Hello all,

Is there anything more unashamedly showy than a clematis? The large flower in the above arrangement measures 20 cm in diameter. It is a deciduous, climbing plant, whose stems are very thin and, in winter when it is bare of leaves, it can be mistaken for a dead vine. Then, in spring, it brings out these gorgeous, large flowers and leaves that curl to attach themselves onto anything they can find. And, finally, the seed heads are swirls of feathery, silky threads, delightful in their own way. Any wonder clematis are so popular?

I made the arrangement, below, nine weeks ago, when we did a workshop on kiwi vine. When the Green Goddess lilies died I had removed them but left the kiwi vine in the vase. In the mean time, nature did its thing and the vine that reached the water produced fresh vines with leaves. So, I added a cymbidium orchid, that I have been nurturing, to make a new arrangement. You may notice that the arrangement is now facing the opposite direction. That's because the leaves of the vine were growing facing the window.

It was Japanese day at our recent Ikebana International meeting and, as part of celebrating things Japanese, we had a demonstration on Wagashi (Japanese sweets). Our demonstrator was Minako Asai, the owner and creator of MinnieSweets. I found it quite fascinating to watch Minnie create these delightful sweets from bean paste and colouring. And the bonus was the tasting.

The members were asked to make arrangements with Wagashi or Chabana (Tea ceremony flowers) in mind. I made a chabana in a small lacquered container I bought in Japan. I used a twig from my Contorted Hazel (Corylus avellana 'Contorta'), which is just starting to bring leaves. I used a single Dutch iris to complete the chabana.

Actually, I had three chabana arrangements to choose from. Below are the two that were rejected. I had treated the bamboo by placing it in boiling, salted water before arranging. This has helped to keep them from curling up. Now, one week later, they still look fresh.

Please go to Ikebana International Melbourne for more photographs from the meeting.


Below are two views of a simplified arrangement which came about from the dismantling of a previous one. The strelitzia was still looking lovely when the rest of the material had died and I rested it on the vase until I could decide what to do with it next. The more I looked at it, the more I liked it. So, I left it alone.

I leave you with this simple wall arrangement. What makes it special for me is the yellow clivia, which has flowered for the first time. Also, the colours of the Siberian Dogwood. This time of year the stems are still quite red and contrast beautifully with the new, lime green leaves and white flowers.

A close-up of the coloured stems

Oh, and an update on the Gymea flowers. They're getting closer to opening fully.

Bye for now,
Emily