JULY MUSINGS

Seasonal stories and notable happenings from the team behind Ochre Botanical Studios.

Thank you for joining us here!

Fingers hovering and stalling over the letters of the keyboard, here I am – in the final few days of a month that was so flowerfully busy that at times it was on the verge of exploding – with a head that is at once full of everything and nothing at all, trying to think of something eloquent and pithy to write about for this, my scheduled turn to craft our monthly musing.

There have been a few fleeting half thoughts, even an abandoned and laughable attempt to research the philosophical importance of the colour brown, but nothing was really hitting that all important note. But then, when I actually paid proper attention to the month of July, I began to realise that the real standout motif from the past few weeks has been collaboration and community; and simply how very lucky we are to have each other.

Over the last three and a half weeks we have bundled ourselves into the cabins of several vans packed full with flowers and chatted through set up plans as we travelled along A-roads, B-roads and rugged back roads to at least eight different venues across the country; we have delivered twelve bridal bouquets into the happy but nervous hands of brides still in their silky wedding-morning pyjamas; we have built four resplendently flowery ceremony backdrops from scratch, onsite – inside on rainy summer days and outdoors on brighter ones; we have placed over fifty metres of floral meadows along aisles, up stairways and around rooms where sunny-faced newlyweds would later dance the night away; we have soaked countless trouser legs whilst carrying branching and tumbling urn arrangements or laden crates of well-packed bud vases teeming with scented blooms; we have talked about our Saturday night and Sunday plans over quickly eaten lunches mainly consisting of Nice n Spicy Nik Naks and breakfast bao buns (we have all now achieved ‘regular’ status in the Pablo Eggs-Go-Bao queue); we have apologised to each other no end of times about how hot and sweaty we are as we hug each other goodbye at the end of the day; we have held each other up, we have held each other tight; we have supported one another to create beautiful things; we have made it through a crazily busy and crazily glorious month. We have done it together.

But even then we have not done it alone, just us six. Many other faces and hands have played hugely important parts throughout the month.

All of the growers have worked hard with us to curate and deliver some of the most achingly beautiful buckets of Scottish-grown blooms that have informed and grown into the wiggly, summer-hued soul and essence of our designs.

Other florists too have brought their talent and energy to sit alongside ours – Jenny from Studio Seapink, Charli from Tomnah’a Market Garden, Emily from Machair, Dagmara from Harvest + Green, lovely George Molnar (who dipped in to help another month, but the inclusion of his happy van-driving face here was simply non-negotiable) and the one, the only Kirsty Downie whose speed and eye is unmatched. Closer to home, our partners have driven, collected, carried, packed, unpacked and quite simply kept us and everything else going. And even our pets have helped, sweet little support animals cheering us on.

They say it takes a village. It certainly does. And to our village – the most heartfelt thank you hug.

(The little hen above is rather sadly not an Ochre pet, but it’s such a joyful July moment how could she not be included?)

And one last shout out to the little cat with no tail and no name who has taken to snoozing in our polytunnel. A petite guardian angel in feline form, she will jump into our arms and offer up the most perfect purr-filled cuddles. And her gentle head bump nuzzles are like the tiniest tabby ‘you got this’ high fives. Little cat, big positive energy.

Whilst July was a riot of weddings, events and flowers – all the flowers – August is a little calmer, a little clearer and offers up some fun-sized pockets of play time for the Ochre team.

Here are just a few of the places you might just spot us not working in the month ahead.

WORKSHOP – AESME STUDIO X ELLIOTT’S

We heart Aesme Studio hard. Their seasonal approach to floral design inspires us at every turn. A creative day of seasonal flowers (provided by Pyrus Botanicals) and food with Jess and Ally of Aesme Studio and food writer and stylist Jess Elliott Dennison of Elliot’s, a dream of a café set in Edinburgh’s leafy Southside.

Saturday 3 August.

EXHIBITION – IBRAHIM MAHAMA SONGS ABOUT ROSES

Before I ventured into floristry, I worked at Fruitmarket, and I’m ever so lucky to have also then been part of a team that pulls together to lift each other up. Maybe it’s just what happens when you get a group of people who really care a whole lot about producing something magical for other people to enjoy.

This summer, as ever, Fruitmarket delivers programming that makes us ask questions of the world we share together.

Songs About Roses is the first-ever solo exhibition in Scotland of the work of Ibrahim Mahama: a Ghanaian artist whose evocative large-scale installations address the cultural and social effects of postcolonialism and global migration.

Until 6 October.

MUSIC – EIF // THE MAGNETIC FIELDS: Part One + Two

For any couple whose wedding flowers I have made, some of those flowers will undoubtedly have been brought together with a Magnetic Fields song playing in the background. This year marks twenty five years since The Magnetic Fields released 69 Love Songs, and as part of the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival, they’ll be performing all 69 songs across two nights. I’ll be there, signing along.

Saturday 24 + Sunday 25 August, The Queen’s Hall.