4th March, 2024

 

Hello all,

In the above arrangement, I cut two very big philodendron leaves, from  which I removed the front three quarters leaving the two sections that point backwards. This greatly reduced the size of the leaves making them manageable. But they were still very dense, so I thinned out the leaves, creating more 'holes'.

The container was an easy choice as it is quite heavy, made of reconstituted stone and could hold up the weight of the leaves. My next challenge was to secure them in an upright position in  the container. A kenzan was not an option. Instead I pushed a skewer through the two stems and cut it to the exact internal width of the container, thus wedging it in firmly. Two, cream coloured, belladonna lilies added the floral component of the arrangement.

We had our first Ikebana International meeting in February with our guest speaker being Naoko Goghlan, a Japanese born and trained potter. After her very interesting presentation and display of her pottery, it was my turn to do a demonstration for the group.

I chose some of my self made containers for this demo. As an ikebanist, making my own containers means I have a better understanding of how to use them. 

The arrangement, below was in situ, near the entrance, as a welcoming piece. I used two, large loquat branches and three hydrangea paniculata flowers in a spherical shaped tsubo vase.

In the next arrangement I used a triangular shaped vase tipped onto its narrow side. I wanted to create a continuous, vertical line from the vase to the New Zealand flax. The sunflower added a focal point. The arrangement would, also, fit into the theme 'Colours in a Similar Tonal Range'.

Container in upright position

I remember just how chuffed I was when I made the container in  the next arrangement. I don't think Da Vinci was any more proud of his Mona Lisa than I was of this vase. Because it has a very small opening, I tend to use with it dry materials, which can be placed on the outside of the container leaving room in the opening for a few, thinly stemmed, fresh materials. In this case, I created a structure by joining triangles made of skewers. Two orange crucifix orchids and a New Zealand flax split in half completed the arrangement.

Since making the next container, I realised that elaborate containers require very simple arrangements, which is one of the reasons that I used it infrequently. In this case I had a large apple branch with one healthy apple hanging from it. I removed almost all of the branch, leaving a short stem and the apple, which I placed in the vase. I, then, added a small hydrangea inside the vase. Please go to II Melbourne to see more photographs from the meeting.

 

In my travels today I came across a Manchurian pear tree with a broken branch hanging down and held by a small piece of bark. Interestingly, the leaves on the tree were quite green. However, the leaves on the broken branch had changed into their autumnal colours.

I placed one branch horizontally in this large, self made container and added two kniphofias that I discovered hiding behind the nandina domestica. If they thought they could escape me, they were mistaken!

Mary's lesson the previous week was a combination of two themes - 'Fruiting Plant Materials' and 'To be Viewed from all Sides'.She used kaffir lime ranches, from which she removed all the leaves, leaving just the fruit. She also used orange cellocias, hydrangeas and amaranthus in a heavy nageire vase. 

The following week her theme was 'Focussing on the Uses of Water'. She placed a single, curved stem of agapanthus into a large, rectangular, glass vase. She had trimmed the inflorescence to fit in the narrow vase.

Bye for now,

Emily