MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW

 

Photograph curtesy of Lei Wang

Hello all,

2026 Melbourne International Flower and Garden show (MIFGS) has just finished. This is the first year in a very long time that I did not take part, however, four of my students did me proud by exhibiting as part of the Ikebana International Space. This year's theme set by MIFGS was 'Kaleidoscope'. Also, as a linking element for the II exhibits, Japanese fans were to be used. There were 13 exhibits of different sizes and styles, which the judges deemed worthy of the second prize in their category.

The photograph at the top of this blog is of the installation by Jenny Loo and Lei Wang. They made a strong structure with brightly coloured bamboo to reflect those of the kaleidoscope, then added two fans to the back. The yellow chrysanthemums and oncidium orchids added contrast to the bamboo.

The arrangement, below, was made by Cymbie Reeves. She made a giant fan using split bamboo and a textured, partially clear plastic. It's not noticeable in the photograph but the plastic picked up different colours, reminiscent of a kaleidoscope. She also used brightly coloured chrysanthemums, camelias and weeping willow. With the clear, glass vase holding everything up it gave the illusion of floating in  the air.

Photograph curtesy of Lei Wang

Lucy Papas' installation was quite large and, being at the end of the stand, was also viewed from the side. She used a very big, ceramic pot as her container and employed some serious mechanics to ensure her heavy materials were secured in place. She created geometrical shapes with sprayed, corky elm branches to reflect the shapes in a kaleidoscope and created brightly coloured fans with flat pieces of wood. Large branches of pine (pinus radiata) swept to the front and the back and very tall sansevierias added height. The rest of the floral material added colour and mass.

Front view

Side view

Back home, I noticed this somewhat unusual growth on my pelargonium. It was growing in the shade and sent out long stems which fell to the ground, thus the shoots grew upwards. It needed to be cut and I challenged myself to find a way to arrange it ...

.... and here is the result. My nerines have been great this year and came in handy for this arrangement, especially the bent one.

Bye for now,

Emily