Hello all,
And a very happy New Year to each and everyone of you.
The arrangement at the top of this post is made up of a strelitzia nicolai leaf and flower. There are a number of gorgeous flowers on the plant but I could only reach one of them to cut. And that with the use of a ladder. The others are much too high. The steel container was made by my cousin, Nick and is ideal for this arrangement as it is heavy enough to hold the materials.
A couple of days later, the leaf, which was changing colour because it was dying, dried and curled up, making the arrangement look messy. As the flower was still fresh, I replaced the leaf, this time with a green one. I had to cut the top of the leaf as it was too long. A completely different look.
The strelitzia in the next arrangement is quite large and heavy. The bend in the stem was created naturally due to the heaviness of the flower. I chose the donut shaped container for its size but, also, because one of the three openings suited my needs. However, I needed to find a way to secure the stem and prevent it from swinging out of place....
....below is a photograph of the solution. I pierced the stem with a flat skewer, which I then cut to size, so that it wedged against the inside of the container, holding the stem in place. I was, then, able to find and appropriate branch on my rhododendron to complete the arrangement.
Just down the road from our house is a row of large cypress trees. I'm not particularly fond of them for ikebana but I did like the horizontal form of the branch in the next arrangement. I brought it home and looked around for floral material to use with it. The calla lilies practically called out to me.
Well, it's that time of year again when the agapanthus are putting on their magnificent show. I must admit, I love it when I see the blue ones planted near jacarandas when they're both in flower. It's quite a sight!
Of course, I have to play with them and create the curved stems. Below are the first flowers I cut this summer.
Next to the cypress trees there are two casuarinas, which have some very interesting stems. I used two of them in the arrangement, below, after trimming them very heavily to reveal the stems. I teamed them with my altissimo roses, which are not doing all that well this year, much to my chagrin!
I was given this stunning, dancing lady orchid (oncidium) a couple of years ago by my sister-in-law, Betty. I understand that there are many kinds of oncidiums but the tag on this one doesn't say which it is. Anyway, I love it and it has flowered twice already. I'm looking forward to more.
 |
| Closeup of individual flower |
Last weekend Sam surprised me with a short getaway for our wedding anniversary. We went to Daylesford, a charming spa town in central Victoria, nestled in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. It is renowned for its natural mineral springs, lush bushland and strong arts and wellness culture.
My student and friend, Dianne Longley, lives near by and had kindly invited us to a most delightful, afternoon tea. Dianne is a consummate gardener, cook and hostess. She served us home made scones with home made jams (yes, plural) made with fruit from her garden. Sam and I loved walking through the garden and admiring how healthy all her plants seemed to be. As we walked in through the gate I was struck by the beauty of her mature dogwood (Cornus Kousa) in full flower. Photo of flowers, below. I loved the pointy bracts, which are quite different to my dogwood (Cornus Norman Hanon).
Well, I did my homework, managed to identify the plant and to find it. Only problem was, we had to travel to Mount Macedon, quite a distance away, to Dicksonia Rare Plants nursery. When I say 'we', I mean my sisters and me and our men. We were met by Stephen Ryan, one of the owners and a most knowledgeable nurseryman. So, we bought our dogwoods and now we have to find a spot in our gardens in which to plant them.
Bye for now,
Emily
