Seasonal notes and studio dispatches — arriving with the first blooms of next season.
ThefirstOntarioranunculusarrivedonaTuesday,stillcoldfromthetruck,theirpetalspressedtightlikefistsrefusingtoopen.Withintwodaysthestudiosmelleddifferent.Winterhasitsownbeauty—quincebranches,driedlunaria,thesculpturalseverityofbaremagnolia—butthereisnothingquitelikethemomentthepalettesoftensandthecoolersfillwithcolourthatbruisesifyouholdittoofirmly.
Thealarmgoesatfive.Thecityisstillasleep,theDVPemptyinbothdirections.Wepullintothemarketlotandthefluorescentshityou—thatblue-whitewholesalelightthatmakeseverythinglookslightlymedicaluntilyoureyesadjust.
TheBroadviewHotelcalledinNovember.Theywantedsomethingforthelobby—largeenoughtoholdthedouble-heightspace,quietenoughnottofightthearchitecture.Wevisitedthreetimesbeforesketchinganything.Morning,afternoon,evening.Thelightchangescompletely,andtheentrysightlineisnarrow,whichmeanttheinstallationneededtorewardboththedistantglanceandthecloseapproach.
Decemberiswhenthestudioexhales.Theweddingseasonisbehindus,theholidayordersarefinished,andwhatremainsisaroomfullofemptyvesselsandonegoodpairofshears.Westriptheshelves,sweepthefloors,andletthespacebespare.
EveryMondaymorningstartsthesameway:bucketsonthebench,stemsstrippedandre-cut,waterchanged.Ourweeklyretainerclients—threerestaurants,ahotellobby,aprivatemembers'club—eachgettheirarrangementsrefreshedbeforelunch,andeachspacehasitsownlanguage.
Ourfallworkshopseriesbeganwithtwelvestrangersstandingaroundthelongtable,armscrossed,visiblyworriedaboutdoingitwrong.Bytheendofthemorning,everyoneofthemwaselbow-deepinfoliageandsmiling.
Augustispayoffmonth.Thecosmoshavefinallycomeon—tall,papery,swayinginthatwaythatmakeseveryarrangementfeellikeitisstillinthefield.Thedahliasareattheirpeak,dinner-plateheadssoheavythestemsbow.WedroveouttoCaledontowalktherowsatThistle&ThornFarmandcamebackwitharmloadsofrudbeckia,chocolatecosmos,andQueenAnne'slacethatstillsmelledlikethefield.Augustisgenerous.
MiraandSamwantedtheirbackyardonOssingtontolookliketheirgardenhadsimplygottenwildly,beautifullyoutofhand.Notdecorated—overgrown.Wedrapedthepergolainsmilaxuntiltheroofdisappeared,thenwoveintrailingjasminethatwouldnotbloomuntilthesunwentdown—atimedrevealthecoupledidnotknowaboutuntilithappened.