AUTUMNAL HYDRANGEAS and EMPHASISING WATER

This afternoon we had a walk in the Jarosite mine track, a nearby part of the discontinuous Great Otway National Park. This area is very exposed to the south west prevailing winds and close to the sea. As a result the trees, perhaps Brown stringybark Eucalyptus baxteri, on the ridges are very low. However, in the valley and more sheltered areas, Iron Bark Eucalyptus tricarpa trees grow tall and straight.

Along the path we came across a number of Mountain daisy Ixodia achillaeoides bushes in full flower. 

These dainty little flowers dry as the season continues, without loosing their form, rather like the everlasting "Paper daisies". It is a great privilege to have such easy access to bushland parks like this.

In class I set my students the task of making an ikebana which emphasised the water in their vessel.

Marcia used a low broad-bottomed, faceted, clear glass vase. 

In it she set some small Pomegranate fruit that were placed both inside and outside the vase. Leaves and flowers from the same bush were arranged at the mouth of the vase.

Eugenia used a conically-shaped vessel with a slightly-mottled black glaze on the inner surface. She set a single floret of Dwarf umbrella grass Cyperus alternifolius, on the edge of the vessel so that the leaves were reflected in the surface of the water. 

Marisha used a tall rectangular clear-glass vase in which she suspended a single purple Phalaenopsis orchid with the aid of a clear glass test tube. On the right hand side she set two leafy stems of the orchid.

Maureen achieved a similar dramatic arrangement with four small red Anthurium flowers in a clear glass cylinder. The flowers are set at different heights and attention is given to the spacing.

Ellie also arranged her materials below the water level in a clear glass vase. The red lines are a painted Corokia cotoneaster branch. Two focal points were created with the addition of small red and yellow Capsicum peppers. 

Helen set two long stems of Asparagus 'fern' Asparagus densiflorus across the water surface in a deep blue glass bowl. The flowers are a hybrid of Hydrangea macrophylla.

Coincidently, in my ikebana this week I used Hydrangeas from the garden. I had noticed that a number of the deep pink coloured flowers had started to fade, developing autumnal tones.

I was really quite fascinated to see this single pink flower among the autumnal ones on the inflorescence.

I decided to arrange three of these flower heads in this tall, traditional style, porcelain vase. The long stem stretching to the right is supported with a cross-bar fixture to maintain the line above the top of the vase.

Greetings from Christopher

22nd February 2026

RETURN TO CLASSES

In late January as I was walking through the Botanic Gardens Melbourne...

...I noticed these bright red leaves on a Bromeliad.

Two and a half weeks later it was in full flower.
.

I had first noticed this plant in 2022 and I caught the flowering at its most spectacular. This link takes you to my earlier posting. On that occasion I did not identify the plant, which I now believe is the Heart of flame Bromelia balansae. Before you rush out to acquire one, be aware its flowering is brief and apparently infrequent, in Botanic Gardens Melbourne at least.

This week marked the beginning of my ikebana classes in Geelong. As some new students have joined the class, I demonstrated making this Basic Upright moribana arrangement. Because of the flattening effect of the camera the branch on the left looks longer that it actually is in reality, so the proportions do not look correct in the photo. The materials are Italian buckthorn Rhamnus alaternus, and Leucadendron. 

I had set the senior students the exercise of making an ikebana using "summer materials".

Maureen used branchlets of Norfolk Island pine Araucaria heterophylla, and a double form of Tiger lily flowers Lilium.

Helen chose to represent the extreme heat we have experienced in Victoria this year.  Her materials are two stems of Agapanthus and some desiccated leaves. The  stem ot the Agapanthus which is leaning forward has been bleached by the sun. Helen commented that she was surprised that in spite of it being sun damaged, it was subsequently able to flower.

Ellie made a Mazezashi ikebana. That is, an ikebana using a variety of materials. Her materials included: Fennel Foeniculum vulgare, Lotus Nelumbo nucifera, Agapanthus, Rose, Cosmos, and a bright yellow New Zealand Flax Phormium tenax, leaf.

Maree's exercise was to make an ikebana in response to an art work. In this case she chose a work of the De Stijl artist Mondrian. She has used a modern acrylic vessel based on Mondrian's art. In the vessel Maree has set bunched green stems and a Lotus stem with pod. In the bottom right is a mass made with Dancing lady orchid Oncidium.

Jo's exercise was to practise her technique. She chose to make an abstract arrangement in a glass vessel with all the materials being placed below the water line. The materials are Cumquat fruit, Citrus hindsii and two inverted Agapanthus stems. 

Earlier in the week I attended this year's first meeting of Ikebana International Melbourne Chapter. The guest speaker was Debra Collett, a Dahlia and Floral Art judge as well as a grower of Dahlias.

Members were asked to make an ikebana using Dahlias. These are not a flower I can grow in the hydrophobic, low nutrient soil of our garden. Thus I had to buy some from a florist at the last moment. As I suspected, the available flowers looked like lollypops on a stick - which rather restricts their use in ikebana. So I decided I would place the two flower stems at a shallow angle so that they are "looking up at the sun". I have set them in a small bowl with one of the flowers partially hidden by a Fatsia japonica leaf. At the meeting I explained to members that this is an arrangement to be seen from above. It should be placed on a low table or on the floor.

The lustre-glazed vessel is by the Australian ceramicist Greg Daly.

Greeting from Christopher 

15th February 2026 

ANGEL WING BEGONIA

This beautiful Hyacinth orchid Dipodium punctatum, was right in front of our car parking spot in the Otway forest last week. It is an area of much higher rainfall than in our part of the coast where these orchids do not grow quite so tall.

In Melbourne last week my senior students' exercise was to make a "Summer" arrangement. No further explanation was provided, so as to give the students freedom of interpretation.

Eugenia chose a bare branch to represent the dryness of summer and placed two flower stems of Gloriosa Lily Gloriosa superba, to represent the hot colours of the season.

Marcia contrasted the straight stems of three white Agapanthus A. praecox, with the circular form of four Dahlia flowers

Jacqueline also chose a dry branch, which she hung from a tall cylinder. Two Dahlias with an orange flush captured the feel of the summer sun with the fresh contrast of two unidentified green leaves. 

Aileen used a drying mass of Xanthorrhoea leaves expressing the dryness of the north wind. A single line of Passion fruit vine Passiflora edulis, gave a feeling of freshness and was wound around the end of the Xanthorrhoea leaves. A single passion fruit sits on the lowest ledge of the vase.

In my ikebana this week, I decided to pay attention to an Angel Wing Begonia growing in the conservatory.

The pale pink flowers of this plant are very delicate and grow in pendulous clusters on the underside of the branches. The underside of the leaf is maroon while the upper surface is green with silver spots. This strong variation of the positive and negative side of the leaves ("in" and "yo" respectively in Japanese), effectively produced two ways to view the ikebana which was made with two branches.

This is the negative version showing the underside of the leaves. Its particular virtue is that it highlights the flowers.

The positive version shows the upper side of the leaves, with the flowers being partially hidden. I particularly liked the gentle curving line and upward movement of this line.

The spherical vase is by the late Australian ceramicist Barry Singleton who died in June 2024.

Greetings from Christopher

8th February 2026

 

HORIZONTAL IKEBANA

Our summer weather continues to be somewhat more mild on the coast compared to further inland in Victoria. After posting photos last week of the beach,...

...my friend Leonora sent me this photo from her Ottawa apartment window a few days ago. I think I can make out at least two people walking or skating on the Rideau Canal in the middle of the photo. What I notice first in such winter photos is the absence of green. Whereas our winter is the season of green. Driving to Melbourne, or through the countryside, I am now noticing the yellow of dried grass and crops. Fortunately there is also the relief of green trees. However, bushfires are burning around the state and we need to be vigilant.

 

Two days ago, as we walked up to our local cafe, we saw this echidna walking across the road. I was not fast enough to take a photo while it was still on the road. We were pleased to see the car driver stopping until the echidna got to the verge...

 

... where it began seeking for ants to eat.

  

In the garden the Crassula arborescens is flowering, in spite of being invaded by a weedy grass that I did not get to early in the growing season.

Also, the Hydrangeas H. macrophylla are doing well this season. I learnt my lesson last summer. I had pruned the pale pink one back hard, mostly to the old wood, and only had a couple of flowers as a result. This past winter I only pruned back on the new wood,

I decided it would be interesting to arrange these two plants from very different environments, the Cape of South Africa and Japan respectively. 

I liked the idea of combining the pale-pink and orange flowers. By placing deep-green Hydrangea leaves behind the pink flowers they were effectively silhouetted, emphasising their outline. The dark-red slip-cast vase allowed me to make an asymmetrical horizontal design.

Greetings from Christopher

1st February 2026

 

HYDRANGEA and NEW ZEALAND FLAX

In spite of the extreme hot weather being experienced across the state this week, the plants in the conservatory have not fried. The combination of external shade cloth and humidity have allowed the plants to survive, in some cases thrive.

This small Phalaenopsis orchid is flowering for the second time in its new home. I won it at a raffle at an Ikebana International meeting some time in early 2024.

The little flowers are quite delightful close-up. I tend to describe our garden as conforming to the 'survival of the fittest' principle. Thus I feel I am not a good enough gardener to be a great fan of these plants, they just seem so delicate. However, it is clear that the right environment makes all the difference. 

Yesterday our maximum temperature here by the sea was 35C. In the north of the state it was in the low 40Cs.

Looking east from above Bird Rock the beach was quite crowded, especially as the tide came in.

This is the view to the west from the same viewing platform. High tide and no exposed rocks, nor sand.

Because we were expecting a hot day, I was up early to ensure that the pot plants had sufficient water. I also picked some Hydrangeas, lest the bushes be wasted in the anticipated hot weather. Fortunately, the bushes survived quite well. Greater heat is predicted in the middle of this coming week.

 

My precaution allowed me to make this ikebana. I had picked four modest-sized, deep pink Hydrangeas and set three of them vertically on the right side of this unusual vase which has two side openings. In the higher opening on the left side of the vase I set a single New Zealand Flax Phormium  leaf. I curled the leaf forward and threaded it through the flowerheads to hold it in position. When curling these leaves I prefer to make the curve "inside out". That is, curling the leaf in the opposite direction to its natural curve. In this case I brought the leaf forward, showing the back of the leaf. Doing this results in a smoother curve and prevents rippling of the edges which usually occurs when curling these leaves in the direction of their natural curve. 

Greetings from Christopher

25th January 2026

 

NATURES GEOMETRY

In Melbourne this morning we are being visited by Laurie's cousin Nick and his partner Sabrina, among others.

Neither of these gentlemen look very much different than when this photo was taken 13 years ago. 

Because it is such a perfect summer's day we went for a stroll around the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

I was surprised to come across this planting of Sunflowers Helianthus, beside one of the smaller lakes. They look so cheerful and bright in the morning sun. The only other Sunflowers I have noticed are exceptionally tall and large ones in the vegetable section of the Children's Garden.

The other big attraction at the moment is the mass of Lotus Nelumbo nucifera, in two of the lakes. 

I love this elegant example of nature's geometry. No wonder that people have been so inspired by such natural forms as to use them in art, architecture, ceramics, and creative designs of all kinds.

The light coming through these flower petals was enchanting. 

This was one of the few flowers close enough to be able to see within the cup of the petals. Of course these flowers are very ephemeral and their beauty exists for only a short space of time. It is a characteristic that is understood and celebrated in Japanese culture and expressed through ikebana.

This week my ikebana  picks up on the idea of geometric patterns. I was inspired by an idea my student Jacqueline explored in one of our classes. She created a zig-zagging pattern with a single New Zealand Flax leaf and set it beside a vertical leaf. Unfortunately, I do not have a photograph of that ikebana to show you.

 

The material I have used is the stems of Strelitzia juncea from our garden. These are thick and sufficiently sturdy to hold their form with a little assistance using discrete ikebana fixing techniques.

I have used two of the Strelitzia stems. On the right is the zig-zagged stem, which is secured to the left one that has been folded into a large triangle. The other floral material is red valerian Valeriana rubra. I placed three flowers and a stem of leaves around the principal structure.

The vessel is a Japanese-made ikebana vase.

Greetings from Christopher (and Happy 80th Birthday to Laurie).
18th January 2026

HYFRANGEAS SAVED FROM THE HEAT.

This week I begin with the last group of photos from 2025 classes.

In the Torquay class the students' theme was focusing on contrasting two colours. Except in the first example, for the purpose of this exercise the green of the leaves is ignored, as it is the colour of the flowers that is the focus of the contrast.

Pamela used only one material 'Nasturtium' Tropaeolum. In this simple ikebana Pamela has contrasted the green of the leaves with the yellow of the flowers.

Coralie contrasted the blue of the Germander Teucrium fruticans on the left with Hibbertia riparia, the yellow flower on the branches on the right.

Róża has used a large branching stem of Euphorbia which is contrasted with a curving line of pink Geranium flowers.

Lyn has contrasted the yellow of the Leucospermum with the purple of the statice Limonium. In spite of the mass of the statice, a large space is revealed which lightens the ikebana.

Readers in Australia will be well aware that significant bush fires have occurred in Victoria over the last few days. In many places they are still burning out of control. One group of these fires is about 90km west of Torquay. Yesterday, the smoke from this fire was clouding the air and smelt very strongly when we were outside the house. 

On the beach the smoke filled the sky, making the sun red and the third headland in the photo very hard to see. 

Because of the heatwave conditions during the middle of this last week, I picked about half of the Hydrangeas in these two pots. Some of those that I left were heat-damaged, but fortunately most survived. Of course, I used some of the flowers that I picked to make ikebana. 

Reflecting on my comment above about the space beneath the statice flowers in Lyn's ikebana, it is interesting to see the absence of space in this preliminary arrangement. The stems of these flowers were too short and weak to create space between them. The ikebana also needs another element contrasting in colour and texture. My solution was to add an interesting line. It is a dried branch from the Tea tree Leptospermum in the garden. The branch still has its bark intact and has a slightly rough texture that contrasts well with the delicacy of the Hydrangea petals.

In this view the branch crosses in front of the flowers.

This view is from 90 degrees to the right of the first photo so, the branch is on one side of the ikebana.

The celadon-glazed porcelain vase is by the Australian ceramicist Graeme Wilkie.

My thoughts and best wishes go out to all those impacted by the bushfires in Victoria during this last week.

Christopher.

11th January 2026