Doryanthus palmeri

Hello all,

My gyamea lily (Doryanthus palmeri) above is in full bloom. The flower head, which measures about 80 cm in length and 30 cm in diametre, comprises of numerous individual flowers. The plant that has produced the flower will die but smaller plants will take its place. I will have to remove some of those because it will create crowding. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to dig them up with roots intact, as I would love to be able give them away.

This is an Australian native plant originating along the Eastern coast. It is tough and drought hardy and its long glossy leaves are very useful in ikebana, especially because they can last a number of weeks without water.

This next bit of my blog falls under the category of 'Doting Grandmother', so I ask for your indulgence as I include photographs of my granddaughter's art pieces. Hermione is all of 7 years of age and the work that she brought to show me had been done at school and had been displayed there together with other budding artists' work. I have to admit, I was blown away by her creativity.

Acrylic paint on board

Robot

In the drawing, below, Hermione has superimposed a drawing of her face on perspex over other drawings depicting her life. I'm absolutely amazed at how well she has captured her likeness.

And here she is with her latest ikebana arrangement.

So, back to ikebana. This next arrangement was a long time in its creation, starting with the growing of the ornithogalums into these twisted stems. When I cut them I thought it would be very easy to arrange them, as there was enough interest in the stems to make a good arrangement. I was wrong! I tried a number of containers with several openings but they didn't work because the stems flopped to one side or another. Then I thought of using a kenzan to hold them where I wanted them to stay. That, too, didn't work because the soft stems are not strong enough to hold the weight of the flowers. I needed to give them a support. I came up with, what I thought, was a great idea - to fit each stem into a piece of bamboo and push that into the kenzan. That, too, didn't work because it is very difficult to push bamboo into a kenzan, especially if you can't get your hand inside the vase. So, then, I split the piece of bamboo into two pieces and wired then around the flower stem. I was, then, able to insert the split bamboo into the kenzan successfully. Phew!

I could not find any accompanying material to use in this arrangement because it would interfere with the squiggly stems. It is an example of using only one kind of material. Also emphasizing curved lines.

Spring really is a wonderful time with an overabundance of materials in the garden. However, my wisteria has been a disappointment for decades, producing very few flowers and each year I threaten to remove her but then I relent and give her another chance until the following year. Well, this is definitely her last chance. I will cut her right back but I want to do it when I can give the class a workshop, early next year. The arrangement, below, was very pleasing with the wisteria flowers and the first of my Queen Elizabeth roses. Unfortunately, the wisteria branch with the leaves looks flat even though it was coming forward.

Flag Iris are so ephemeral that they provide a very small window of opportunity to use them in an arrangement. There is a very specific, traditional way of arranging them, which I did in the piece, below. I used two S-shaped containers and two different iris, although they look similar in the photo. I, also, used weeping willow and Japanese maple to complete the piece.

On a previous post I accused clematis of being show offs but, I think, hippeastrums could give them a run for their money. What do you think?

Hippeastrums and gymea leaf

Bye for now,
Emily