LILIES FROM THE CREEK

At a recent class of my Melbourne students, the senior students' exercise was an autumn ikebana arrangement in a basket.

Marcia's arrangement was in a traditional Japanese bamboo lacquer-ware basket which had a deep colour. She used two small, late-autumn Hydrangeas with some closely matched autumn leaves.

Jacqueline's "basket" is made from a sheet of woven Banana leaf with bobbles at the corners enabling the sides to be raised from a flat position. She chose seasonal fruit and vegetables in autumn tonings and a branch of dried, puce-coloured leaves.

Marisha's exercise was a "simplified ikebana". She has set her ikebana in a small maroon vase using one stem of Camellia and a single Dietes leaf. The Camellia branch has been defoliated except for three leaves, and the Dietes leaf has been bent into straight lines to contrast with the branch.

A couple of weeks ago I was given two stems of Camellia Kamo-honnami by my ikebana friend Rosemary. I was delighted when this bud partially opened revealing the yellow stamens. This ikebana is in the style of a chabana (tea ceremony arrangement).

Last week I showed a large ikebana I made using Magnolia branches and incorporating a single Arum lily leaf

Here is a photo of the source. Arum lily plants have escaped into the creek near our house. I had to put on my gumboots to collect some flowers as well as the leaves. Although it is not visible in the photo there is slowly flowing water under the debris and greenery. 

This week's ikebana is a freestyle arrangement I made in a traditional circular suiban with a deep-blue glaze. Two flowers are arranged with a space between them and supported by three leaves at the base. In this ikebana I was particularly pleased by the space beneath the leaf on the right hand side of the work.