Hello all,
Our recent Ikabana International workshop was conducted by Chieko Yazaki (above), head of the Shogetsudokoryu school. We were to workshop the very versatile aspidistra leaves. Chieko demonstrated a number of ways of manipulating the leaves to create different looks.

In her arrangement, above, Chieko used wire attached to the back of the leaves using surgical tape, then, when she bent the leaves, they created a wavy shape. Please go to Melbourne Ikebana for more photographs.

Lucy used umbrella grass stems on which she attached the
horizontal aspidistra leaves using a pin, which allowed
for movement

Lucy's arrangement, above, was inspired by the Alexander Calder exhibition, currently on at the NGV.

In my arrangement, above, I wanted to feature the stripes on the variegated leaves, so I folded them around the stem of the anthurium. One of the properties that make these leaves so versatile is their ability to survive without water. Today, ten days later, it still looks fresh. The container is a rather interesting glass decanter.

For our last class I set a combined theme of 'Glass Containers' and 'With Leaves Only'. Below is one of my arrangements. In the large demijohn I placed the leaves of Japanese iris and added another, smaller glass bowl semi-submerged with a variegated aspidistra leaf curled inside. It's a pity this is not a video so you could see the movement of the smaller bowl.

Jenny used a curly leaf, which is unfamiliar
to me with variegated New Zealand flax

Lucy used a partially split aspidistra leaf, which
she placed half in and half out of the vase. She
added a round, red begonia leaf around the
mouth of the vase

Vicky used a large flat bowl in which she placed curled up agapanthus leaves and
one, very strong gymea leaf

Shaneen's lesson was 'Mass and Line':

Shaneen used chrysanthemums and pampas grass

In preparation for my exhibition piece, I had tried a number of different leaves. Those that were not used could not be discarded, so I used them in the two arrangements, below.

The leaves are from my strelitzia nicolai, which I cut into these
geometric shapes and added the arum lilies.

To my left over loquat branches I added arum lilies and nandina
domestica berries in this tall stainless steel vase

Bye for now,
Emily

Hello all,

Well, my garrya elliptica is flowering beautifully, although it has fewer flowers than last year. It does that. One year it produces an abundance of catkins and the next just a few. Still, I love using it. Above is an arrangement I made while the catkins are still quite tight. Below is one with the catkins quite long and fully open. The down side of this is the masses of yellow pollen that falls from the more mature catkins.

I used camellias with the garrya in a self made ceramic container

I made this next arrangement in a nageire vase that I bought for one of my students. I'm always on the lookout for basic containers for the newer students, trawling op shops and trading tables at meetings. Whilst waiting to give it to my student, I couldn't resist the temptation to make an arrangement. I used New Zealand flax flower stem and a single oriental lily. It fits the theme 'Paying Attention to the Container'. Sadly, the vase is no longer with us. It fell and broke during Mary's recent lesson.

Over the 28 years that I have been involved with ikebana, I have collected a huge amount of dried material, which I keep in storerooms under the house. (Sam is terrified that a single spark in there could burn the house down.) Every so often I look through them and bring out what takes my fancy to play with. This next arrangement was made that way. It is a 'Floor Arrangement", although I did have it sit on the dining table, where it would not be knocked over. I used aspidistra leaves and nandina domestica nana.

In my previous post I mentioned the Sogetsu Annual Exhibition currently on. The arrangement, below is my contribution. I used a metal container that stands one metre tall and used two different types of ribbons made of metal mesh, cascading down. The flower is a strelitzia nicolai, for which my husband risked life and limb to cut. Unfortunately, the white petals of the flower don't show against the white background. The foliage is loquat branches.

A closeup of the metal mesh

Lucy's strong and dynamic arrangement
using agave and copper wire

Jenny Loo created a structure using fine dowels with dark wire. She
used tulips in this Paul Davis vase

Christopher is very busy at the moment curating this exhibition but, I'm sure, he will be posting photographs of all the arrangements in the Sogetsu blog soon. Keep an eye out for it.

Bye for now,
Emily

Hello all,

A friend recently gave me a leaf and an anthurium, with which I made the arrangement, above. Choosing the right vase was most important in this case and, I must admit, I found the whole composition quite pleasing.

For our previous class I had asked the students to make an arrangement in a Tsubo vase using berries. The berries branches was to challenge the students with an added degree of difficulty due to the extra weight of the branches.

 In my arrangement, below, I used cotoneaster branches, from which I removed the leaves, with a camellia branch and Green Goddess lilies. The technique that I employed for my heavy branches to stay upright was to nail the two opposite branches together. The single fixture of the nail allowed the branches to pivot and fit through the relatively small opening of the vase, then open up and rest the bottom of the stems to the inside of the vase and then, further up at the lip.

Vicky, also, used cotoneaster berries branches but chose not to
remove the leaves. Her sunflowers were a strong addition to
a strong arrangement

Bredenia used White cedar (Melia azedarach) branches
and two strelitzias

By coincidence, Lucy used exactly the same materials as Vicky

Nicole used bare Manchurian pear branches and nandina
domestica berries for accent.

Shaneen's exercise was - Shape of the container. She used cordylines
and roses

An arrangement I made just to use this wonderful material in the large, new and
never before used container. I used contorted hazel branches, oranges, nandina
domestica nana and srelitzias

Another fun arrangement. I used nandina domestica berries and
crucifix orchid

I found the dried grape vine stems that I used in this arrangement, discarded in the tub I use for rubbish in the classroom. I don't know which of my students left it there and, as I have never used this material before, I couldn't resist playing with it. Unfortunately, the stems had been bent in half to fit into the tub, limiting what I could do with them. However, the squiggly tendrils are both attractive and extremely practical. I was able to use them to attach the stems to each other making wire unnecessary.

Before I close this post I wanted to let you know of the forthcoming Sogetsu Annual exhibition.

The exhibition will be held in two sessions over two weeks.
Session one: Tuesday 16th July - Sunday 21st July (I will be exhibiting during this session)
Session two: Tuesday 23rd July - Sunday 28th July

Hours
9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday - Friday
11.00 am to 4.00 pm Saturday and Sunday
Demonstration and opening 1.30 pm Saturday 20th July
Venue: Foyer of the Hawthorn Arts Centre.
360 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn.

Bye for now,
Emily

Hello all,
The photographs, above, are of my Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume), which is somewhat confused, as it has brought out its blossoms before it has completely shed its leaves. It brings me great joy to see the delicately fragrant blossoms appear at the beginning of each winter, at a time when the garden is quite bare. The  hanging bird feeder is for the rainbow lorikeets.

For my arrangements, below, I removed the remaining leaves from the branches that I used to showcase the blossoms.

With nerines

With camellias. The buds are still quite tight

Our recent Sogetsu workshop was presented by Akemi Suzuki on the theme - 'Using Various Locations' from Book 5. It was challenging finding unusual locations in the meeting hall but at the end of the session, some  fascinating places were used.

By the time I arrived at the meeting, the position I had planned to use was taken, so I went into the kitchen, and  used the drawer, after emptying it of its crockery. I used two small, modern, ceramic containers - one on the bench and one inside the drawer. For the lines I used horsetail (equisetum japonicum) because they are hollow, allowing me to insert the bright pink stems of the amaranthus to add another dimension. To complete the arrangement I used two crucifix orchids.

Close-up of the two different stems 

Lucy placed her arrangement at the corner of the top of the piano. She used
umbrella grass stems and flowers that she trimmed for a modern look

Nicole used a basket on an overturned chair. Her materials were
hydrangea, nandina berries and asparagus fern

Please go to Sogetsu Victoria for more photographs.

I recently finished removing the dead flowers from my agapanthus. This is not a job that can be completed in one go, as there are so many of them. In fact it took several "go's". As always, when I'm pruning, I found material to use for arrangements. In the first one the agapanthus is still green, even though the flowers are long gone but it was the shape of the stems that most attracted me. I used with them my last hydrangea and some nandina domestica nana at the back. In the second arrangement, I used two dried agapanthus flowers, which I sprayed 'primrose yellow' and added cotoneaster berries in this interesting vase with holes on either side.

Bye for now,
Emily