CAMELLIAS

 

Hello all,

At our last class I asked the advanced students to make an arrangement using camellias. As materials go they are much prized in ikebana but there are difficulties with using them. When arranging stems of camellias the back of the leaves must not show. This will require trimming and twisting the leaves so that only the shiny, front of them is showing. Also, often, flowers grow underneath the leaves making them hard to use. The flowers, themselves, can fall very easily, not because they are old but because they are heavy, so we help keeping them from falling by pinning them to the nearest leaf, as per photo, below.

Pinning method

Camellia facing backwards

All the arrangements appear relatively simple but it took considerable effort and expertise to create that simplicity.

The arrangement, above, is mine. I used two, different coloured camellias, and as though to prove the point of the flowers prematurely falling, the one camellia I missed pinning, fell just as I placed the vase on the table.

The arrangement, below is Nicole's. We could not work out from which tree the branches were cut. I'm guessing they are Japanese maple. She secured them onto the tsubo vase and made a mass with her camellias.

Jenny's arrangement is a good example of the theme 'Using Only Kind of Material'. She took advantage of the split in the container in the placement of her branches, making a sweeping line.

Vicky used camellias and Japanese flowering quince in two, different but matching  containers. Apart from making sure that the flowers and leaves faced upwards, she achieved asymmetry, an important element in ikebana. 

Lei used a dry, magnolia branch and camelias in a horse shoe shaped container. She took great pains to ensure that the branches did not rest on the rims of the container's two openings.

Cymbie used a glass, tsubo vase and variegated, red camellias with just one, white, Kamo Hon Ami. 

Lucy's arrangement is also a good example of 'Using Only One Kind of Material'. The glass vase, recently acquired, has a stripy pattern, which conceals the stems inside. Don't tell anyone but the camellias are from a cemetery garden. 

I love the combination of camellias and pine and decided to use them in an arrangement. It was probably not a good idea to use pine this time of year because the trees are flowering, so they have fewer pine needles and drop copious amounts of yellow pollen all around. Because we have an abundance of pine trees (pinus radiata) in our area, our paths, balcony, outdoor furniture etc are covered in a yellow dust all through August. Most annoying.

Camellias, jonquils and straggly looking pine

Dianne's curriculum theme was 'Paying Attention to the View from Above'. By coincidence, Dianne also used camellias - Kamo Hon Ami and added sprigs of prunus mume in bud.

View from above.

Bye for now,

Emily