AUTUMN IN MELBOURNE

 

Hello all,

I wish those of you who do not live in Melbourne could visit it in autumn. Some of the colours on the northern hemisphere trees and shrubs are stunningly beautiful in their autumnal colours.

In the arrangement, above, I used branches of the evergreen dogwood (cornus capitata) with its strawberry like berries. I removed a fair number of the leaves so that the berries would be more visible. I also used nandina domestica nana from 2 different shrubs, the colourful one is growing in the sun and the green one in the shade.

The photograph, below, is of a large arrangement using pomegranate, callicarpa and viburnum opulus branches and hydrangeas.

Mary's autumnal arrangement was made using persimmon branches and lisianthus, loosely based on Variation no. 4, in a heavy, ceramic container.

Despite its green colours, the arrangement, below, is also an autumnal one, or, perhaps I should call it one of Seasonal Materials. The figs on the tree are not likely to ripen due to the cold weather, so I cut a number of branches with fruit on them and joined them together. Originally I used fig leaves but, unfortunately, they wilted very quickly. I replaced them with fatsia japonica leaves, which are very similar to the fig leaves and last very well.

Yesterday I pruned most of my hydrangeas and, among the prunings, I found some interesting branches and, even, a couple of fresh flowers. I created two simple arrangements, below.

I needed to find a way to balance the materials in this unusual container, in which it is not easy to use a kenzan. I joined the two stems of hydrangea together and onto another stick, which wedged onto the container lengthwise, as per photo, below. I was, then, able to rest the third stem between the others.

And here's a freestyle arrangement by Mary, using New Zealand flax, split in half and lisianthus in a ceramic suiban.

Bye for now,

Emily

22ND APRIL, 2024

 

Hello all,

The class theme for the advanced students last week was 'A Pond Arrangement'. I used a number of materials in my arrangement, above, starting with the drift wood, nandina domestica leaves and flower head, Japanese anemones, umbrella grass (Cyperus alternifolius), amaranthus, iris japonica leaves and squiggly grass simulating ripples in the water around the stones.

Nicole also started with drift wood in an oval suiban. She used dietes leaves, a nerine, narcissus, nandina domestica, iris japonica leaves and fish bone fern (nephrolepis).

Vicky used silver birch branches, nandina domestica, gladiolas and chrysanthemums in an asymmetrical, lacquered suiban.

Cym used branches of a tree the name of which is not known to me, amaranthus, Japanese anemones, and alstroemeria psittacina leaves in an irregular shaped suiban.

Bredenia used a large, metal suiban, into which she placed a piece of drift wood, Japanese anemones, nandina domestica nana with silver birch branches and amaranthus cascading over the top.

Lucy used her favourite material - viburnum opulus branches, umbrella grass, Japanese anemones and alstroemeria psittacina leaves. Not very visible in the photo is a viburnum leaf floating on the surface of the water.

Mary used a piece of weeping willow over an arrangement of fresiers, bromeliad leaves, cathedral begonia leaves and drift wood.

Dianne's curriculum theme was 'With Leaves Only'. She used brown flax, canna lily leaves and peony leaves, all in their autumnal colouring, in an art deco, porcelain container.

I leave you with this arrangement made by reusing materials from another project. The gypsophila had been cut short for their previous use, so this is what I came up with.

Bye for now,

Emily

AGAPANTHUS AND AGAVE

 

Hello all,

It's the time of year when the agapanthus have to be dead headed, a job that I can't do in one go but over a few weeks. Needless to say, I'm always tempted to use some of the cuttings for ikebana. One example is the photo, above. This arrangement could also address the theme 'With one kind of Material Only', as does the one below.

I love the sculptural appearance of agave, however, it has taken me decades to learn how to use it successfully. Firstly, I had to accept the fact that I cannot manipulate the large, strong pieces but have to design my arrangement around the shape that already exists. Secondly, they are very heavy and require a heavy container to support them. Thirdly, a kenzan cannot be used successfully because of its soft flesh. And lets not even mention the thorns along each side.

I was working on a project, which I will reveal to you in due course, which required a couple of agave pieces with a very specific shape. I had cut about 10 pieces before I got the two I needed. So, I was left with eight that I, certainly, could not throw away. Hence the arrangement, above, and the three below.

A little way down my street the council had trimmed some oak trees and the beautiful cuttings with their autumnal foliage were lying on the ground. This was not an opportunity to be missed. Two arrangements came from that lucky find.

Apologies for the poor quality of this photo

Oak branch, Japanese anemones and persimmons

It's always a source of joy for me when my Kamo-hon-ami camellia begins flowering. I cut the first flower and teamed it with two pomegranates from my tree that only produced three fruit this year.

Cym made a freestyle arrangement by  reusing two phalaenopsis orchids she had in her arrangement at the Flower and Garden Show. She used Eucalyptus pulverulenta, from which she removed most of the leaves, leaving only a few at the tips and arranged hem to create curved lines.

Mary's Easter arrangement was loosely based on Variation No. 6 slanting style.  She used Port St John creeper, jerberras and three, yellow dyed Easter eggs in copper cones.

Bye for now,

Emily

8TH APRIL, 2024

 

Hello all,

Well, you've seen the flyer and it's quite self explanatory. My students and I are excited and working hard towards it. I hope to see some of you there. 

Back to class. The advanced students were asked to make a celebratory arrangement for Easter. 

The arrangement, below, is mine. I started with the container because of its egg like shape. I then added some purple statice, being the Easter colour for the Greek Orthodox Church and Japanese anemones with the amaranthus draping in front. I had died the Easter eggs some years ago and are now dry on the inside and quite light.

We had the pleasure of a guest student, Patricia Borrie (Patsy), from Christchurch at our last class. As an overseas traveller she could not bring anything and had to use my containers and materials from my garden. She said it was challenging for her to arrive unprepared but once she got started, she quite enjoyed it. She chose two,S-shaped containers, one on top of the other. Her materials were hydrangeas, gloriosa lilies and amaranthus.

Vicky used an exquisite, newly acquired vase by John Stroomer. She used oriental lilies and a kiwi vine coloured navy, from which she hung pale blue ornamental Easter eggs.

Nicole is particularly fond of pink. She had sprayed a branch silver and hung from it Easter eggs in mauve coloured foil.She added hydrangeas and pink and silver mizuhiki.

Having finished early, Nicole made another arrangement using one of my containers and materials from my garden.

Bredenia had a couple of stems of tamarillo with small red fruit hanging from them, looking a lot like died Easter eggs. Behind her yellow vase she placed a smaller one with a mass of miniature marigolds.

Wendy's class theme was 'Paying Attention to the View from Above'. She used branches of swan plant (Gomphocarpus physocarpus), gerberas and sprigs of powton tree seed pods in a ceramic tsubo vase.

Lei's class theme was 'Arrangement Expressing a Movement'. She found branches with interesting curves which she painted red. She added gypsophila and delicate little sasanqua camellias in a ceramic vase. The movement she wanted to express was 'Rising'.

I leave you with this little arrangement using the fruit of my evergreen dogwood (cornus capitata) and hydrangeas in a glass vase.

Bye for now,

Emily

1ST APRIL, 2024

 

Hello all,

When I dismantled the exhibit arrangement from the Flower and Garden Show, most of the materials were still viable and, being loathe to discard them, I made another arrangement, above.

My aeonium plant was growing quite vigorously, then for no good reason, the flowers became tiny at the end of the limbs. Because this material does not require water,I was able to join a number of the limbs to create the structure. I added the red anthuriums and two fatsia leaves.

The ginger flowers in my garden have all died a while ago but I found a couple of fresh ones in my travels and couldn't resist the large, fragrant flower heads. I wanted to emphasise the angles of the stems by placing them opposite each other. I added palm grass (setaria palmifolia) and an unconventional material in the form of plastic covered wire.

For last class I set the theme for the advanced students - 'Sketching and Arranging' This is an interesting exercise because one is required to imagine what the arrangement would look like and sketch it. Then, when attempting to arrange the materials according to the sketch, one finds that it cannot be made exactly as was imagined. We need to be flexible and allow the materials to dictate sometimes. The sketch itself is only for the student's use, so I will not include the sketch for each arrangement.

Lucy made the arrangement below, using viburnum opulus branches and rose clusters in a ceramic container.

Bredenia used a bamboo structure over a heavy, ceramic container. She added leucadendrons inside the structure and some small branches of snowberry (Symphoricarpos) shrub.

Vicky used a large nandina domestica branch in an umbrella like shape over bouganvillia and African daisies (osteospermum), in a delightful, ceramic container.

Nicole made her favourite arrangement - Using a number of materials in a basket.

Mary created interesting shapes using umbrella grass stems and added cascading amaranthus inflorescences through them. She then added hydrangeas to the side and back.

Dianne, coincidentally, had the same lesson as the advanced students. She used magnolia branches and stunning, pink roses in a ceramic trough.

Mary's other arrangement was from Book 5 of the curriculum - 'Improving Your Technique - In a Suiban Without a Kenzan'. She used Manchurian pear branches with tiny fruit but no leaves, which she placed in and out of the container. She added sansevierias and lisianthus.

I leave you with this photo that was taken by my granddaughter, Althea of a possum. We have exterior blinds on our windows and, between the blind and the glass, there is the window ledge, about 12 cm wide. On one side of the window ledge there is a mother possum with two babies, which she suckles and on the other side is a large male. The photo is of the male. The poor, nocturnal animal must have been quite startled because Althea was using the torch on my phone to see them better.

Bye for now,

Emily