I was in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens last week and came across this small Gymea lily (Doryanthes excelsa, native of Queensland and New South Wales ) and thought it worth a photo as I was able to get up close to the flower. As it was a relatively young plant, it was only about 1.7 metres high. Gymea flower stems can reach five-six metres and have much larger composite flower heads than this one. When you look closely perhaps the most striking thing is the bright green pollen pads on the ends of the stamens.( For more information you may click on: Doryanthes excelsa)
To give some sense of scale I held my hand beside the flower head.
The two plants in the background here were over two metres.
Last week my teacher set the exercise of making an arrangement 'outside' the vessel. She referred to notes by her first teacher, the late Norman Sparnon. These would have predated the new Sogetsu Curriculum exercise of '...Paying attention to the container and to the place where the arrangement will be put.'. I couldn't get the vine I had originally intended for the exercise so, in this work I re-used material (black willow) from a fortnight ago and two roses bought from my local florist.
27th October 2012
Love the space outside the vase you have created.
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