10th July, 2023

 

 Hello all,

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of running a workshop for our Ikebana International group. We liaised with Mr Fresh, a wholesale florist company, from whom the committee bought materials for the members to use.

Lucy, my beautiful assistant, and I put together combinations of materials on the tables and then numbered them. As each member arrived she or he picked a number which corresponded with one of the bunches. They were instructed to bring one nageire container and one suiban, in order to have a choice and were required to make an impromptu arrangement.

I demonstrated two arrangements and, in the interest of fairness, I did not prepare my work either. However, I had one advantage as the demonstrator of being able to choose some materials. 

My first arrangement was in a nageire vase and I used long stems of bare, magnolia branches, which required some mechanics, disbud chrysanthemums and red and white hypericum berries.

My second arrangement, at the top of this page, was in a suiban. I was quite taken by the rather strange tulips with their bent heads. I used with them umbrella fern, which I rather liked but which proved a point of contention in the room. Some people loved it and others hated it. Over the kenzan I used a small amount of alstroemeria.

For photographs of work by the other members please go to Ikebana Melbourne.

And now back to class.

I didn't set a theme for the advanced students last week, instead I provided them with branches of my Japanese flowering apricot (prunus mume) and they brought containers and other, complementing materials. It's such a pleasure to have blossoms in the middle of a cold, bleak winter. It's not a large tree but it does need pruning to keep it in shape and I do that when it's in flower, so we can all enjoy the branches.

For my arrangement I used a large, self made container, Japanese flowering apricot, Japanese flowering quince and a type of salvia that I discovered at my son's garden. If anyone knows its name, please write and let me know.

Bredenia's arrangement was 'In a suiban without a kenzan'. She balanced the three branches very well, then added just two green goddess lily buds.

Vicky used oriental lilies and nandina domestica with her blossom branches, in a delightful trough container.

Jenny's vase was, also, very interesting with its three 'legs'. She used spray chrysanthemums only with her blossom branches.

Nicole used a simple, pink container and azalea branches with her blossom stems.

Lucy, also used an interesting container and gorgeous, red camellias with her branches.

Bye for now,

Emily