Flowers with Friends 2025

This is the perfect event for flower, design, and garden lovers and we could not be more excited for this year's line-up! We hope guests leave with a new friend, fresh inspiration, and original ideas you can use at home.

Allow us to introduce our three incredible speakers for this year's event. Each one brings a special twist to design, florals, and creativity. We cannot wait for you to meet, learn from, and be inspired by this talented trio.

Georgia-based gardening and lifestyle gardening and lifestyle expert Carmen Johnston is passionate about creating lush, beautiful backdrops for family life and entertaining! With nearly 15 years of experience, plus appearances on The Today Show and HGTV, and features in Southern Living and Country Living. Carmen inspires and serves clients all over the country.

She recently launched Bespoke Garden Plans, a full-service, nationwide remote landscape design service based on virtual client meetings and photos. Carmen and her curated network of landscape designers throughout the U.S.-who specialize in detailed hand drawings and beautiful 3D renderings-deliver customized blueprints that range from a small-scale yard refresh to a complete install.

Get to know Carmen before the event by following along on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok: @Carmenjohnstongardens @bespokegardenplans

Rebecca Bull Koraytem is the U.S. Sales Executive for David Austin Roses, the lauded English Rose breeder, whose luxurious garden and floral roses are offered worldwide. Aside from managing the wholesale garden rose division, she provides technical and retail support to independent garden centers in the U.S. and Canada.

Rebecca has also become instrumental in launching a new floral rose program for David Austin, which she is excited to tell you more about.

Prior to joining the David Austin Roses, Ltd., Rebecca served as a garden editor for Southern Living magazine for 15 years. A native South Carolinian, she holds a MS and BS in Horticulture from Clemson University. She now splits her gardening time between her homes in Everett, WA and Santee, SC.

Caroline and Elizabeth are sisters and co-owners of Juniper & Jasmine, a boutique floral design business in Charleston, SC. With an emphasis on luxe blooms and bespoke designs, past creations have graced the pages of Southern Living Magazine, Style Me Pretty, Charleston Wedding Magazine, Coastal Living Magazine, Grey Likes Weddings, Magnolia Rouge, Carats & Cake, The White Wren, Wedding Chicks, Over the Moon, and more.

It was always going to be weddings and events for Caroline! Her experience started here in Columbia, working first as a special events intern and then assistant for Cricket Newman Designs. Upon her return to Charleston she spent several years working as a lead floral designer elsewhere where the creativity flex in floral truly stole her heart. After seeing the highs and lows of the industry, she wanted to build something that eschewed the status quo and celebrated a unique experience for every event. So she did!

Years of experience in events and marketing for a software company left Elizabeth full of logistical know-how, an expert in event planning and execution, and looking for something a little…prettier. In 2022 she decided to officially team up with her sister, indulge her own eye for beauty, and bring her business savvy and planning perfection along too.

Host or Publisher Columbia Garden Club