Flower Farming

Fifth-Season Regional Floral Design Elements

Celebrating the beautiful, the abundant & the unexpected during the summer–fall transition

by Debra Prinzing, Author & Founder of Slow Flowers

Here it is, late summer already, the time of year the Chinese regard as the "fifth season." Others have called it "high season" or the "in-between season." As we transition into that wonderful moment between summer and fall when everything reaches completeness, I asked members of the Slow Flowers Community to share their favorite standouts of the fifth season — uncommon and tried-and-true botanicals that appear in our fields and design studios as summer turns to autumn; as hints of fall beckon.

Regional Fifth-Season Highlights



Author & Slow Flowers Founder, Debra Prinzing
Debra Prinzing, Author & Founder of Slow Flowers
Photo © Mary Grace Long

Here we've collected the stars of late summer — flowers, foliages, herbs, seeds, pods, edibles and vines that seemingly wait until now to show their best attributes for our bouquets and vases. The submissions are nothing short of inspiring — coming from passionate home gardeners as well as talented flower farmers and gifted florists. Everyone, it seems, has heightened awareness of the bounty of the season. Here's to the Fifth Season! Grand or modest, formal or wild, every aesthetic has a place with seasonal botanicals.

Regional Fifth-Season Highlights • EAST