I once found myself at a workshop standing next to the two people that form PYRUS Botanicals. I honestly don’t know what I was more affected by; the fact that I was so close to my heroes, or that I was about to introduce myself to Sarah Ryhanen of Saipua. I have adored so much of PYRUS’ work and my own wedding bouquet, in fact much of my wedding, was based on one they did. (You can find it here if you are interested…)

One of my first ever events as a florist was for a village feast by ex-River Cottage chef Tim Maddams and I literally hung branches of blossom on the walls and dotted early narcissi down the long tables. With hindsight, I was definitely channelling the picture above, and I seriously hope to keep on being inspired by the artistry and creativity of Pyrus in years to come.

And so, when I was thinking about who I would adore to talk about blossom, there was only one choice. I am so grateful to Natalya Ayers for writing this piece especially for us.

For those of us who work outside, with or around nature, our lives are mapped out by the rhythms of the seasons. Emerging half-hibernated and blinking from winter, shedding layers of clothes and winter pounds with the onset of a busy spring, becoming sunburnt and breathless through the whirlwind summer wedding months before a final stomp through autumn, mourning summer while quietly longing for hibernation again.  

I cannot remember a time when I have felt it so keenly as this past year.  As the world slowed down and became so small for so many of us, I became rooted in and attached to the natural world in a way I had never been before.  

This morning, looking up through the canopy of a tree swathed in blossom and throbbing with pollinators, I reflected on the cyclical nature of things.  As usual, I heard the blossom before I saw it.  Early fodder for bees, they vibrate the world around us alive.  Following the sound I rounded a bend to catch sight of a cherry tree dressed in her spring wedding gown of white flowers.  

For almost a decade, blossom has meant events and installations in the PYRUS studio calendar; we wait not-so-patiently and look anxiously at the diary wondering if this is a hit or a miss year.  We dangle precariously from balanced ladders reaching for the branches, we sigh shaking our heads as petals rain down on us teasing us with confetti- just too late.  Occasionally we manage to fill a van full of buckets laden with branches, grinning, shooing away persistent bees and feeling heady in the front cab, intoxicated with the sugary scent.

For us, the starting point for each creative project or event has always been intrinsic to the materials we grow or find.  We take a slow wander around the walled garden, potter in the woods, pull out materials to play with until seeds of ideas start forming.  Certain materials we return to year after year, PYRUS continuum. Blossoms take their place on this list alongside root systems and dried vines.  We know we are not always the most flowery of florists, more likely to use soil than roses (although we love them). Often we will take the flowers out of a piece- too predictable, too pretty!  Tree blossoms seem to bridge a gap for us somehow, a marriage between the unapologetically feminine and the masculine structure. The perfect marriage of flounce and form.

When we teach, we talk about the properties of a material, learning how to read a given branch or stem. Asked to write about process I falter a little, how to explain that we let the materials do the work for us?  We tend to spend time with our materials and work contemplatively, allowing the movement and shape to dictate the piece.  Often we end up with something quite different to our imaginings, happily so.

The best materials are those that inspire us to choose them, use them and importantly, want to serve them by making a better job of it next time.  Will we do the blossom justice this year?  Will it bloom at just the right moment or will it shed in a carpet on the studio floor?  What I can tell you is that come next spring, I will be listening hard for the sound of blossom again.

Note- Please practice good husbandry if you are cutting wild blossom and always ask the landowner’s permission before you forage.

Some favourite blossoms:

• Amelanchier

• Apple

• Cherries (bird and white cherry)

• Spirea

• Blackthorn

• Pussy Willow

• Cornus Mas

From Grace:  If I could be so bold, I would add all of the ornamental quinces to the list. And if you have one tree for blossom, I would have an autumn flowering one. There is nothing more absolutely wonderful than having blossom over the winter. Oh, and if you have one cherry, then shove the boat out and plant a great white cherry, a Prunus ‘Tai Haku’.

PYRUS is a botanical design studio and cut flower garden in Scotland, founded in 2011 by Natalya Ayers and Fiona Inglis.  Based just outside Edinburgh in a three acre Victorian walled garden, we are probably best known for our sculptural installation pieces and being passionate advocates of British flowers.  We believe strongly that seasonal, naturally grown flowers should be accessible to everyone and are working to develop the Scottish flower industry, availability and sustainable practice.

pyrusbotanicals.com | @pyrusbotanicals