow!

Julie Pal

Julie is a boutique-sized peony farmer in Kansas; growing for ten years and selling commercially for eight. Over time she has learned some tricks, secrets, do’s and don’ts, learned from successes, and learned even more from failures. Having a tribe of ‘peony pals’ makes the season even better!!!

You can learn more about Julie Pal Peonies here.

Julio Freitas

Learn more about Julio Freitas and The Flower Hat

Kamille Scellick

A self-described personality junkie, Kamille Scellick is committed to creating hospitable spaces and learning all about dahlias & flowers through research and trial & error. As owner of Kamille’s Flowers, she finds joy in collecting & appreciating the vast varieties, forms and colors of dahlias. She delights in giving away both garden knowledge & blooms. Kamille is currently most passionate about making the garden to be a space of cultivation for both bloom & soul.

As a homeschooling mama and serving & leading in her community, Kamille has developed a unique perspective when it comes to relating & adapting to meet her customers needs. Influenced by her husband and daughters, she aspires to be present in the here but not yet, while maintaining a 5 star rating on Animal Crossing.

Kelly Welk

A wife, mama, hostess, homemaker, freedom fighter and garden lover, Kelly uses her garden and her talents to grow a life and business she loves. Along the way, she has become known for inspiring and guiding women to do the same.

Kelly and her husband Aaron own Ciderpress Lane, creating beauty and gathering community around their long, gorgeous tables in their home and under twinkle lights in their orchard. They also are the founders of Freedom Dinners which harness the power of community and a shared meal to fight human trafficking. Kelly is the author of Dream Catcher and Dinner Changes Everything.

Lauren Anderson & Rachel Bridgwood 

Sweet Root Village is an event floral design studio based in Alexandria, Virginia owned by Lauren Anderson and Rachel Bridgwood. Sweet Root is known for large installations, sharing openly about floral business, and creating a family friendly work environment for their team. Over the past 10 years, they have grown to an in-house team of six who lead over 80 weddings and events a year, and have been featured in Martha Stewart, Modern Luxury, Once Wed, Brides, and dozens of wedding and event publications.

Lauren Holton

Lauren Holton is a fiber artist and mom of two, near the Puget Sound in Washington. As a new Growing Kindness Ambassador, and a first-time gardener, she is filling her flower beds with blooms as she prepares to give many bouquets this season. Lauren designs embroidery patterns and kits, weaves, and enjoys making beautiful things with a variety of textiles and fibers. As many small business owners know, navigating social media can be both rewarding and challenging—Lauren is looking forward to sharing what she’s learned about Instagram basics and connecting online to help us grow our kindness even more. Learn more about Lauren at Lark Rising Studios.

Melissa Brown

Lauren Holton is a fiber artist and mom of two, near the Puget Sound in Washington. As a new Growing Kindness Ambassador, and a first-time gardener, she is filling her flower beds with blooms as she prepares to give many bouquets this season. Lauren designs embroidery patterns and kits, weaves, and enjoys making beautiful things with a variety of textiles and fibers. As many small business owners know, navigating social media can be both rewarding and challenging—Lauren is looking forward to sharing what she’s learned about Instagram basics and connecting online to help us grow our kindness even more. Learn more about Lauren at Lark Rising Studios.

Robin Jennings

Growing up in a major city in Canada, Robin Jennings had little interest in following in her grandfather's farming footsteps until she moved to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. A new home with an incredible, vibrant garden changed all of that. Now she is found in her garden whenever the sun is shining and even when it's not.

Robin is the Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Heirloom Roses in St. Paul, Oregon, where she works with the marketing team, hybridizers, rosarians, rose societies, and others to spread the beauty of own-root roses and to save older roses from extinction. For the past decade, Robin has used her love of learning and communication to advance several family- and women-owned businesses around the U.S. She loves the pursuit of the next "it" rose and empowering gardeners to create their own beauty in whatever space they have.

With a background in education, she is passionate about writing, reading, and learning from expert gardeners. When not in the garden, Robin loves traveling with her husband and three children, hanging out with her labradoodle, and serving at her church.

• • •

Randy Green is a seasoned plant pathologist and pest management specialist with more than 10 years of hands-on experience in the field. Randy's expertise in plant pathology and entomology, coupled with his commitment to staying up-to-date with the latest research and techniques, has led to numerous successful pest management strategies and disease control measures. Randy is also known for his humble and open-minded approach to learning, which has allowed him to pioneer unconventional yet effective approaches in the industry. Currently, Randy specializes in working with roses, and his passion for these plants shines through in his work as Nursery Grower at Heirloom Roses in Oregon.

Sarah Pabody

Growing up in a major city in Canada, Robin Jennings had little interest in following in her grandfather's farming footsteps until she moved to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. A new home with an incredible, vibrant garden changed all of that. Now she is found in her garden whenever the sun is shining and even when it's not.

Robin is the Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Heirloom Roses in St. Paul, Oregon, where she works with the marketing team, hybridizers, rosarians, rose societies, and others to spread the beauty of own-root roses and to save older roses from extinction. For the past decade, Robin has used her love of learning and communication to advance several family- and women-owned businesses around the U.S. She loves the pursuit of the next "it" rose and empowering gardeners to create their own beauty in whatever space they have.

With a background in education, she is passionate about writing, reading, and learning from expert gardeners. When not in the garden, Robin loves traveling with her husband and three children, hanging out with her labradoodle, and serving at her church.

• • •

Randy Green is a seasoned plant pathologist and pest management specialist with more than 10 years of hands-on experience in the field. Randy's expertise in plant pathology and entomology, coupled with his commitment to staying up-to-date with the latest research and techniques, has led to numerous successful pest management strategies and disease control measures. Randy is also known for his humble and open-minded approach to learning, which has allowed him to pioneer unconventional yet effective approaches in the industry. Currently, Randy specializes in working with roses, and his passion for these plants shines through in his work as Nursery Grower at Heirloom Roses in Oregon.

Sarah Simon

Sarah Simon is the Artist, Educator and Author at TheMintGardener. Finding inspiration in the ever-blooming variety of textures and colors in her Seattle-based urban farm, Sarah creates and teaches lush Watercolors inspired by the diverse variety of herbs, flowers, and trees grown in her garden. With a continually blooming following of botanical and art lovers alike, her teaching has received worldwide attention with her online and in-person painting courses and art retreats, and her monthly live zoom teaching sessions with the Flower Painting Club.

Sarah's work has been featured in many publications and blogs worldwide, and has been celebrated in the form of commercial product design, stationery, and textiles as well as wholesale and private commissions. Just a few of her clients include: Nordstrom, Country Living, Facebook, The University of Washington, Expedia, Sakura of America, Blick Artist Materials, Winsor and Newton, Target, Jo Malone London, JenniKayne, Estée Lauder, Sur La Table and The Magnolia Network. Her books Modern Watercolor Botanicals and The Plant Lady Coloring Book were released in November 2019, and are international best sellers. Her third book Watercolor Workbook was released April 2021 and continues to hold the #1 international top best seller in Watercolor Books on Amazon. Sarah’s exceptional new book, Watercolor Workbook: Flowers, Feathers, and Animal Friends, recently released in May 2023. She has been teaching people to Watercolor since 2014 and is a thorough, engaging and knowledgeable teacher. Day to day, you can find Sarah painting and sharing creativity on her Instagram, @themintgardener as well as hosting exciting events for an online community of painting-lovers worldwide.

Sarah is currently working on book number five, and enjoys gardening with her husband Colin and their two little girls on their urban farm. She loves to seek out quiet moments for sketching and painting, making small bouquets of flowers and herbs, or reading. She loves Jesus, exploring new places, and enjoys anything that includes the sea, friends and food!

Sarah Wagstaff

Sarah Simon is the Artist, Educator and Author at TheMintGardener. Finding inspiration in the ever-blooming variety of textures and colors in her Seattle-based urban farm, Sarah creates and teaches lush Watercolors inspired by the diverse variety of herbs, flowers, and trees grown in her garden. With a continually blooming following of botanical and art lovers alike, her teaching has received worldwide attention with her online and in-person painting courses and art retreats, and her monthly live zoom teaching sessions with the Flower Painting Club.

Sarah's work has been featured in many publications and blogs worldwide, and has been celebrated in the form of commercial product design, stationery, and textiles as well as wholesale and private commissions. Just a few of her clients include: Nordstrom, Country Living, Facebook, The University of Washington, Expedia, Sakura of America, Blick Artist Materials, Winsor and Newton, Target, Jo Malone London, JenniKayne, Estée Lauder, Sur La Table and The Magnolia Network. Her books Modern Watercolor Botanicals and The Plant Lady Coloring Book were released in November 2019, and are international best sellers. Her third book Watercolor Workbook was released April 2021 and continues to hold the #1 international top best seller in Watercolor Books on Amazon. Sarah’s exceptional new book, Watercolor Workbook: Flowers, Feathers, and Animal Friends, recently released in May 2023. She has been teaching people to Watercolor since 2014 and is a thorough, engaging and knowledgeable teacher. Day to day, you can find Sarah painting and sharing creativity on her Instagram, @themintgardener as well as hosting exciting events for an online community of painting-lovers worldwide.

Sarah is currently working on book number five, and enjoys gardening with her husband Colin and their two little girls on their urban farm. She loves to seek out quiet moments for sketching and painting, making small bouquets of flowers and herbs, or reading. She loves Jesus, exploring new places, and enjoys anything that includes the sea, friends and food!

Sarah Daken & Tom Precht

Grateful Gardeners is an organic, sustainable, local cut flower farm located in Poolesville, MD. Our principles, which we will always prioritize over profit, involve giving back to our earth, our community, and to ourselves. We believe strongly in the power of collaboration and educating people on the appeal of flowers and nature in general. Our mission is to provide seasonal, organic, and locally grown flowers to the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region that last longer, are competitively priced, easy to order, and reduce the environmental impact. We are continuously innovating and improving our methods to grow more sustainably specifically in the implementation of growing flowers in aquaponics.

Grateful Gardeners is a woman owned business, comprised of Sarah Daken, President, CEO, and Co-founder. Tom Precht is the VP, COO, and Co-founder. We are a married team, seasoned professionals, having worked in the legal field and scientific industry for several years. We have become disenchanted with our corporate jobs and wish to get back to what makes us truly happy, growing beautiful plants.