NOVEMBER MUSINGS

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

Thank you for joining us here!

Welcome to our November newsletter. November has been a month where I’ve felt much change; both in the natural surroundings and in our work and focus. Someone recently asked us about the wedding venues we’d been working in this year and those flowery summery months already felt so far away. We’re into the final seasonal arc of the year, and as such, our brains have changed mode.

There’s been a palpable seasonal shift, a lot less light, a slowing down and then also a feeling of inbetweenness as we wind down this year’s growing season and prepare for the next one. In this process naturally comes some reflection and consideration of what has worked really well this year and what we would like to tweak, grow and achieve next year. Alongside our garden days, we’ve been excitedly preparing for some lovely seasonal workshops and winter installations, and also appreciating some quieter and slower days after a busy few months. This is the cycle followed by a seasonal florist. It is a collective exhale and hunkering down, just like the plants are doing in the garden.

During our precious days in the Ochre garden this month we have been collecting and gathering beautiful stems for our winter wreaths and late wedding work as well as harvesting seeds and shelling peas to grow next year (ever grateful for, and appreciative of peas). This, in turn, has led onto a gentle cutting back and clearing of the hard-working annuals and pruning of roses and perennials, whilst experiencing immense gratitude for the beautiful things that have flowered through the year. The deciduous and natural fall of leaves together with clearing and pruning results in a more perceptive blank canvas which provides an opportunity to see the bones of the garden and time for a pause and reset.

There’s much hope, enthusiasm and anticipation for the new growing season as we prepare the beds for the bulbs and carefully tuck them in. We have very long wish lists for bulbs, seeds, corms, tubers and shrubs – lists of what we love, and what we will find most useful for our designs and events in the diary. Our bulb wish list this time (and every time, who am I kidding) inevitably turned into buying-all. Once you see all the lovely photos it’s very hard to resist, especially as the garden slows beyond your screen. The flowers that will hopefully flourish are very much in mind as we excitedly plant away (as well as what we might create with them!).

As we’ve enjoyed time in the garden, our very friendly resident robin has continued to oversee our activity, ever hopeful that we’ll uncover a tasty snack, I’m sure. Snacks are, after all, crucially important for all garden activity, especially in the colder months.

I personally relish all of these connections – feeling more grounded and in tune with nature each time I’m in the garden, this time of year affirming that it’s natural to slow down and feel change. I remind myself how I feel about a garden – a delicate harmony of nature and humanity offering precious moments to intertwine and connect. We invite you to join us in a slow and grounding activity at this time of year; one that involves celebrating nature and its cycle, whilst making….well, a circle of your own.

We are hosting a variety of winter wreath workshops this year where we can spend some time together admiring nature’s beautiful forms, intertwining the carefully dried treasures of summer’s floral bounty, and following the arc of a ring around to its completion. You’ll take your finished winter wreath home to maybe hang on your door, and you’ll be reminded of the lush effervescence of the garden which will return after a period of rest, as it does everytime.

Wreath workshops and notable happenings

WREATH WORKSHOPS

Last weekend we hosted the first of our wreath workshops – we had such a wonderful calming afternoon observing such beautiful creations. We are really excited for our workshops next weekend at the studio and at Custom Lane.

Trading Post | Custom Lane Sunday 1st December – Tickets available for 11am-1pm and 3pm-5pm Workshops

MOTE 102

We will soon be gathering together and making seasonal wreaths. We love this time together creating and we consume a lot of tea!

A collection of wreaths will be available at Mote102 on 30th November and 1st December or please contact us to arrange a wreath for Edinburgh delivery