Hello all,

In my last post I included the photograph below and mentioned the difficulty with the mechanics. I've had a couple of inquiries about how I managed to balance the stems through that small opening without resting them on the sides.


As I was dismantling my arrangement, I took a photo which I've included here to show the mechanics. I wired the two agapanthus stems together at the bottom, then I wired a stick to the stems, at right angles, going towards the back of the container. The length of the stick is critical and I cut it longer than I needed initially and kept cutting until it was just the right length so that the stems stood upright. The stick pushing on to the back of the container counterbalanced the weight of the heavy flowers coming forward. I hope my explanation makes sense.

And so, on to some new work. For our first class for the year, the brief for the senior students was to work in pairs. Each person in the pair was to make an arrangement that related in some way to the other. One arrangement was to be on the wall or hanging from the ceiling with the corresponding one to be on the floor or table.

 Helen Novic did the table arrangement and Janette Fonda the one on the wall. They both used a lightweight metal that's pleated and they used with it setaria palmifolia, which is a grass with leaves that are pleated.

Margaret Wilson did an arrangement hanging from the ceiling to complement Robyn Unglik's free standing one. Because it was suspended by only one fishing line, it moved freely creating added interest. They both used weeping mulberry branches but Margaret used agapanthus seed pods whilst Robyn used a number of hydrangeas and some Dietes leaves in a container made by her clever husband.

I made this large wall arrangement using a ceramic container and a dried branch which was rescued from my neighbour's rubbish pile, so I don't know what plant it is. I also used large, white and blue agapanthus flowers, green crab apples and flax leaves that I curled.

Lucy Papas' arrangement was placed under the staircase opposite mine so they cannot be photographed together. She used a wild apple branch heavily laden with lichen and small apples, placed in a sweeping line to follow the curve of the staircase. She also used watsonias and blue and white agapanthus.

Some of the other arrangements around the house:

These apple and hawthorn branches were cut from trees growing wild along the side of the road on our way to Trentham The container is one I made many years ago.

Young gyamea leaves, Altisimo rose and metal strips

Agave and clivia

Some broken branches from my persimon tree

Wisteria, green persimons and hydrangeas

The seed pods in this simple little arrangement are from the gloriosa lilies. I think they're fascinating. I also used clivia flower and its seed pods

This was my piece for my class with my teacher, Elizabeth. The brief was to use materials that we 'found'.
The apple branch and bull rushes were found growing by the side of the road and the wire was a coil that was partially rusted and was lying on the footpath

Until next time
Emily