I recently set my Torquay students the exercise of making an ikebana featuring "Line and mass, plus some dried material".
Lyn made her mass with Euphorbia and set some pale,dried roses within the mass. She used Irises for her line material.
Pamela used some home-grown Cymbidium orchids for her line and Cushion Bush Leucophyta brownii, for the mass.
In the Geelong class I set the same exercise (with a more strict interpretation, particularly for the senior students).
It is important to note that, in the Sogetsu School, a mass has to be created by the ikebanist. It is not correct to use a single naturally-occurring mass such as a Hydrangea flowerhead or like the large Gymea inflorescence used by Helen below. However, using two or more such naturally occurring flowerheads is acceptable. Also a mass may be created with multiple materials or just one kind of material.
When Helen spoke about her ikebana she acknowledged that it did not meet the requirements of the exercise and therefore was a freestyle arrangement. She explained that she had cut the single, very large inflorescence, and leaf of Gymea Doryanthes palmeri, from her garden. She was interested to experiment in the class, with techniques for fixing such heavy material. Her interest was with a view to possibly use this material in a future exhibition.
Ellie used a single branch of drift wood for the line and five Banksia coccinea flowers to make the mass. The interesting vase is made from sections of large diameter plumbing pipe joined together and painted red.
Jo used a ceramic hot water bottle as her vessel. She then set a single line using a dried branch, and created a mass of using dried Serruria florida flowers. A single long green leaf was added to give a feeling of freshness.
Maree's ikebana exercise was "Composing with branches, a two step approach." In this exercise she first made the branch structure so that it would stand self-supporting on the table. It was then repositioned on the vase with the addition of a Tree Philodendron P. bipinnatifidum, leaf and a single Aurm Lily Zantedeschia, flower.
On the 14th of the month, I joined my Ikebana International Melbourne colleagues on an outing to the Ferny Creek Horticultural Society Garden. It is situated at the foot of the Dandenong ranges, which are famous for the spectacular Mountain Ash wet Eucalypt forest.
We were shown around by a very knowledgeable volunteer Keith Ross, seen here talking to our group about the extensive display of Azalea's.
My attention was particularly captured by these beautiful Mountain Ash Eucalyptus regnans. These trees are the world's tallest flowering plants.
They are quite majestic. I think I find them particularly impressive as on the coast at Torquay most trees are low and often grow at an angle because of the prevailing winds.
I also find the subtle colours of the bark quite beautiful.
Of course there is quite a lot of bird life in the forrest. We were blessed by the appearance of this Kookaburra, which did not produce its characteristic call but sat silently on its high branch.
We had a lunch time meeting in the garden's hall, where Lucy Papas gave a demonstration of floor-set ikebana arrangements. Photos of Lucy's and the members' ikebana arrangements can be seen on the I.I. Melbourne instagram account.
At the meeting I made an arrangement using driftwood and Red Valerian Centranthus ruber, in a blue suiban.
Because of the placement on the floor, I have taken this photo from a standing position. I deliberately kept the arrangement small so that the surface of the water would be a significant element of the ikebana.
Here is a photo taken at a more usual angle.
Greetings from Christopher
25th October 2025
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