RED CALLISTEMON in TWO VESSELS

Over recent weeks the change of season to Spring has become very evident. Lots of annual flowering plants are more noticeable in the gardens around the area where we live. 

I tend to look at other people's gardens as we walk past.

When I saw this garden, one with a one and a half storey high Gymea flower Doryanthes excelsa, I was really surprised.  It is on one of the routes we often take walking up to the town centre. I think I must have been looking to the other side of the road in recent months.

In our garden, by the path, is a lovely Slender velvet bush Lasiopetalum baueri which, as you can see, has soft pink flowers and very narrow straight leaves. The plant is endemic to central and western Victoria and is found in nearby bushland where we enjoy walking.

Other northern hemisphere plants in our garden that have flowered recently include:

The climbing Lorraine Lee rose,

Some very colourful Nasturtiums,

and Wisteria. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to use it for ikebana as we were away during its peak flowering.

To ikebana..

In my Melbourne class, Chen made a Variation No 6 in which the three principal lines radiate at low angles. This positioning makes it suitable to be placed on a table where it can be seen from all around. The principal material is Mint bush, Prostanthera ovalifolia. In the middle and leaning to the right and back is a red flowering Grevillea.

Marcia made an ikebana incorporating paper which was the exercise that I had set. She folded squares of blue paper into triangles that repeated the shape of the vessel and the design she had made with Umbrella grass Cyperus alternifolius stems.  

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Also in our garden at the moment the "African daisy" is in full bloom. In this case I think it is Dimorphotheca fruticosa. Above the mass of the daisy in the photo, is a red flowering bottlebrush, now classified as Melaleuca citrina. 

This next photo, of a neighbour's garden, shows flowers growing on arching branches creating a cascade of red flowers. We have two of these bushes in the garden and I decided to use some branches in a single material ikebana. 

I have arranged the stems in two "L" shaped metal vessels. They can be arranged in either of the two positions as shown above. Both branches were set leaning toward each other. I placed the longer branches in the taller vessel on the right so that they would reach over, but not touch, the stems on the left side. The small "S-shaped" space between the ends of the branches has become emphasised. 

The metal vessels were given to me by Dr Harry Unglik in memory of his wife Robyn, who was a former student of mine.

Greetings from Christopher

11th October 2026
 

VIBURNUM and DRIFTWOOD

Toward the end of August in my Geelong class...

...Anne's curriculum exercise was to make a "Kabuwake" (two groups) ikebana. This is an arrangement made in a suiban and requires the use of two kenzans. The space between the groups becomes an important element in the ikebana. Anne chose to use the same materials, Photonia and pink Tulips, in each of the kenzans and, as she has clearly shown, one of the groups must be stronger than the other. The stronger group functions as the Shin or principal line and contributes to the necessary asymmetry of the ikebana.

The senior students were given the task of making an ikebana incorporating paper. In this case, the paper needs to be an essential element of the arrangement.

Jo used honeycomb packing paper. In a suiban she made a climbing mass with the paper which was supported by a number of fine metal rods which also became part of the work. No water could be put in the vessel because it would weaken the paper. Therefore, for her botanical materials, she used two Billy buttons Craspedia, which do not require water.

Maree created a hanging vase using cardboard and some paper tubes she made from magazine pages. Her botanical materials were a small stem of pink Cymbidium Orchids which harmonised with the colours in the paper tubes. A single leaf from the same Cymbidium plant was added for the freshness that green leaves provide.

Ellie chose to use Christmas wrapping paper with a design of musical notation and gold stars. She cut the paper to the shape of two of her three Aspidistra leaves and applied it to the underside of each leaf. Her floral material is a small mass of Alstroemeria 

Christine used corrugated cardboard which she cut to different widths. She then placed them so that they stood with the corrugations arranged vertically, this created strong irregular "tubes". Arum lilies Zantedeschia were then arranged in some of the supporting "tubes".

My ikebana this week was made using a particularly convoluted piece of driftwood, and a stem of Viburnum plicatum as the fresh material. The branch of the Viburnum on which the particular stem grew was hanging down, making the flowers curve upward. I had thought this would make it easier to arrange in this vessel. That proved not to be the case. After some working on the stem I have got it into a more horizontal position. 

I do like the contrast between the textures of the unglazed vessel and the wood, compared with that of the fresh material. The vessel was a gift and I do not know its maker.

Greetings from Christopher

4th October 2026

DRIED MATERIALS ONLY

Last week Laurie and I travelled down the New South Wales coastal highway to Sydney, taking a couple of days. One day we stopped at Coffs Harbour to for a lunch break and were delighted to discover the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden. It is a beautiful sub-tropical 20 hectare garden sited on a peninsula in a bend of Coffs Creek, which surrounds the garden on three sides. 

We were surprised to see quite a number of Stag horn ferns platycerium, growing almost at ground level attached to small trees. Easy viewing for the visitors. This one was a little higher than many others.

I had never come across the Nun's hood orchid Phaius tankervilleae var. australis, before. It is an endangered endemic species on the eastern coast of Australia with the southern end of its natural range between Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie. It caught my attention because the flowering stems were about a metre tall and dense with strikingly coloured flowers.

The garden also has a quite large Japanese section with this pavilion projecting over a small lake.

 

L-R: Me, Julie and Laurie. 

In Sydney we stayed with Laurie's sister (Julie) and brother-in-law (Alan) who, one morning, took us for a walk along the harbour side among lush green surroundings... 

...and ended up at Tambourine Bay.

To ikebana: 

In a recent class with my Melbourne students I had set the topic of "Disassembling and re-arranging" the materials. Jacqueline had brought some Clivia leaves and stems with orange flowers,  Her very simple, bold arrangement was set in a clear glass dish. 

I was interested to take this photo from directly above and realised that it simplified the ikebana even further making it look two dimensional.

Marcia used Umbrella Grass Cyperus alternifolius and a purple stemmed Euphorbia. Her design had a strong diagonal movement to the right side  created with the stems. The flowers and leaves were used to create a counterbalancing mass in the centre and lower left.

In my ikebana this week I have used naturally dried materials only. 

This came about by the unexpected find of a branch of Eucalyptus (probably Messmate E. obliqua) that had fallen to the ground, which was quite wet after recent rain. The striking thing was that the leaves had been "skeletonised" by some tiny black insects. I think they were caterpillars but were too small for me to see clearly. 

I arranged the branches reaching horizontally to the right with a smaller mass on the left side. 

In the small mouth of the bottle-shaped vase are three stems of Mountain Daisy Ixodia achillaeoides, a small white multi-headed native flower that grows in South Australia and Victoria.

The vase is by the Australian ceramicist Sergio Sill.

Greetings from Christopher

27th September 2026

THE SWELL SCULPTURE FESTIVAL

Last Monday Laurie and I were taken to see the Swell Sculpture Festival being held at Currumbin Beach on the southern coast of Queensland. The sculptures are set along a stretch of about one and a half kilometres; from Currumbin point in the north to the beginning of Tugun beach at the southern end.

This huge corten steel sculpture was, to me, the single most dramatic and effective work in the festival. Being set on the sand meant that it had no human-made object or building to reference its size. I really liked the careful siting that meant that the horizon was visible through the centre of the circular opening, which drew the viewer's attention. The longest side held a staircase that was concealed from the side view; at the top of which was another circular opening that showed only the sky when viewed from the base.

One of the last sculptures at the southern end of the exhibition was this series of Torii structures covered with mirrored surfaces. They were arranged in a shallow curve so that one could not see the full length of the arcade they formed. From a distance the mirrored surfaces reduced the impact of the arcade compared to what it would have been like if they had been painted vermillion; like the lines of Torii arcades leading to some Shinto shrines in Japan.

Because of the curve, multiple reflections could be seen of anyone approaching but who were still out of direct line of sight. 

This sculpture really appealed to me because, at first glance, the inverted pyramidal steel form seemed to be being dragged by an apparently invisible force pulling on the chain. However, on closer inspection, there was a small honey bee that was doing the work.

Although it is a somewhat different idea, it put me in mind of my student Maree's ikebana at last year's annual exhibition of the Sogetsu Victoria Branch.

My ikebana this week is a final re-working of the material I used in the Sogetsu Branch workshop at the end of July. I actually made this ikebana a week later in the first week of August.

 

I have arranged straight stems of Umbrella grass Cyperus alternifolius, vertically except for two gently curving lines that cross in front and behind the main mass. Bright red carnations Dianthus caryophyllus, form a rising line that spirals from the front around to the back of the vertical lines.

The vase is by the Australian ceramicist Greg Daly.

Greetings from Christopher

20th September 2026

BRUSHFIELDS YELLOW: CHABANA

I asked my senior students in Melbourne recently to make an ikebana incorporating Pine.

Eugenia created a simple ikebana with two long Billy Button Craspedia stems, and a few sprigs of Pine arranged as a mass hanging on the edge of a hand-made ceramic vase.

Aileen made a horizontal ikebana with branches of Pine, Japonica Chaenomeles, and long stems of Freesia in a mid-20th century Japanese ikebana vase.

Julie-Ann's exercise was to make a Slanting Variation No 3 in a tall vase. Her main material was some found, bare branches of Ash Fraxinus angustifolia. Green button Chrysanthemum were used for the centrally-placed flower line which is significantly foreshortened in the photo. Freesias were added and extend along the branch line to the right.

In the Torquay class I asked the students to make an ikebana incorporating paper.

Coralie used a large traditional Japanese basket. She added Japanese newspaper rolled into long tubes as the principal element. A small mass of purple Statice Limonium was massed in the mouth of the basket.

Pamela folded a sheet of printed paper into a small fan secured with the use of two chopsticks. The floral materials were leaves and a stem of Cymbidium orchids, that colour-matched the fan.

Lyn printed paper with "I love ikebana", translated into Japanese and folded into two fans. She then set them into a footed vase with half a Monstera deliciosa leaf between them, and a small section of leaf at the front.

This week Laurie and I have travelled to visit friends on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Along the way I was delighted to see large paddocks of Canola in flower. 

The spectacle was really quite extraordinary and extended over many kilometres of our travels.

Another great sight was the dish of the radio telescope 20km north of Parkes (NSW). This was the subject of the much loved 2000 film The Dish.

My ikebana this week...

,,, includes a re-working of a vertical arrangement I showed two weeks ago. The Cape Honeysuckle flowers and leaves had died. However, the Umbrella grass was still looking good, and more golden, so I added some orange-toned fallen Bamboo leaves.

My second ikebana is a simple placement of 'Brushfields yellow' Camellia in a small Bizen vessel. More in the style of Chabana *.

Greetings from Christopher

13th September 2026

* My editor agrees with me that there are really too many leaves left on the Camellia stem.

FRANKLIN HOUSE EXHIBITION

In my Geelong class...

... Anne's exercise was to make a horizontal ikebana arrangement. She used two large leaves of Bird's nest fern, Asplenium nidus, placed stretching to each side. Then yellow Ranunculus flowers were added amid a central mass of curved Dietes leaves.

The senior students' exercise was to make an ikebana with disassembled and re-arranged materials.

Maureen used Strelitzia leaves, which she cut into shapes that changed their appearance. She added a single flower and bud. The small footed suiban with horizontal ribbing contrasted with the upward movement of the ikebana.

Christine used the roots, stems and leaf tips from an epiphytic Orchid. She cut the leaves so that they appear to be wrapped around the vessel. The cut ends of the stems are protruding through a hole in the back wall of the vessel, while the roots project up and forward from within the vessel.

Ellie used Balloon plant Gomphocarpus physocarpus, for her material. She has arranged a single inverted stem at a dramatic angle with one follicle attached. Two other follicles are placed on top of one of the vessel's openings. A small number of narrow leaves have been folded and inserted into another of the openings toward the back.

Maree used an unidentified Banksia flower, which she cut to show a cross-section through the middle of the flower spike. Several sections were then placed underwater in a box-shaped glass vase. She then set a stem, stripped of leaves and flowers, horizontally across the vessel and aligned with another section of stem in a second, smaller glass vessel.

Jo stripped Ornamental kale Brassica oleracea, into its constituent elements of leaves and stems. The new arrangement uses the stems to elevate one, of the two colour-matched vessels, above the other. Although there is water in each of the vessels two small leaves are placed on the table surface.

Earlier this week, I joined Eleanor Button and other Victorian Sogetsu Branch members for a series of events in Launceston, Tasmania. The events were in conjunction with the third annual  exhibition being held this week at Franklin House. The house is a National Trust property that was built in 1838 at Youngtown on the southern outskirts of Launceston. 

The first public event I participated in was held in the entrance foyer of the Cumulus Studio at the University of Tasmania Inveresk Campus. I decided, as I did last year, to make a "found object" sculpture with the very colourfully upholstered, steel- framed chairs. This time I wanted to make the structure a bit narrower than in the previous year. I was assisted by Eleanor who found two bright yellow wooden stools that we added to the structure. We also added 6 strongly-coloured vegetables to contrast with the manufactured fabrics of the chairs.

In Franklin House I made a late winter ikebana in a large hand-made ceramic vessel which I borrowed. I used a bare branch from an unidentified deciduous tree as well as fresh material including Camellia and a Cypress branch. The bare branch was visually balanced by the smaller curving branch of Cypress. The two stems of white flowering Camellia reached both forward and to the back. In fact, the ikebana was able to be viewed from all around, as it was on a table in the middle of the room.

Greetings from Christopher

6th September 2026.