3RD MARCH, 2025

 

Hello all,

We, Ikebanists, can recognize and appreciate the beauty of the imperfect. Case in point - the arrangement, above. I was removing dead leaves and flowers from my large clump of strelitzia reginae, when I noticed the two, partially dried leaves. Nature is credited for creating the beauty of the shape and colour of the leaves. My only contribution was to choose an appropriate container and some accompanying flowers. In this case, yellow kniphofias. 

You can be forgiven for thinking that the fruit in my next arrangement are apples. But they're not. They are the fruit of a Japanese Flowering quince. They came from a shrub that belonged to an auntie, who has recently passed away. She and her husband have been living in an aged care  facility the last couple of years, thus their garden was neglected. In the past I have often cut branches from this shrub when in flower but I've never seen so large or so many fruit. I suspect it is due to the fact that it was so stressed that it produced fruit in order to propagate. 

The fruit are the size of mandarins.

 The branches I used in my arrangement, below, have interesting shapes which are mostly lost in the photograph. I've included a side view to give some idea of the depth.

Japanese Flowering Quince and Queen's tears bromeliad in a self made container

I had another, small stem, which I was loathe to throw away, so I made another arrangement, adding the last of my agapanthus flowers.

The never ending battle with my wisteria continues. The more I cut away, the more new shoots appear with delicate tendrils. I cut a handful of those to create my next arrangement, which is loosely based on Variation No. 4 Hanging Style. I used hydrangeas and Portuguese Laurel berries.

During this hot, dry spell I've been spending an inordinate amount of time hand watering. Time that I which I could spend differently, however, it gives me a chance to see everything in my garden very closely. That's how the next arrangement came about. I picked the materials as I was going around watering. They are - Miscanthus Si Zeb, Kniphofias, amaranthus, nerines and roses. It fits the theme 'A Variety of Materials'.

My leafless wattle (Acacia Ahylla) has been struggling the last couple of years despite some serious TLC from me. I plan to prune it in the hope that it will rejuvenate but I will do it slowly so that I can use the cuttings. I have it growing in a pot next to a large, red Crucifix Orchid and I love the colour of the orchid against the blue/grey of the wattle.

I used my first cutting in the arrangement, below, using the two materials together just the way they grow in the garden. The container is one I made at the Sogetsu kiln. It is glazed in the Echizan style, the colour of which is reflected in the wattle.

Mary's arrangement is from the theme 'Using Both Fresh and Dry Materials'. She used two, dry agapanthus flowers and a Pinnelia Pedatisecta leaf in a metal container.

I leave you with this little arrangement using only one stem of Crucifix Orchid. I confess I had something to do with the shape of the stem, so nature can't take all the credit.

Bye for now,

Emily