Meet the Founders

Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz  are married and professional partners who have co-directed the Flower Essence Society since 1980. Through the Society, they have organized and inspired many educational, research, and publishing efforts throughout the world.

Patricia and Richard are authors of numerous articles and books about flower essences, including the best-selling Flower Essence Repertory, now in its fifth edition and translated into six different languages around the world.  Richard and Patricia have traveled extensively, giving seminars throughout the world on flower essence therapy. They also manage Flower Essence Services, which produces flower essences and herbal products at Terra Flora, their 27-acre Biodynamic garden and wildlife sanctuary in the northern Sierra foothills of Nevada City, California.

Richard’s early background was in mathematics and physical science. He was awarded a scholarship to attend Brown University’s mathematics program. His considerable questions about the nature of science and scientific research then led him to a deeper study of the human being, and he completed a psychology major at California State University at Sonoma in 1974. He went on to study widely in several different apprenticeship programs in the fields of herbology, plant science, and meditation.

All of these various strands of knowledge culminated in his research of flower essence therapy as a “living science of Nature,” requiring an accurate understanding of subtle qualities of plants, and also of the mental and emotional realms within the human being. After working extensively with the original English repertory of Dr. Bach, Richard went on to pioneer, since 1978, the development of flower remedies from North American plants, which are now recognized and used throughout the world. He specializes in FES botanical studies and photographs many of the FES flowers.

Patricia’s love for plants and animals began during childhood, where she was raised on a prairie farm in central Nebraska. At the University of Nebraska, she helped design and majored in the first Women’s Studies Program, and helped found a unique counseling center for women students at the University of Nebraska. She went on from there to be active in many areas of teaching, social service, and community organizing.

Patricia first discovered the remarkable effectiveness of the English flower remedies in helping children with learning problems such as dyslexia, and then in a counseling program for juvenile offenders. She has studied widely in the fields of teaching, healing, and plant science, including Waldorf education and Goethean plant science. Patricia is currently active as a flower essence teacher and counselor and administrates the Society’s research and practitioner training programs. She wrote Flowers That Heal, which describes the fundamental principles of flower essence therapy.