What Is Your Most Important Tool: Madeline Hooper of Gardenfit

What Is Your Most Important Tool: Madeline Hooper of Gardenfit

Author: Scott Shepherd, Host and Flower Educator October 2, 2025 Duration: 1:04:35

What Is Your Most Important Tool?

Madeline Hooper has such a great story. After years in public relations, competing as a ballroom dancer, and teacher she turned her focus to gardening and helping others. Together with her husband, she's spent over three decades creating and caring for their Rockland Farm in New York. She's also the co-creator of the TV series GardenFit, and she shares down-to-earth ways we can take care of our most important tool—our own body.

Whether you're planting, weeding, hauling buckets, or marathon wedding installations, her tips will help you move smarter, avoid aches, and enjoy the work we love for years to come.  It's all about self-care and taking care of our bodies to let them continue to take care of us.

Learn more about today's episode and all of our past guests by visiting TheFlowerPodcast.com

Subscribe to The Flower Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and many more! If you have a minute, it would be great if you could leave a review wherever you listen to our podcast. 

You can also watch our conversations on YouTube, in addition to tip-filled videos and educational Lives. Be sure to subscribe to our channel so you don't miss a minute.


Scott Shepherd has spent years immersed in the world of blooms, not just as a host but as an educator, and he brings that entire perspective to The Flower Podcast. This isn't just about pretty arrangements; it's a deep, root-level exploration of the entire floral industry. Conversations here weave between the practical realities of running a business and the sheer creative joy found in a garden. You'll hear from the people whose hands are in the soil-flower farmers and growers-as well as the designers, photographers, and entrepreneurs who translate that natural beauty into art and commerce. Each episode features a different voice from this vibrant community, sharing specific knowledge on trends, techniques, and the personal journeys that fuel a life with flowers. Whether you're a professional florist looking for savvy advice, a hobbyist seeking inspiration, or simply someone who appreciates the intersection of nature and enterprise, this podcast offers a unique bouquet of insights. Tune in for genuine, meandering chats that always circle back to a shared passion, revealing the surprising depth and connectivity within the floral world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Flower Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Flower Farming for Profit: Lennie Larkin with B-Side Farm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:21
Lennie Larkin, the founder of B-Side Farm, took her passion for flowers from a background in adult education to establishing an educational farm. Lennie's experience extends from managing educational farming programs to…
Connecting with Customers with Cathy Hillen-Rulloda [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:58
Today, I'm particularly excited because we're joined by someone I've had the pleasure of spending some time with during a trip to California – the incredibly talented Cathy Hillen-Rulloda. A true legend in the floral ind…
Celebrating 35 Years of the ASCFG with Scott Shepherd [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:06
After spending this week with the flower growing community of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, also know as ASCFG, I've come away more inspired and encouraged to see more growers and especially so many fi…
Growing Ilex for Florists: Lane DeVries with Sun Valley Floral Farms [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:53
Imagine growing up among tulips and lilies in the Netherlands, and then taking that green thumb all the way to building the first Dutch Glass greenhouse in California. From managing the growth of flowers to CEO and Presi…
Growing Heirloom Mums with Steve and Mandy O'Shea of 3 Porch Farm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:56
For those who might have missed their previous visit to our podcast, let me quickly reintroduce this great duo. They're not just flower farmers; they're visionaries in flower farming, dedicated to being the most sustaina…
Life in Bloom with J Schwanke [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:43
A fourth-generation florist, J Schwanke is a flower expert, content producer, and professional speaker, and has not only made an mark within the flower community but has become a trusted voice and a source of inspiration…
Learning All About Waxflower with Adrian Parsons of Helix Australia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:23
My guest this week is a Horticultural Sales & Marketing strategist with a remarkable 30-year career journey, he has navigated through the world of retail, wholesale, import, and export, licensing, sales, and marketing an…
Creating Forever Floral Designs with Bex Partridge of Botanical Tales [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:35
I am excited to introduce Bex Partridge of Botanical Tales in the UK. Specializing in creating sustainable, everlasting designs with dried flowers, Bex skillfully takes them through their lifecycle, from seed to breath-t…