Introductions and a New Season

I am a native Houstonian who has been caring for people, pets, and flowers for most of my adult life.  I love to dig in the dirt, while listening to chirping birds and humming bees.   I love beautiful spaces and interiors, all things French, travel, and the great outdoors. I am also a floral designer, who loves bringing joy to others with the gift of flowers.  

When Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on our city, our beloved Buffalo Bayou overflowed and filled our home with murky, polluted water.  In the days following the flood, I happened to be approached by a national newscaster covering the story, and upon introductions,  he quickly replied that my name, Mary Sommers Pyne, sounded like a character in a fairytale, and wondered how my story would unfold.  His words have rattled around my head, myself wondering what made up this next chapter in the life of Mary Sommers Pyne.   During our year of rebuilding, when we were living with neighbors, or in our garage, one truth remained constant, my love for our wild backyard and my garden, and my need to live simply, live well, and live with beauty.  I still planted seeds, because growing flowers is like a salve, a therapy, it’s just something that keeps me afloat.  The act of growing a flower from seed, and then sharing it with somebody is my love language.  It is my way of sharing the miracles of nature whether wild or cultivated.  In this week, as we lead up to Thanksgiving,   I am grateful for the promise of a new season.  Our bayou is once again in full bloom.  My new season is beginning, and I welcome you to join me on my journey with Bayou Blooms, a floral design studio specializing in personal flowers for home interiors and special occasions.    

Of course, my new season, has been a long time in coming.  I hail from generations of gardeners and growers, and have been influenced greatly by two women in my life, my mother and Mrs P,  who both found the beauty and simplicity of flowers to be incredibly appealing in everyday living.  I grew up having a small posey vase at my bedside, or a single stem flower arrangement on the vanity.   Simple beauty in the form of a flower makes for extravagant living, regardless of one’s budget.    There’s nothing I love more than clipping treasures from my garden or foraging in my wild backyard. It’s those unexpected stems that can bring a dash of character and a bit of wilderness to my floral design.   I curate materials for my arrangements from nurseries, wholesalers, the garden, or foraged from the road.    Materials sourced in this manner provides layers of texture and depth to each floral design. 

In 2019,  I  found myself setting off on a self-discovery floral journey.  Encouraged by the stories of many through podcasts produced by Botanical Brouhaha, and others, I realized that my passive education, needed to become a bit more active.   I enrolled in a one-week intensive with  Flower School NY,  and an online course with Holly Chapple of Hope Flower Farms.    In the past year,  I have met and attended workshops and floral demonstrations from many of the industry’s top designers, including: Gregor Lersch, Ariella Chezar, Calvert Cleary, Françoise Weeks, Holly Heider Chapple, Phil John Perry, Susan McCleary, and the dynamic duo of Darroch and Mikey Putnam.   Meeting and learning from all of these passionate floral enthusiasts has propelled me to follow my own, albeit organic path. Pinch me, I am living my floral dream!   

I hope to use this blog, as a way to share my story and love of nature, gardening and floral design, as well as, all those chapters in between.