30th August, 2021

 

Hello all,

Last week our Sogetsu group was scheduled to have a workshop, which I was going to lead. It had, already, been postponed once and this time it was cancelled. I suggested to our director, Christopher, that we should go ahead with it anyway but on line. I sent him four photographs of examples of the double theme I had chosen, together with some explanatory notes and suggestions. He, then, sent them to the members and asked them to make their own arrangements and send photos back to him, which he subsequently put on our website. I was deghted that  many members did just that. https://sogetsuikebanavic.weebly.com/recent-workshops

The photograph, above, is one of my examples. Please click on the link to see the rest as well as the contributions from the members and an explanation of the double theme.

I recently bought a used container that is shaped like a large shell. And, like a kid with a new toy, I had to use it straight away. I've been looking for an opportunity to use my weeping willow as it is at its absolute best at the moment. It's bringing out its leaves, which are still very small and sparse. It looks like it's wearing a green veil. I like to use it in a pond-like arrangement. The container has two chambers, replicating the shell - a small one at the back and larger one in front. I used mostly the back chamber for the materials, leaving the larger one with mainly water. I kept the willow stems long as it was destined to sit on a pedestal and hang over the front. It's hard to see all the materials in the photo but I used willow, narcissus, tulips, freesias, cottage gladili and spiria.

A close up of the interior of the container.

This variegated camellia, below, had a branch extending outwards over the path leading to Sam's office and I had the choice of tying it back or cutting it. So cut it I did! I had noticed earlier that the elms have started flowering, so putting the two together seemed appropriate. The glass vases remind me of my teacher, Carlyne Patterson. It was decades ago when we found these bottle-shaped vases selling very cheaply and we all bought up big. Again, it's hard to tell from the photo but the camellia branch is in the white vase, sweeping forward in font of the grey vase and the elm branches are in the grey.

I found that a number of arum lilies I had bent whilst in bud, were now fully opened and, if I didn't use them soon they would be past their best. So I played. 

I should explain, before anyone writes to tell me my arum lily in the blue container is out of water, that it is not. It's just an illusion. The flower stem is in a kenzan inside the container and the curved stem is sitting outside but can survive quite well without water because I sealed both ends with melted wax.

The stachyurus with its jewel like flowers on pendant racemes is quite lovely but rather difficult to use. The racemes must be draping downwards when placed in an arrangement but the stems don't always allow for that. Very careful selection of the branches when cutting them is necessary for a successful arrangement.

And, as I mentioned last week, sometimes a flower just needs a vase and water. Nature has done the rest. This rhododendron was a gift from mum and dad when we first moved into the house and, therefore, much prized.

Bye for now,

Emily

23rd August, 2021

 

Yellow caned bamboo (Geen Stripe Vivax) and Dutch Iris in ceramic
container

Hello all,

The weather, over the two days of the weekend, was absolutely perfect. With lockdown and nowhere to go, I spent as much time as this aging, old body would allow, pottering around in the garden. I've reached the point where I have to take regular breaks from physical work and ikebana helps me with that. As I come across interesting materials, I can stop gardening and start the less physically challenging work of arranging the material. The following arrangement is a case in point.

The curculigo was encroaching on some herbaceous peonies and had to be trimmed. I was struck by the vibrant, orange colour of the stems close to the roots. I rescued them from the compost bin and brought them inside but what to do with them? The pleated leaves are gorgeous but quite soft and can't hold themselves upright without support. After a number of unsuccessful attempts with different containers, I settled on this glass vase, which helped to showcase the pleated leaves as well as hold up the heavy stems. I confess, I debated using any flowers but the colour of the clivias sitting in the bucket, was irresistible.

The thorny branch in the next arrangement is the new growth on a pomegranate tree at the spot from which a large limb had been removed. I don't, normally, name my work but this one brings to mind Colleen McCullough's book, 'The Thorn Birds'.

Another, rather difficult gardening job was the transplanting of a small nectarine tree that was growing in the wrong place. Poor, old Sam had to do some serious digging but he managed it. My job was to prune back the tree to compensate for the root disturbance. I brought the branches with very tight buds indoors and, within a few days, they had flowered. In the meantime, the magnolia soulangiana was flowering prolifically and the spiria was just at the bud stage, so I put them all together in this large 'spring' arrangement.

The flowers on the spiria are very pretty but I much prefer the bud stage.

I made a worrying discovery with the magnolia. Something is eating the flowers and buds. Not Happy!

All around our area the different varieties of wattles have put on a spectacular show and I helped myself to a couple of them.

Wattle with Brushfield's Yellow camellias

Red dogwood (Cornus Siberica alba) wattle and 'By the
Light of the Moon' camellias.

Sometimes flowers are so beautiful that all they need is to be put in a vessel with water. And, no, the arrangement was not photographed crookedly, the little white vase is lopsided.

Bye for now,

Emily

16th August, 2021

 

Camellia extravaganza

Hello all,

My arrangement, above, will seem quite extravagant to those of you with small or no gardens but my tree is a big one and in full bloom. Those said blooms will end up on the ground very soon, so I might as well use them. Under other circumstances I would be sharing some of them with my students but, alas, we are in lock down for the 6th time and are having no classes.

I'm quite grateful to have this block, for which I need photos of ikebana each week. I'm surrounded by wonderful materials and have the insatiable need to create ikebana. With the lockdown, no one but Sam can see my work in the house, so this blog is my window to the world, small as it is.

Variegated Ivy and clivia berries

Last week I heard chain saws in the neighbourhood and, upon investigation, I discovered that some trees had been pruned and branches left on the pavement. Among them were pine branches (pinus radiata). Of course, I collected some for my own use. Again, under other circumstances, I would have taken a lot more so as to run a workshop with my class. But, instead, I did a small workshop by my self. 

The area we live in has mature, pine trees in great abundance because they were planted as wind breaks by the orchadists, mainly German, who first settled here. August is the flowering month for pine trees. They produce huge amounts of yellow pollen when in flower, covering everything - plants, trees, paths, window sills, cars etc. When I picked up my chosen branches, I shook them vigorously many times before I could safely put them in my car. Despite that, pollen continued to drop onto the table where I placed the arrangements.

The pine branch as it was when I picked it

I pruned the branch quite heavily and could have left it without a container because it has a thick enough stem to survive without water for some time. However, I wanted to use the arum lilies, which do require water. I compromised by using the smallest container possible.

I used another large branch in this next arrangement, again with large arum lilies. It's what's available but, also, well suited to use with pine. I removed about one third of the pine needles but the branch still looks very dense. That's mainly because the photograph does not show depth.

This arrangement measures 1.1 metres across

I tried something new with one of the off cuts of the pine. I removed all of the needles, leaving only the flowers and made a modern arrangement, using one leucodendron flower. The pine stems curve forward, 'hugging' the metal container.

My colleague, Christoper James, who runs the blog Roadside Ikebana, had featured this tiny flowered, Native Clematis, C. microphilla, in his blog. I recently noticed that it grows prolifically along the side of the road in our area and, having dismissed it in  the past, I took the trouble to take a closer look at it. It's really quite charming, after you manage to disentangle it from the host over which it grows and itself. Its cascading form reminded me of a bridal veil and I used it accordingly. The only downside to this material is that it only lasted a couple of days.

Closeup of the tiny flowers

It was about a month ago that Christine had given me branches of the Illawarra Flame Tree, which I used in a couple of arrangements. When I emptied the bucket today, I found a stem with one leaf still holding on. I was amazed at how long it lasted and how beautiful it was as it's changing colour. 

Bye for now,

Emily

9th August, 2021

 

Hello all,

The theme for the advanced students at last class was from Book 5 - 'Japanese Narcissus'. I demonstrated, 'Hagumi', the technique of removing the flower and leaves from the sheath that holds them together just above the bulb of the plant, then re-arranging the leaves and flower and re-positioning them into the sheath. Each student, also, practiced this technique with one plant and then proceeded to make an arrangement in their own way. This technique destroys the plant because all the leaves are cut and the bulb cannot continue to grow. Therefore, those of us who grow our narcissus, would rather not sacrifice our bulbs and chose to make our arrangements without the use of 'Hagumi'.

In the arrangement, above, I wired the leaves in order to bend them in this way. The arrangement would fit the theme 'The Shape of the Container'.

Vicky was particularly prolific doing three arrangements. Below is her first one with kiwi vine and below that I have taken a photo of all three as she had them lined up on the table. I felt they made a beautiful display this way, almost like a 'renka'.

Nicole used two small suibans creating this naturalistic arrangement.

Jenny used willow with her narcissus in this strong ceramic container in aqua. 

Lucy went for a more modern look by wiring the narcissus at the bottom and the top to keep the lines of the stems straight. The arum lily leaf finishes the arrangement beautifully.

Lei's curriculum lesson was 'With branches only'. Her arrangement, below was, in my opinion, close to perfect. Unfortunately, the lack of depth in the photograph belies that fact. Lei used pittosporum, camellia and prunus in bud.

Shaneen's curriculum theme was 'Disassembling and Rearranging the material'. She stripped all the leaves from the pittosporum tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb' and spread them on the table in such a way as to simulate a shadow cast by the container. The yellow wallflowers finish the arrangement.

Wendy's lesson was 'Colour of the Container'. She used a vase with a dark red, upper part, which looks paler in the photo than it actually is. The strong structure of the gyamea leaf is balanced by the strength of the deep red, large camellias.

Nicole had brought to class quite a lot of prunnings of this unnamed conifer for everyone to take. I picked a couple of pieces to play with. I like its curved, pendulous form and wanted to emphasise it. An early flowering clivia and some clivia seeds finished the arrangement in this modern ceramic container.

Bye for now,

Emily

2nd August, 2021

Cordyline, Green goddess lilies, monstera deliciosa
and aeoniums

Curculigo, agapanthus and alstroemeria psittacina 
leaves.

Hello all,

Above are my two examples of the theme 'With Green Materials Only', which was the lesson for last class. Below are the arrangements made by the students.

Jenny Loo. Gymea leaves, stinking hellebore (Helleborus foetidus)
and alstroemeria psittacina leaves in ceramic suiban

Vicky Kalokathis. Umbrella grass stems and aspidistra in ceramic container

Lucy Papas. Monstera deliciosa and dietes leaves.
Interesting positioning of the reverse of the monstera leaf
in bamboo container

Nicole McDonald. Umbrella grass stems and aeoniums
in ceramic container

Wendy's curriculum lesson was 'Colours in Contrast'. The most important thing she learnt from this exercise is that daffodils are very difficult to use, especially when trying to make a mass.

Shaneen's curriculum lesson was 'Simplified Arrangements'. I think she nailed it!

Papyrus and fishbone fern

Lei's lesson was 'With Leaves Only'. She used dried cycad leaves to create contrast in colour against the green monstera deliciosa leaves and trimmed back palm frond.

We had a very pleasant, sunny weekend and I took full advantage of both days. On Saturday Sam and I had the four grandkids over for a picnic in the back yard, as we were still not allowed to have visitors in the house. This was a great success. After we ate the yummy but not so healthy foods, we played tic tac toe on the lawn, where I sprayed the grid on the grass and we used paper plates with O and X on them. The hula hoops were also put to great use.

Then we created an obstacle  course and we timed each child as they ran it. They kept trying again  and again in order to reduce their time. It was exhausting but very enjoyable. Sam and I had missed them so much, we loved seeing them.

Sunday was also a good day for outdoors, so I went to my elderly aunty's garden to prune and spray her roses for her. My reward was two stems of her delightful Japanese flowering quince, which flowers a good month before mine.

I have to explain that the stems of the Japonica sweep forward quite 
a way, which is not obvious in the photo. The jonquils from my garden
add colour plus a delicious fragrance, in self made container.

I absolutely adore the combination of Japonica and
Kamo Hon Ami camellias.

Bye for now,

Emily