WISTERIA AT LAST

In my Torquay class I recently set the exercise of making an ikebana focusing on straight lines.

Lynne used Watsonia fulgens in a suiban. By using two kenzans and crossing the materials, she has emphasised the lines in the ikebana. The leaves that come from the kenzan on the left side pass behind the flowering stems so as not to break that line.

Coralie stripped all of the leaves from her branch material Germander teucrium, which she inserted upside down in the tall vase. She placed a Gymea Doryanthes palmeri leaf at an angle across the branch material. She also placed a Strelitzia flower at an angle in alignment with the branch material, aligning the flower head with the Gymea leaf.

I challenged my senior students in Geelong recently by asking them to bring two vases and material for one ikebana arrangement. I then chose which vase would be used and gave it to one of the students. I then gave the botanical materials to a different student. In this way, none of the students had their own materials or vases, and none of the materials being used were chosen with that vase in mind. 

Ellie was provided with a small spherical vase in which she arranged green materials only, from the selection she was given. She arranged the Grasstree Xanthorrhoea so that it formed a cone with the apex in the vase. Behind the conical screen she placed two Green Goddess Lilies Zantedeschia; then placed a single green Lily low at the front of the arrangement. 

Helen was given a tall narrow vessel. Her material included a large fern-like leaf and some pink Grevillea. She cut most of the side stems from one side of the leaf and placed it forward. The Grevillea was then massed at the mouth of the vessel partly obscured by the leaf. 

Jo received some pink flowering Prunus branches, perhaps a plum. She also had some large round leaves Bergenia cordifolia, I think. The lines of the branches made it very difficult to arrange in the shallow vessel, as the branches tended to curve in contrary directions.

Maureen was given some tortuous Willow Salix, a Eucalyptus branch with gumnuts attached and a large pink incurve Chrysanthemum. Her vessel was placed with a forward opening aperture. The pink chrysanthemum was set forward and low in the arrangement, and was embraced by the other materials.

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In the garden recently I was delighted when the struggling Wisteria flowered again this year. 

The vine is very slowly making its way up a pole and has become surrounded by the apricot tree and a self-sown apple. I now need to disentangle it from these other plants a the end of autumn each year.

It seems to me that the racemes of flowers are very modest by what I think most gardeners achieve. However, I am pleased that the vine has survived to this stage. For the first time, there has been a side branch that I have been brave enough to cut for ikebana purposes.

I had to cut two racemes off this small stem because it looked too congested and needed some space between the flower clusters. The other material in the middle and left side, is an Australian plant Sticky boobialla Myoporum petiolatum, endemic to south eastern Australia. I  chose this for its small white flowers that do not detract from the Wisteria. The small narrow J

apanese vase has an almost black Tenmoku glaze.

Greetings from Christopher

4th October 2025
 

ONE KIND OF MATERIAL

Towards the end of last month I set my senior Geelong students the exercise of making a freestyle ikebana with one material only.

Helen used Cycad as her material which she set in old disused ceramic insulators from electric power poles. The three intersecting "cones" (strobili) are arranged in a criss-crossing design. The insulator at the left-rear contains a small number of individual leaflets taken from the larger frond-like bipinnate leaves of the plant. 

Ellie arranged two stems of green Cymbidium orchids from her garden and two leaves. The  placement of the flower spikes creates a diagonal dense line which is contrasted by the finer line of the strappy leaves. She has used three matching bottle-shaped vessels.

Maree's material is Papyrus, Cyperus papyrus. She has used two stems, the smaller at the back being dried, and the taller still fresh. The two stems are secured in a small glass cube with short lengths of stem cut at irregular lengths and angles. The glass cube has been placed diagonally and to one side of a square black mat.

Also in a glass vessel, in this case a tall cylindrical one, Jo arranged Arum lily Zantedeschia flowers and stems. The curling lines within the vase are lily stems that have been split longitudinally. The curls form with the process of splitting the stem. She has kept the lower part of the vase free of plant material.

Christine also used Arum lily flowers and leaves. The ikebana was originally facing the opposite way and did not work well because the flowers are curving away towards the back of the large triangular vessel. With this re-positioning, the flowers come forward and leaves peep around from the back. 

Maureen has used two Strelitzia flowers and three leaves. The  two leaves at the front have had one side cut off the mid-rib. Then sections have been cut out of the remaining part, changing the appearance of the material. The third leaf sits low in the arrangement behind the other material.

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A couple of weeks ago the Victorian Sogetsu Branch held a workshop led by Thea Sartori. She had chosen for her subject "Spring flowers in a basket". One of the interesting ideas Thea put forward was that the basket should be the primary subject and the botanical materials secondary. (My words, not Thea's.) She also commented that the materials should be light so that they complement the basket. 

The basket that I used belonged to my friend and mentor Kath Dacy. It is Japanese, made from split bamboo and lacquered. Its form is like a wide bowl and has a very open weave. I noticed that the outer surface of the basket looked best but was less noticeable when presented upright. So I decided to set it upside down, over a small white bowl. The materials could then be arranged coming through the openings in the weave. Being spring time, I massed some yellow "double" Daffodils Narcissus, within the bowl, allowing only a few longer stemmed ones to protrude. Because this was an unconventional use of the basket, I then set some bent Watsonia leaves to create a bold contemporary feel to the ikebana.

Here is a link to photos from the workshop.

Greetings from Christopher

28th September 2025

 

PAYING ATTENTION TO THE CURVE

At the beginning of the week, Laurie and I went to Cape Schanck on the southern tip of the Mornington Peninsula. It is on the eastern side of Port Phillip Bay, an area of Victoria I had never visited before. 

The lighthouse at Cape Schanck has always held a particular fascination for me since my childhood. At night, the lighthouse's unique signal, its "light characteristic", is visible from the high cliffs on the west side of Torquay, 24km away. However, in daylight the distant lighthouse is not visible. 

This view is on the Bass Strait side of the peninsula looking west along the coast toward the narrow opening of Port Phillip Bay.

The cliffs below the lighthouse face directly west and therefore get the full force of the swells generated by the prevailing westerly winds.

Although the lighthouse is now automated, the original 1859 lighthouse keeper's residence is now maintained as a museum, with other historical buildings at the site. 

This is a view through some Moonah Melaleuca lanceolata trees showing a basalt sea stack, at the tip of the Cape, known as Pulpit Rock.

Here is a clearer view of the tip of the Cape, which is approached by a series of staircases and a long wooden walkway.

My attention was caught by the particularly writhing appearance of these branches beside the staircase to the Cape.

A short distance away, we were directed to a small area of remnant Banksia forest. The trees were predominantly Banksia integrifolia. I was really impressed to see the large girth and height of the trees.

 

Another delight was to come across this bright white Clematis. I think it is C. glycinoides. The flowers are larger than the pale cream C. microphylla which grows in our garden.

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To ikebana:

Thanks to my friend, and passionate gardener, Fermi for identifying the branch material on the right in Lyn's ikebana from last week. It is one of the Eremophila genus. 

As I mentioned previously, I conducted a demonstration for a small group last month. In one of the ikebana arrangements I used a yellow Banksia praemorsa which had a strongly curved stem. The curve made it virtually impossible to arrange in any conventional vase. It is because of this sort of material that many Sogetsu Ikebana practitioners like to have vessels of unusual shape, or with multiple or oddly positioned openings.

Fortunately...

...I have some of those. This large heavy vessel with a single opening curves to an almost horizontal position. When I looked carefully at the Banksia inflorescence, it was best positioned curving upward to the right, so I placed the vessel in the opposite direction. Thus creating an "S" curve overall. As the inflorescence was small relative to the vessel I added some dried material; in this case a wide, curling length of Banana Musa acuminata leaf base.

The vessel is by the Victorian ceramicist, Graeme Wilkie, of Qdos Gallery Lorne.

Greetings from Christopher

21st September 2025

BANKSIA ERICIFOLIA

A recent exercise I set for my Torquay students was to "take into account the colour of the vessel" when making their ikebana.

Lynn used a shallow trough-shaped vessel which had a mustard- coloured glaze. I think the material on the left of the arrangement is one of the subspecies of Grevillea juniperina, which has yellow flowers, that picked up the colour of the glaze. The other material is not identified. Her arrangement used two strong lines which she crossed creating an interesting form, with space beneath the branches emphasised.

Corralie used a cherry-red bowl-shaped vessel. Her principal material was Swan River pea Gastrobium celsianum, and the secondary material being Nandina. The stronger lines of the Swan River pea were placed to curve toward each other.

In Melbourne, I set my students the task of making an ikebana "with leaves only" in a tall vessel. Marcia used a single Artichoke, Cynara cardunculus, leaf with a graceful "S" curve as her principal material. This was supported by naturally curving Narcissus and Helleborus leaves

Eugenia used a large Monstera Monstera deliciosa leaf with interesting colouring as a result of it beginning to wilt. She cut a large section off one side to create a strong line from the central rib of the leaf. Because this leaf was so dominant she added only two New Zealand Flax Phormium tenax leaves which had harmonising colour as a result of sun damage. 

Jacqueline's principal subject was the dramatic lines she created with the placement of two New Zealand flax leaves. These lines were emphasised by the placement of two Acanthus leaves on the right side of the ikebana. 

My ikebana this week was made for a demonstration I gave to a small group of Japanophiles on the Surfcoast. After initially demonstrating some ikebana with northern hemisphere plants, I then made the above ikebana using Australian native materials. The fresh material on the left side is a trimmed branch of Banksia ericifolia which has three new-season flower spikes. There is also a single spike from the previous season in the centre of the ikebana that has begun to form seeds. On the righthand side, a dried Moonah Melaleuca lanceolata branch curls around the vessel. 

The vessel is by the New Zealand ceramicist Elena Renker.

Greetings from Christopher
14th September 2025

 

CHAENOMELES

Two weeks ago I set the senior students of my Geelong class the task of making an Ikebana "taking into account the shape of the vessel". This exercise may include repeating the overall form of the vessel with the botanical materials. It may also include exploiting some aspect of the vessel's form to develop the ikebana.

In this case, Christine has chosen a squat ovoid vase in which she has set purple ornamental Kale. She has then added circular loops of New Zealand Flax Phormium, that has been shredded then dried.

Ellie chose an interesting vessel that can be stood vertically, as used here, or placed horizontally on its narrow side. The position she has used allows for a dramatic upward surge of the Tortuous Willow Salix, lines.  A single red Leucadendron flower provides a floral focal point.

Jo has used a flask-shaped vase with two openings. This has enabled her to emphasise the space below the line of the Banksia blechnifolia branch by the placement of a single leaf in the lower opening of the vase.

Maree has used a vessel with two openings made from a folded ceramic cylinder. She has placed her materials to follow the vertical and horizontal lines of the vessel. Her botanical materials are two Strelitzia flowers and both fresh and dried leaves of New Zealand Flax.

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In the garden...

... Laurie drew my attention to a mess of overturned soil where there is an ant nest beside the path and under the stone edging. What could have done that other than an Echidna?  "Spike", or a relative, has returned to the garden after an absence of more than a year.

We actually first noticed the echidna as it appeared from beneath the small deck at a side door, before we noticed the digging evidence. 

Being inside behind glass and moving very stealthily, I managed to take these photos without disturbing the visitor.

We were delighted to be visited again in spite of needing to clear the soil off the path. It was a very warm sunny day after a stretch of cold weather and we were not surprised to see the Echidna lying on the warm decking for quite a while.

The warmer weather is welcome and heralds the change of the season to spring.

I noticed that the Japanese Flowering Quince, Chaenomeles has put out lots of leaves recently and is less dramatic than the bare flower-covered  branches of mid-winter.

I made this ikebana several weeks ago. The line of the branch with so many flowers caught my eye and I decided that its shape was strong enough to not require additional material.

The small vase is by the Victorian ceramicist Graeme Wilkie.

Greetings from Christopher

6th September 2025.

ACANTHUS AND ARUM

At class in Geelong, my new students continue working on the basic exercises of the Sogetsu curriculum.

Sussie made her arrangement using Swan River Pea Gastrolobium celsianum, and pink Proteas.

Naree used Dutch Iris Iris x hollandica, for the principal line and its support, and Alstromeria for the hikae.

Maree's exercise was to make a cascading ikebana. I think the branch material is Cotoneaster microphyllus. The flowers are one of the new varieties of hybrid Gerberas.        

My challenge to the senior students was to make an ikebana incorporating Narcissus, and at least one other kind of flower.

Ellie used her Narcissus to create a mass at the opening of a tsubo vase. She then added Dutch Iris and three pieces of coloured wire mesh to create a light structure of flowing lines.

Christine placed white Narcissus at the mouth of the vessel, then added a mass of wattle on the left side. She placed bare Elm Ulmus, branches on each side of the ikebana that seem to frame the arrangement.

Maureen created a mass with white Narcissus in a yellow glazed shallow bowl. She added two small florets of other, unidentified white flowers to the rear of the mass. A single dry branch, also of unidentified material, forms an ascending line with multiple fine loose curves.

In the absence of available Narcissus, Helen created a naturalistic arrangement with Dutch Iris. I think this is a new hybrid as it has warm olive and fawn colours on the flowers.

This week I made my ikebana using a single Acanthus leaf that I had prepared for a demonstration last weekend. I set it in a black vase and added two white Arum lilies Zantedeschia aethiopica. I placed the leaf so that the central rib and veins on the underside are clearly visible, and a small part of the upper surface of the leaf is visible at the tip. 

The vase is by the Japanese-born Australian ceramicist Terunobu Hirata.

Greetings from Christopher
31st August 2025