VERTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

 

Hello all, 

I looked at some of my photos destined for this blog and realized that I'm in a 'vertical' frame of mind. Many are 'Vertical Arrangements'.

Actually, that's not entirely true. Apart from themed work for exhibitions or workshops, my ikebana is always opportunistic. I get inspiration from the materials that are available at the time. 

Case in point is the arrangement, above. In my travels I came across these bullrushes, Scirpoides holoschoenus, in a very boggy spot. Treading very carefully with my inappropriate sandals, I managed to cut three of them. I, then, went into my storeroom looking for other material to use with them. As I was lifting a particular piece from the hook in the ceiling, the palm inflorescence fell and hit my head. I took that as an omen to use it.

Its natural colour is a very dull grey so I sprayed it with a copper spray. The curve of the branch and its colour determined the container. The challenge was to have the branch sitting upright without touching the container. Physics dictates that it cannot be. I used a sturdy stick, which I attached to  a kenzan at the bottom of the vase. I, then, wired the stick to the inflorescence, which held it in place. The only thing left was to conceal the stick and I did that with the placement of a leaf.

I really liked these misshapen agapanthus stems. They have a lot of character and needed only to be placed in an appropriate container.

The next arrangement came to be because I wanted to use this retro, glass container, which belonged to a beloved aunt, whom we lost recently. Her son and daughter-in-law offered relatives some mementos and this vase was mine. The calla lilies are conveniently flowering and are ideal for this simple, naturalistic arrangement.

As I was cutting strelitzia reginae flowers, I accidently cut a stem with two, large leaves. I stripped half of the large leaf and curled the smaller around it. I've been watching the deep purple agapanthus, Agapanthus Purple Cloud, as it was flowering and waiting for an opportunity to cut and use them.

This is a small, vertical arrangement, which lives in the powder room. The leaves are curculigo and the flower is a calla lily with some sort of mutation. 

I reworked a couple of arrangements to turn them into Christmas ones. 

I replaced the vase of the exhibition arrangement, below, with a tall, red one and sprayed the mahonia leaves gold. I removed the spent strelitzia flowers and replaced them with white hydrangeas and alstroemeria psittacina flowers. I, also, added gold beads and a couple of red baubles.

Similarly, the palm leaves in the arrangement, below, were sprayed gold and the blue agapanthus was replaced with a white one. Also, the container was more suited to Christmas.

Bye for now,

Emily