20th September, 2021

 

Hello all,

We have one bright red and one bright pink rhododendron, both of which are looking spectacular right now. These flowers are so big and bold that they require little more than to place them in a vase. My mother is particularly fond of them. However, I find the stems quite interesting and tried to showcase them in the arrangement, above.

Our Sogetsu group was scheduled to have a workshop earlier this month but had to be moved to an on line format, yet once again. Akemi Suzuki, who was to run the workshop, chose the topic of using two or more containers that would be interlocked or touching, creating one arrangement. Please click on this link to see Akemi's examples as well as the contributions of members. https://sogetsuikebanavic.weebly.com/recent-workshops

I found this exercise interesting and enjoyed playing around with different combinations of containers, finally settling on the one below. However, I have been somewhat preoccupied of late and forgot to send my photo to our director, Christopher.

I used one ceramic and one stainless steel container, two strelitzias reginae, alstroemeria psittacina leaves and coloured wisteria vine. Getting the metal container to balance was quite tricky, as I had to keep adding water to each side of the container until I reached an equilibrium.

 

My strelitzia reginae plant has produced a good number of flower buds. I've been watching very carefully to catch one of them just before unfurling. I find the promise of the flower to come very appealing. I made this very simplified and minimalist arrangement, which lasted all of 2 hours, then the petals flicked out and changed the look completely.

The golden elm is also in flower and quite stunning in its lime green garb. With time the petals will turn brown and fly all over the garden. They get into every nook and cranny, they stick on spider webs and make a mess of my balcony and paths. So, I'm enjoying it now while it looks lovely. I used some of it for my wall arrangement. I also used cymbidium orchids in a metal container.

On Saturday there was another zoom demonstration, this time organised by the New Delhi Sogetsu group. The demonstrator was Ms. Koka Fukushima, a Master Instructor of the Sogetsu School. I remember having lessons with her at headquarters in 2014. Before starting her demonstration, Ms Fukushima spoke at length about bamboo baskets - the various weaves, the types of bamboo, care and handling of baskets, etc. I found this information very interesting. 

Ms Fukushima then made a number of arrangements using some of her exquisite baskets and using autumnal materials. So, I was inspired to make a  basket arrangement but I had to use spring materials. The basket I used is quite old and bought in a second hand shop in Tokyo. The only reason I could afford to buy it is because there is damage at the bottom.

When making a basket arrangement it is important to show the handle. However, my basket has a very small handle compared to its size but I made sure that parts of it are visible, even if you have to look really closely.

As is often the case, I'd be looking for something in the garden when something else catches my eye. I noticed three stems of the viburnum plicatum tomentosum with an interesting bend. The stems of this large shrub generally grow horizontally except for the ones at the very top. I wanted to play with these unusual stems and this is what I came up with. I used the rhododendron for its colour in a self made ceramic container.

Bye for now,

Emily