Friday Flowers Club #47~Berry Harvest

Hello Friends.

We have spoken often of the equinox on this group over the last few years, and the symbolism attached to the concept of the shifting of the seasons and the corresponding change of self. But I write today with even more pressing news – the Autumn Equinox sits closely to Michaelmas, and with today being the 28thwe only have one more day to pick Blackberries!

The Autumn Equinox is often nicknamed ‘Berry Harvest’ and is generally accepted as the second of the harvest festivals, timed for when most wild fruits have fully ripened and are ready to be foraged.
However the 29th September is Michaelmas, a date also known as the ‘Devil’s Curse’. Traditionally a Quarter Day and often celebrated as an informal Equinox with strong associations of light triumphing over dark, it is also the date when the Devil was supposedly thrown out of Heaven, landing in a Blackberry bush. Folklore suggests that after this date the berries belonged to the Devil themselves, and as such would taste bitter and inedible.

Of course, I suspect our long hot Summer is a more likely culprit for the slim berry pickings we are left with at the end of September this year…although folklore also suggests that in turn we should brace for a long Winter.

This Weeks’s Flowers will therefore embrace the berry hues, with a mix of seasonal Asters (the Michaelmas flower) Dacus, Amaranthus, Chrysanthemums and a few other surprises.

Small bouquet £15, large bouquets £30 and Jam Jars £12.50.

I will also have seasonal bunches (5 stems) of beautiful Physalis (a Chinese lanterns) for £12.50.

Usual channels for ordering nicola@nicolagreenbotanica.com or 07714025618 to join my Friday Flowers Club WhatsApp group.

Order by Tuesday 29th September for delivery Friday 2nd October.

Have a lovely week and as always, “Bringing the Outdoors In”.

Nicola