NANDINA BERRIES

We are now officially in winter and the last week has certainly felt like it. This was especially the case on those couple of nights when the temperature came down to 3 degrees Centigrade. Also in the last week the "High Country" in the mountains on the east side of Victoria had their first snow falls for the year. I was particularly relieved that we did not get the predicted frost a few nights ago.

Today the morning was lovely, with bright sunshine. What a privilege to look out at this scene from our bathroom window. Although, I must admit that the sunshine was rather intermittent for the rest of the day.

At the end of autumn and beginning of winter, our garden has some fresh new growth. This above, was unexpected. Last year I savagely pruned the Cootamundra Wattle, Acacia baileyana, that grows by the garden path after it had flowered. I removed all the main branches and every last leaf. A few years ago I had discovered that it has been infested by the larvae of a moth which burrows down into the wood, progressively weakening the plant. I am afraid this growth, which looks so lovely, will have to be removed because the, now quite old tree will not survive the larvae infestation.

Elsewhere in the garden this Hairpin Banksia, Banksia Spinulosa, has produced a number of flowers. This tall straight flower, technically an inflorescence, (it is made up of a cluster of smaller flowers on a stem) is not yet fully open.

However on this one the "styles", which curve back into the flower, have fully opened, developing the characteristic hook that gives the plant its common name.

  

Nearby one of the Correas we planted two years ago has grown well and now has many of its dainty autumn flowers.

In the Torquay classroom in recent weeks the students were shown how to make small sculptural structures with chopsticks that can then be used in conjunction with their ikebana. These small sculptures are a quite versatile design element that can be used to create an unexpected contrast within the ikebana. It is important that such manmade "unconventional materials" are an integrated design element and not merely an added decoration to the finished ikebana.

Judy had painted her sculpture black, and set it in a tall white vase with a leaf-like fluted edge. The black provides a strong contrast to two yellow Asiatic lilies.

Coralie's structure was left unpainted which picked up the straw colour of the spathes on her bamboo from which some leaves had been removed. She also added a single stem of Cyperus Papyrus and some red Nandina domestica 'nana' leaves as a contrast.

Róża also left the sculpture unpainted. She has placed it around and above a strong red cylindrical vase. This placement allows the structure to also perform a supporting function for the botanical material, Pincushion Hakea, H. laurina.

At a subsequent class of my Torquay students the exercise I set was to make an ikebana using two vessels. Additionally the students were then to make a design of repeated shapes using their plant material. I had encouraged the students to use leaf material for the exercise.

  

Marta, has used a single Monstera leaf which she split into two halves, placing each half into seperate vessels, unfortunately a bit difficult to see in this photo. She also created curving and looping lines with variegated New Zealand Flax.

Coralie, used three Gymea Lily, Doryanthes, leaves which she formed into angular shapes. These are contrasted with Dietes leaves that have been manipulated into curving lines.

Róża, made her design of triangles and angular lines with Umbrella grass, Cyperus alternifolius. The pattern made with manipulated stems is contrasted with a single rosette of leaves left in its natural state.

At a recent class my student Maureen offered me a large bunch of Nandina berries which I happily accepted. We have this Nandina is growing in our garden. However, it grows slowly in the sandy soil and has only produced tiny berries on a couple of occasions. Maureen's bunches of berries were very healthy and a wonderful bright red. So cheerful in the wintery weather.

I have set the Nandina berries with a fading autumnal Hydrangea flower and two Coastal Sword Sedge, Lepidosperma gladiatum, leaves. The large black lacquered vessel is by Hiroyasu Takizawa. I chose this vessel because of its dark colour which contrasts well with the principal subject, the red berries. The equally strong form of the vessel is very dominating. So I have massed the botanical materials and kept them low, their height being less than half that of the vessel.

 

Greetings from Christopher

5th June, 2022