Hello all,

When it comes to materials for ikebana, I feel truly blessed. I have a large and prolific garden, which I have developed over the last 29 years but I, also, have generous people in my life who provide me with materials I don't have.

Case in point, at our last lesson my student, Mary brought me a bunch of the most vibrant blue iris as a congratulatory gift for the sale of my sculpture. I should point out here that, Mary, an art teacher, has been very supportive and encouraging of my venture into sculpture.

Vicky also arrived with freshly cut kiwi vine and the two materials simply had to be put together. I've used kiwi vine before but not very often with the leaves still attached. I, particularly, liked the way the light from the window shone through the leaves. Unfortunately, the leaves were very short lived and had to be removed. I then had to build up the vine to the left for balance. And below is the result.

More kiwi vine and stock

My prunus mume is in full bloom and I used it to decorate the big table in the dining room for mum's birthday party. I realize I committed an ikebana faux pas by using fragrant material at the lunch table but I couldn't resist using these delightful blossoms.

I have been patiently waiting for my hydrangea quercifolia to change colour so I could use it. It's taken its time probably because it grows in deep shade under the giant philodendron leaves. I used this resin container for its colour and the equisetum for the lines as well as the colour. The very early clivia flowers added the brightness needed with all that brown.

The photograph, below, is of my garrya elliptica tree, which is in full bloom. This slow growing, small tree alternates between good years and bad. This year is a good one and the tree is full of catkins. They look like tassles hanging down.

I made the next arrangement with garrya elliptica and some oriental lilies, which were part of a floral offering to mum for her birthday. I should point out that the large branch is angled forward, which is lost in the picture. The catkins will continue to grow in the vase as long as I keep topping up the water. I usually have to remove quite a few of the leaves to allow the catkins to drape down freely. The ceramic container is self made.

I gave some branches to Vicky and Lucy and received a photograph from Vicky of her arrangement.

Bye for now,
Emily

Bare Manchurian pear branches, cotoneaster berries and aeoniums 

Hello all,

After months of isolation and suspension of activities, on Wednesday we had our first class, albeit with a reduced number of students. I made sure that there was one student per sanitised table and had hand sanitisers available as everyone arrived.

It was so good to see everyone and to feel connected by our common interest - ikebana. However, we've just had some disturbing news here in Victoria, with many new cases and we may have to rethink resumption of our classes.

For the few senior students that attended I had sent them an email instructing them to make an arrangement using bare winter branches in a nageire container. This is not the same as using dry branches, which can be out of water. Winter branches still have life in them and need to be in water. Unfortunately, I forgot to use a nageire container myself for the three examples I  made. Bad sensei!

The arrangement, above presented some difficulty in placing the very heavy branches in the position I wanted. A kenzan was out of the question for two reasons. Firstly, the round shape of the container meant that a kenzan would have to sit in the middle, if at all. And, secondly, no kenzan could hold the weight of the branches.
The photo, below, shows the horizontal fixture with two forks that I used instead.

Example no. 2. Here I used branches from a weeping elm. These grew on an errant branch creating a little cluster and needed to be removed. This is one of those 'Two birds, one stone' situation.

Example no. 3. This is an example of using bare branches but, also, of reusing material. The magnolia branch (and, yes, it is just one branch) was in a wall arrangement initially, photo below. The flower buds on the branch have continued to swell and with time, one or two should flower.

Magnolia branches and camellias

I'm very pleased to have some of my students' work to include in this blog as I've had to do all the work myself for many weeks.

Vicky's arrangement, with its lichen covered branches, was too big to photograph on the table, hence the floor position.

Nectarine branches and leucodendrons

Nicole used Birch, leucodendrons and camellias

Lucy used a difficult golden ash branch and a stunning camellia reticulata.

Shaneen did the last lesson in book 3 - Freestyle sketching and arranging. The most challenging part of this arrangement was to work out the mechanics of positioning the beautiful stem correctly. A drill and a screw were employed in the end.

Camellia branch and chrysanthemum

Reusing materials.
Below are another two arrangements made with previously used materials. The agave is from the arrangement on the right, which I made on 18th February and which has lasted all this time without water. And, the pomegranates, plus one more, from the arrangement, below.

Original arrangement

The next arrangement using two containers was made with what was left of the rhus that I used in a previous arrangement, below.

On Saturday was mum's 90th birthday and we gave her a small (by our standards) party of 20 guests. We did not celebrate the birthdays of any other member of the family during the pandemic (including me) but we couldn't let such a milestone go by without acknowledging it.

Many happy returns mum!!

Bye for now,
Emily

Hello all,
The branch material in the above arrangement is Rhus, the sap of which is highly toxic. I have been admiring this particular small tree in my sister's neighbourhood during autumn, when it turned a brilliant red colour. More recently, I noticed that, where the leaves had fallen off, the spikes were still on the tree and, they too, were a brilliant red. I was so taken with them that I asked the owners if I could cut some for ikebana. Lisa and her husband, very generously, allowed me to cut as much as I needed. I've never used this material before and I'm most grateful to them for the opportunity. Unfortunately, my photograph doesn't do justice to the colour. It should be a much brighter red.

And now for some exciting news - my sculpture, 'Symbiosis', has sold! In fact it was the first in the exhibition to sell. The buyer is a gentleman in Brisbane, who said that he has just the spot for in front of his newly built home. He has promised to send me a photograph when it is installed in its position.

When I first got the news of the sale, I was, quite understandably, delighted and did a little happy dance. But then I was faced with the task of finding a courier that would transport the 48 kilo sculpture at a reasonable price. The initial quotes were astronomical and I was beginning to despair but, by the end of the week, and many phone calls later, a company was found and the whole thing has been set in motion. Now, to plan another one.

My very clever brother in law, Peter, assisted by his equally clever wife, Vicky, made two containers for each of us sisters. It was such a delightful surprise when they were delivered.

Slate tops with plastic underneath and a kenzan glued inside.

So, I put the girls to the task of making arrangements in time for this blog.

Below are Vicky's arrangements.

Kiwi vine and anthurium

Kiwi vine, aspidistra leaf and camellia bud

Lucy's are next.

Equisetum and begonias

Equisetum and jonquils

And here are mine.

Camellia - Brushfield Yellow, a treasured gift from my friend, Merryl

Contorted hazel, which broke accidentally, and roses. Unfortunately we don't
see the curving forward of the branch

And while we're talking about making our own containers, I made one too. This is something I've been wanting to do fo a long time but didn't have the tools - until now. I managed, with Sam's help, to cut a hole in this marble tile. Then I put a small plastic bottle at the back and used wire to hang the whole thing on the wall.

Sprayed contorted hazel and camellias

In last week's blog I included the following photo:

I've, since, had two inquiries as to how I balanced the stem of aspidistra. I inserted a piece of wire into a fleshy stem, which was in a kenzan. I, then, made a small indentation in the leaf stem, having worked out the centre of gravity and rested the leaf on the wire, as per photo.

Yesterday I pruned back, quite heavily, my diosma and noticed some interesting shapes in some of the stems.

Diosma and crucifix orchid

Diosma and the first strelitzia reginae

I leave you with this little arrangement.

Beefsteak begonia leaves and rose

Bye for now,
Emily

Hello all,

Above are two views of the same arrangement, using aspidistra leaves and nandina domestica berries. I made a number of arrangements using aspidistra leaves after removing a large clump that was growing in the wrong place. It had originally been planted in the shade, however, when our weeping willow fell, the shade it provided to the aspidistra was gone.

After giving away a number of the plants to others to grow, I used what was left to play with. It's always a great opportunity to workshop material of which there is a great abundance. And this was just such an opportunity. Below are some more arrangements. In the first one I stripped the wider part of the aspidistra leaves, creating a curtain like effect. Flowers are almost non existent in my garden at the moment, so I used oranges and a small sprig of white lisianthus. I must admit that the first time I saw this stripping technique, I was blown away.

Aspidistra is an extremely useful plant in ikebana as it is very strong. So much so, that in Japanese books it is referred to as 'Cast Iron Plant'. One of its many properties is that it can survive out of water.

Aspidistra and Begonia coccinea

Green and yellowing aspidistra leaves with
crucifix orchids

Aspidistra leaves and aeonium in a vase with
openings on both sides

Bent and cut aspidistra leaves and nandina domestica nana

In the next arrangement I used two green and one yellow leaf. Initially, I thought I should use a flower but I remembered Kawana Sensei's words in such a situation, when he referred to it as 'Just decoration'. So, I left out the flower.

And, before I exit the aspidistra section of this post, I wanted to share with you a photo of the flowers of this amazing plant. In all the years I have been growing it, I never saw its flowers. And now I know why. They are quite small (about 2cm in diameter) and grow at the base of the stems, just above the rhizomes. In my garden they are always covered with mulch.

To the right is the purple and white flower and to the left is a
white bud.

I have six large pots of strawberries which need attention this time of year. The old plants are removed, new potting mix replaces the old and the new runners are planted. This ensures a good crop later on, much to my grandchildren's delight. This year I noticed that the leaves had a glorious autumn colour, so I cut some for an arrangement.

Stawberry pots

Strawberry leaves and runner plus
hydrangea

Bye for now,
Emily

For the first day of winter, a wall arrangement using bare magnolia branches,
 camellias and cotoneaster berries

Hello all,

You may remember my sculpture from my March post. It was to have been included in the ASV exhibition at the 2020 MIFGS, which was cancelled. It is now part of the inaugural Association of Sculptors of Victoria (ASV) virtual sculpture exhibition. Everyone is invited to visit the site  https://sculptorsvictoria.asn.au/site. There are three categories - Courtyard, Garden and Estate and you are able to vote for your favourite piece in each category. Just as a reminder, here is the original photo.

With the continuation of what I like to call 'Extreme Gardening', I was removing an oyster plant (acanthus mollis), which had invaded my garden from next door. As I was winding the stems into the compost bin, I noticed that they curved very nicely, without kinking. So, out they came and into the ikebana room. This was a good time for a break and I took advantage of it to create the beginnings of two arrangements. I intended to complete them the next day. But, even though the stems were in water, this is what greeted me the next morning. So depressingly floppy!

Not one to give up too easily, however, I decided to go with the 'drapy' look and make my arrangements accordingly.

Acanthus stems, leaf and crucifix orchids

Acanthus stems, pomegranates and flowers from
a street tree

Acanthus stems, twisted for strength, pomegranates and
my first clivia flower

So, I was quite satisfied with my work and with having learnt how this material behaves, until the next morning when I saw this. Obviously, being submerged in water revitalised the acanthus stems and they straightened, pushing themselves out of the vase. Interesting but seriously annoying!

I have a huge patch of giant philodendron bipinnatifidum, which needs to be cut back periodically to prevent it from taking over my back yard. I removed a number of the leaves, cut away the stems and laid the leaves on the vegetable patch to act as mulch. I couldn't resist using at least one of them for an arrangement. As you can see, I kept only a small portion of the leaf for this piece, below. Because of a serious shortage of flowers, I used nandina domestica nana as a mass in the circle.

Bye for now,
Emily