20TH JULY, 2026

 

Hello all,

I set the theme for the advanced students last week of 'Bare Branches'. This is subtly different to the 'Fresh and Dry Materials' theme in our curriculum. Here the branches, although bare, are alive and can be placed in a container with water. But, because they are bare, they can also be placed outside of the container.

In my example, above, I used branches from my apple tree chosen for the unusual curve of the main one. The vase is a gift from my cousin, Nieves, who, although not an ikebanist, has excellent taste in the containers she has gifted me over the years. In this arrangement the challenge was to secure the heavy strelitzia without it resting on the rim of the vase.

Later, with the sun shining onto the Siberian dogwood with its deep red stems, I couldn't resist making another arrangement on the same theme. I, initially, created the structure with the branches and let it sit in the studio until I pruned my hydrangeas yesterday and was able to create a mass with the flowers. 

Below is Vicky's arrangement made in an ikenobo style container, using nectarine branches, small chrysanthemums and wattle.

The branches that Nicole and Lucy used are from a photinia, which is an evergreen tree and, therefore, should not have been bare. This particular tree belongs to our next door neighbour and it has fallen onto the fence during some extreme weather. It now rests there, most likely dying, with few leaves but covered in luminous lichen.

Nicole secured her branch over a low suiban, without it resting on the table, then added two camellias to complete the arrangement.

Lucy chose a tall, nageire container for her arrangement and, like Nicole, used variegated, camellias with her branch.

Jenny's branch was prunus elvins, which she placed in a tsubo vase and added monstera deliciosa leaves, cut in half. She, also, added a couple of camellia buds, peaking out from behind the leaves.

Vicky, having finished early and with extra materials, made another arrangement.

Wendy's class theme was 'Using Various Locations'. She made an arrangement in a tall vase using camellias and wattle.

She, then, took it home and placed in her tokonoma to the side of the framed picture, thus avoiding obstructing the view of the picture.

My leucadendron shrub is at its best at the moment and I wanted to use some of it here. The little, bamboo, wall container seemed ideal for my small sized materials. The berries are clivia seed heads.

I used cuttings from my only reticulata camellia, the name of which I don't know. I use this camellia infrequently because it produces few flowers and those flowers are heavy and likely to drop. I was pleased to find two flowers that I could use for this week's camellia arrangement.

Bye for now,

Emily