Hello all,
These are trying times we are living in, we all need to find ways to cope, physically as well as mentally. I have some coping mechanisms I'd like to share with you and, perhaps, you can share yours with me. I can then post them in this blog for the benefit of all our readers. Please email me your ideas.

In preparation for this lock down, I bought fabrics and notions for a number of dressmaking projects. I. also. bought mulch, potting mix and seedlings with the intention of catching up on some much neglected gardening. I suspect when this is all over, people's gardens will be the best they've ever been. A little silver lining in an otherwise very dark cloud.

A couple of times I made a big pot of rice pudding (Greek style) and distributed it to the family and intend to do some baking as well. Of course, the most enjoyable activity for me is ikebana. Initially, I questioned whether I should bother making arrangements that no one will see but then I realised that I can share them with you. But most importantly, my ikebana would please me.

As I go about my chores I listen to audio books. The effect of this is somewhat like mindfulness, in that I'm engrossed in the book and, for a while, forget about the doom and gloom  that surrounds us. I should have known better, however, than to download books by Margaret Atwood. She's an excellent writer but the dystopian societies that she writes about are a little too close to home at the moment. I abandoned, half way, the last book of hers that I was reading for something a little bit more uplifting.

Now, you would think that with all this preparation, I would be happily busying myself. But not so, I find I can't get motivated and I'm fighting a type of indolence, which is not like me at all. If I'm not careful, I could turn into a couch potato.

And so to ikebana. My variegated euphorbia, which was much admired whenever I used it, suddenly turned up its toes. I started to remove it and, to my delight, some stems still had some life left in them. So I pruned it right back and used the cuttings for the arrangement, above. I love the pinkish-maroon colour of the stems with the little tufts of grey foliage on the tips. I used three different coloured hydrangeas and a long stem of amaranthus.

My haemanthus lily has just flowered. It's fascinating the way the flowers come out of the ground, while their very large and fleshy leaves appear only after the flowers have died.

In the pot

In a simple arrangement with squiggly grass

I was delighted when I discovered these new, mauve coloured leaves on my wisteria and, of course, I disentangled them from the wire fence and used them in the arrangement below. I think my wisteria is trying to charm me into letting her live and not remove her as I am determined to do. The container is one I bought in my early days of ikebana but I have used it quite infrequently. I can't quite put my finger on it but, everytime I pick it up to use it, I end up rejecting it. Except for today. I think both the colour and the shape work well in this arrangement.

I made this very simple arrangement, below, because I wanted to feature the dogwood fruit. They are from the tree that grew from a seedling that was given to me by Hazel McNaught. Some of you will remember her. This tree produces fewer flowers than my other dogwood but they are larger, as are the fruit, which are about the size of golf balls.

And here are some other arrangements I played with.

Agave and crucifix orchid

The last gloriosa lily and curculigo leaves (I think)
in a wall arrangement

Agapanthus and crucifix orchid

I hope you all stay safe and well.
Bye for now,
Emily

Hello all,

At our recent Sogetsu meeting and workshop we were asked to make an arrangement from Book 3 - 'The Shape of the Container'. The photograph, above, is of my arrangement. I used agapanthus seed heads and Cathedral begonia leaves in a self made, ceramic container. The arrangement, below, was done by Nicole, who used cypress stems and crepe myrtle flowers. Please go to Sogetsu Melbourne  for more photographs of members' work.

For class last week I had set the theme 'In a suiban without a kenzan'. This is a challenging exercise, which was in Book 4 but it has re-appeared in Book 5, with some variation. Initially, we mostly used branches as our main material with which to create a self standing structure. In book 5, however, we are encouraged to use all sorts of materials such as leaves, flowers and grasses. Emphasis is still on creating a balance that does not rely on the stems resting in the corners of the container, as well as clean lines showing at the bottom and reflecting in the water. The two photographs, below, are of my first, 'original' arrangement. I used box thorn with berries, New Zealand flax leaves, Japanese anemones and amaranthus.

The next arrangement is what I call the book 5 version. I used strelitzia reginae leaves, ginger lily, crucifix orchid and amaranthus.

Below are some of the students' work

Maren used corky elm branches and yellow and mauve chrysanthemums

Nicole used tortured willow, sedum and dietes leaves

Vicky used camelia branches and roses

Lucy used monstera leaf, aspidistra leaf, New Zealand
flax leaves and amaranthus

With this forced confinement that we all have to adhere to, we will have time to catch up on all sorts of chores that have been neglected. My first such chore was to prune the lower branches of the golden elm. This tree belongs to our neighbours, technically, because it grows next to the fence, just inside their property. This means that half the tree is over our back yard. And we love it. Over the years with different owners, I have had to beg and plead the neighbours to save the tree. Elm trees need to be treated every two years for elm leaf beetle. This can be quite expensive for such a large tree but well worth doing. Even though the tree doesn't belong to us, we have offered and paid for half, many times, thus ensuring the owners went ahead with the treatment. The current owners, however, value the tree as much as we do and are more than happy to do whatever is needed to protect it.

As is always the case when I'm pruning, I see potential ikebana material in the cuttings, which I'm loathe to throw away. So I made a few arrangements. The shapes that I have used have been created by the removal of side branches and leaves to reveal interesting forms.

I used roses with this forward sweeping branch in a ceramic container

With amaranthus in this hand blown glass vase

With iris foetidissima berries and iceberg
roses in tall glass vase

Close up of iris foetidissima berries

With altissimo roses

In these trying times I hope you all stay safe and well.
Bye for now,
Emily

Althea and Hermione with their ikebana arrangements straight after ballet class

Hello all,
At Hermione's recent 8th birthday, we gave her a suiban and kenzan as part of her gifts. I thought she might not be too excited by them compared to some other gifts she received but I was pleasantly surprised when she called me the very next day asking for her first, official ikebana lesson. Needless to say, I was delighted to have her come and she arrived that afternoon with little sister, Althea in toe. She wanted a lesson too and was not gong to be left out. Great - two for the price of one!

Those of you who belong to the Sogetsu School of Ikebana would know that our Iemoto, Akane Teshigahara, was a kindergarten teacher and now, amongst her other duties, runs ikebana classes for children. I read an article she wrote on the subject, where she suggested that with young children it is best not to teach them the formal curriculum but to allow them to do their own thing and get the feel of working with flowers and other materials. I was going to follow this advice but Hermione showed such a keenness to learn that I went ahead and taught her as I would an adult. As for little Althea, she needed a lot more help, as one would  expected. In the end, they were very pleased and proud of their work, which they took home, to their parents' delight. It's a dream come true to have a granddaughter keen to learn from me. Of course, I will also teach my other three grandchildren, should they be interested.

And now to more serious matters. These are very trying times for all of us. The word 'unprecedented' has been overused in the extreme but this doesn't make it any less true. We are all facing situations we've never faced before and, with minor exceptions, people are behaving responsibly. A big shout out to all those wonderful people on the front line who bear the brunt of this emergency, in particular the medical staff. They all have my gratitude.

At our Ikebana International meeting last week we celebrated our 61st birthday. It was Japanese day and we were treated to a powerpoint presentation on the kimono, its history and uses by Nobuko Kobayashi. This was followed by an actual demonstration of the wearing of the kimono, quite an involved process. I've always admired the beauty of the kimono but I don't know how the Japanese ladies get anything done whilst wearing one or where they find the time required to put on this elegant garment. Below is a photograph of Akemi Suzuki in her kimono, which she put on all by herself.

For our arrangements on the day, we were asked to reference the kimono and I direct you to II Melbourne for photographs of the members' work. For my arrangement I, initially, intended to use a beautiful piece of obi silk brocade. But, after giving it some thought, I decided to feature the lines of the kimono, which are always sharply straight. There are no ruffles or gatherings and, even the very soft fabrics, have clean lines. Hence, my use of cane to reference the lines of kimono. I used hydrangeas, as seasonal flowers that might be seen on an autumnal print for kimono and berries of the Portugal laurel.

At the end of the meeting my colleague Lara Telford gave me her branch of chestnuts, which she had used in her arrangement. I don't, normally, have access to this material, so I was delighted and, as soon as I got home, I had to arrange it. I secured it in a very tall glass vase and added hydrangeas and kniphofias. I was quite happy with the piece but the lime green colour of the chestnuts quickly turned to brown. I suspect it's because its stem was not in water. You can see Lara's original arrangement if you click on the link, above.

The next three arrangements are just me playing with material that had popped up in the garden. All three main materials have the capacity to surprise me. They seem to pop up almost overnight.

Kniphofias and hosta leaves

Nerines, agapanthus leaves and dietes  leaf

My one and only belladonna lily with wisteria and alstroemeria psittacina 

Another delightful surprise in my garden is the dogwood tree with berries that look like Christmas baubles hanging from it. After consulting Google I discovered that they are edible. So I tried them and was disappointed by their bland flavour. However, they are marvelous for ikebana. Unfortunately, in my wall arrangement, below, you can't see the interesting, forward sweep of the stem. I also used sedum and iceberg roses. When the fruit ripen they become quite soft and, every-so-often they fall to the floor with a distinct 'plop' and flatten partially.

Some students' work -

Shaneen's arrangement 'To be viewed from all Sides'
Smoke bush, elm and Port St John creeper

Maren's coffee table arrangement
New Zealand flax, nerines and alstroemeria 

Lei's arrangement 'Repeating similar Shapes and Forms'
Palm leaves and burgundy coloured  pineapple lilies

I leave you with this next photo of my hosta flowers and leaves. You have to look closely to see the white flowers against the pale background. I would not call it an arrangement, as such but merely placed in the container. Its natural beauty is sufficient for me.

Bye for now,
Emily

Hello all,
The photographs, above, are three views of my latest project. I named this sculpture 'Symbiosis' and it's made of rusted steel and aluminium. I've been itching to do something like this for some time and last year I invested a considerable amount of money to have my sculpture fabricated.

I applied to have my piece exhibited at the ASV MIFGS Sculpture Exhibition at the end of this month and, I'm happy to say, it was accepted. I would like it to sell but I won't be too disappointed if it doesn't because I like the way it looks nestled in the grass in our back yard. So, if you're going to the show, you may want to look out for it.

And whilst I'm on the subject of MIFGS, Ikebana International will, again, be exhibiting inside the Exhibition Building. I will, also, be exhibiting in the Shop Window Competition, as I have done for many years now.

For class last week I had set the theme from Book 4 lesson 5 'A Variety of Materials' (Maze-Zashi). This is not the same as the traditional grasses arrangement. In fact the instructions in the book recommend using mainly flowers. This is difficult to do because in order to harmonise, one needs to find at least five different flowers  in compatible colours but also size. I find that using materials with small leaves or flowers and adding one or two lager ones as a focal point works best. Those were my instructions to the students.

In my first arrangement I used five different materials in a cubic shaped ceramic container. I selected mainly materials with subdued colours allowing the red berries to pop.

In my second arrangement I went a bit modern, starting with the asymmetric, lacquered container with its bright red interior and black exterior. The arrangement is quite tall and I've used eight different materials. Again, I kept the colours mainly in the green hues with the accent provided by the crucifix orchids and hawthorn berries.

Below are photos of the students'work.

Nicole McDonald

Bredenia Raquel

Vicky Kalokathis

Jenny Loo

Lucy Papas

The photo, above, is of my Night Blooming Jasmine (Centrum nocturnum), which I have growing in our front garden. It is quite extraordinary that during daylight hours there is not a hint of fragrance. However, as soon as it gets dark, the heady scent from this plant is so strong that it permeates all through the garden. I used a couple of sprigs in my arrangement and it behaved the same as a cut flower, indoors, as it does outdoors.  It's also very easy to grow and I highly recommend it.

Something else that is growing very well and is in full bloom right now is the amaranthus. This is also extremely easy to grow. In fact, all of my plants have self sown.

In the garden

And in my wall arrangement.

I'm hoping some one will be able to help me with my equisetum (horsetail). It is finally growing beautifully in a pot, as you can see. However, when I cut it to use it in my ikebana, it dries up and shrivels straight away. Is there some way to treat it so that it may last longer? Please email me if you can help. I would be most grateful.

Bye for now,
Emily

Hydrangea and Cathedral begonia 

Hello all.

The arrangement, above, is an example of the lesson in Book 4 - 'Paying Attention to the Container and to the Place where the Arrangement will be put.

I went walking down the street, with secateurs in hand, and went past the row of cypress trees, which I normally ignore. They're not my favourite trees. This time I thought I'd challenge myself to make an arrangement using something I don't particularly like. I struggled a little to secure the heavy branches in this spherical vase, then added the hydrangeas and echinops adenocaulos. It doesn't thrill me.

Left over hawthorn berries from another arrangement, Altissimo rose and wisteria
sprayed white

Garlic flowers

Japanese flowering quince with fruit and gloriosa lily

I can recommend growing garlic for its flowers. They're very easy to grow and last well as cut flowers. The arrangement, above, lasted for a number of weeks, despite the fact that the water had evaporated and the flowers had dried.

I leave you with this arrangement in my new container, in which I used Equisetum, loosely intertwined, roses and sedum.

Bye for now,
Emily