SPRING VIGOUR

It is a dull and overcast day as I write this, one where it was a little hard not to feel dispirited in the early(ish) grey morning. As I lay in bed I wondered what new ikebana arrangement I could share with you. Then I remembered that the "Red Valerian", Centranthus ruber, which I had planted a few years ago was now looking rather lush and full of spring vigour.

As you can see from this photo, our Red Valerian is actually pink. However, there is some of the red variety growing wild in the round-about at the end of the street. Very handy should I need any.

Close by is this lovely, pale yellow Calistemon that seemed to suddenly come into flower all at once. I hope to be sufficiently organised to set it in an ikebana arrangement during this coming week.

As I wandered around the garden again this morning, I noticed a branch with an interesting line and three flowers at its end on this soft pink Calistemon bush. I thought I had missed my opportunity to use this one because it had started flowering earlier and not so prolifically as the pale yellow one. However this was just what I needed. Another shade of pink to go with the Valerian. 

At this time of year, with so many plants coming into flower, it is such a temptation to arrange masses of flowers. An explosion of joy. I really like going into the florist shop to be surrounded by the variety, abundance and the fragrance of flowers. It sets me thinking about images of the French Court at Versailles and climbing roses grown in swags. Within the Western style of flower arranging I think abundance and mass can work well. In ikebana it can be difficult. 

At the beginning of this term I had already set my Torquay U3A students the topic of making "An arrangement expressing the abundance of Spring, while still adhering to ikebana principal elements of line, mass and space". Unless one is making a large installation, I think the difficulty for ikebanists is to not lose sight of the individual materials that we use, and swamp them in such an arrangement. 

             

This is my ikebana, made today, from the prolifically flowering Valerian and a similarly coloured Calistemon in the garden. I grouped the flowers separately. Although it is not apparent from the angle of the photograph, the  long line of the calistemon comes forward to the left and I have kept it above the rim of the vessel to avoid a congested appearance. The wood-fired vessel is by Owen Rye. 

Greetings from Christopher

18th October 2020