TWO SMALL IKEBANA ARRANGEMENTS

My internet friend, Amos, who lives in Maryland sent me the photo below of his garden ten days before Christmas.

A beautiful sight, absolutely made for a northern hemisphere Christmas card.  

Although I took this photograph on "our" beach nine years ago, it remains one of my favourite images of Christmas Day in this part of Australia.

Below are photos from the last of the end-of-year ikebana class celebrations. The photos were taken at Ellie's house, where we held the final 2025 class for my Geelong students.

Anne used two vessels. In her ikebana, the vessel on the left has a reversed slanting variation number one and on the right is a basic upright ikebana. Using two vessels to make one ikebana arrangement is an exercise at the end of the first part of the Sogetsu curriculum. Unidentified branches and Red valerian Valeriana ruber flowers are the materials used.

Sussie used a vase with three openings. For her main material she used stems of Yam daisy "Murnong" Microseris walteri, an indigenous food source. The stems had finished flowering. Sussie then added Smoke bush Cotinus inflorescence and two Marigold Calendula flowers placed behind the other materials. 

Helen arranged Smoke bush, pale blue Statice Limonium and pale mauve Sweet pea Lathyrus odoratus flowers. Her ikebana was set on a low table and designed to be viewed from all around.

In a tall cylindrical vase, Maree arranged Delphinium, Sea Holly Eryngium and a mass of unidentified white and pale pink flowers at the front. She created a Christmas look with a gold spherical bell placed on the table, and ribbon around the vase.

Ellie used a narrow, flat-fronted Japanese vase in which she arranged two Arum Zantedeschia leaves, a single Goddess Lily and a mass of white daisies partially hidden behind the large lily flower. She added a red glass ball which sat in the fold of the leaf at the rear, and strategically placed the ikebana so that it was reflected in the mirror behind.

Maureen used an unusual vase with an off-centre hole poking through from the front surface. She arranged large stems of Smoke bush and then added three Strelitzia flowers. The Strelitzia really lightened the deep maroon of the Smoke bush, which would otherwise have looked dull against the background. 

In this rather busy period, Christmas through to New Year's Eve, I have only two small simple ikebana arrangements to share with you today. 

This first one-flower ikebana came about when this Strelitzia was superfluous to the needs of my ikebana on 7th December. I was looking around for a suitable vase when my eye landed on this unusual vessel by Paul Davis. The narrow opening allowed me to position the flower stem so that it face upward despite being placed almost horizontally.

My second arrangement is a small mass of three Mr Lincoln roses that I had picked early in the morning yesterday. By the time I was ready to set them, the room was filled with their beautiful fragrance. I added a small dried branch from the Apricot tree to provide a contrasting line. I bought the traditional style celadon-glazed vase many years ago when we visited Hong Kong in the time before I started studying Sogetsu ikebana. The timeless nature of this classic glaze seems to complement almost any botanical material.

Sending you best wishes for a Happy New Year.

Christopher

28th December 2025

END OF YEAR CLASSES CONTINUE

My Torquay class celebrated the end of the year with an "Ikebana at Home" event at Coralie's house. As with my Melbourne students' class shown last week, the students brought ikebana materials and food to share. The visiting students were able to borrow vessels from Coralie's collection. The house features some Japanese decor.

Pamela was allocated a tokonoma space at the end of a short corridor. Beside an ink painting scroll of bamboo, she arranged a stem of Garden nasturtium Tropaeolum, and some stems of Jade plant Crassula ovata, in a modern red vessel.

Róża selected a trough-shaped vessel in which she arranged some dried Callistemon stems, chosen for their graceful curves. The inclusion of Grevillea that was in flower provided some fresh green and a red floral focus. 

Lyn's ikebana was arranged on a low table that divided two spaces. This meant that the work could be seen from all around. Here the arrangement shows against a shoji screen. The long stems on the right are Olive branches in flower that have been stripped of all their leaves. The massed flower material is Persian Lilac Melia azedarach.

Coralie set her materials in two matching red ceramic cylinders. Her theme was Christmas, which was suggested through colours of red, white and green, and the inclusion of coiled dried vine suggesting a Christmas wreath. The green branches are Pomaderris and the flowers are white everlastings Xerochrysum bracteatum. 

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Yesterday I was given a large bunch of Leucospermum by some neighbours who have a densely planted garden. The bunch included two different varieties of leucospermum. Three of the flowers were yellow and the rest predominantly orange. This afternoon I had the opportunity to arrange them, taking advantage of the particularly long stems. 

Two of the longest stems reach toward the right. The three yellow flowers had shorter stems and are placed left of the centre point of the vase. A short stem with only leaves extends to the left, providing a counter movement to balance the principal line. The vessel, which has a deeply grooved surface, is by Graeme Wilkie.

Finally... 

...this week I created what I think of as an Australian Christmas tree, using the large bare branch of my previous week's posting. Perhaps I should really call it a large Christmas decoration. The  large wood fired vessel is by the New South Wales ceramicist Ian Jones.

The mask on the wall was brought back from Papua New Guinea by Laurie in 1973, after working there for two years.

Season's greetings from Christopher
21st December 2025

 

 

LAST CLASS FOR 2025

At the last ikebana class of each year we meet at one of the student members' houses to celebrate and socialise. The usual order of the day is for everyone to bring materials for an ikebana, and food to share. The students select a vase from the host's collection and are allocated a space to set up their ikebana. This year, my Melbourne class met at Aileen's house and made their arrangements.

Marisha used a double-ended U-shaped vessel. Her branch material was a few stems of Eucalyptus. The flowers on the left are Delphinium and on the right, pink Chrysanthemum.

Jacqueline had a single multi-branched stem of Tortuous willow Salix, that she had twisted together. She made a mass with yellow Roses to which she added some green leaves from Climbing fig Ficus pumila. The vessel is made from several ceramic cylinders of irregular height.

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Julie-Anne chose a Sogetsu-style split cylinder in which she set two long stems of Russian sage Salvia yangii, on the left side, and made a mass with some white Snapdragon Antirrhinum, on the right.

Eleanor, who was a visitor at the class, made an abstract style ikebana using de-constructed Lady palm Rhapis excelsa, and Billy Buttons pycnosorus. The vessel is a narrow curving trough.

Aileen used Tortuous willow for her branch material and two Calla lily Zantedeschia, flowers of such a deep purple that they looked black. The unusual vessel is by Mel Ogden.

Eugenia set two Leucospermum flowers in the tall, square- section vase; around which she then fixed some dried palm inflorescence.

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We have had some rather hot days in the last week. It seems that is what has driven Spike (the echidna) to visit the garden in search of ants. 
 

I took this photo in the mid-afternoon on Thursday. Spike returned again on Friday evening and was fossicking between the bricks on the garden path when I came in from a walk on the beach.

My ikebana this week comes from the last meeting of the Victorian Branch of the Sogetsu School for 2025. All of the senior teachers holding the Riji certificate, who were able to attend the meeting, were asked to simultaneously set up an ikebana on the theme of celebration. We then briefly spoke about our ikebana. I chose Summer Holidays as my theme.

I have used a particularly unusual driftwood branch I found on the beach earlier this year. Where it sits at the top of the tall vessel the branch makes a complete loop turning back on itself. I have secured it with a vertical fixture so that it floats above the mouth of the vessel. The additional materials are Cushion bush Leucophyta, and two bright red Anthuriums. To me the Anthuriums suggest a joyous happiness, while the other two materials speak to me of the freedom of summer holidays spent on the beach.

Greetings from Christopher

14th December 2025

TWO FLOWERS, ONE LEAF

At the beginning of November, among my Melbourne students... 

...Julie-Anne's Sogetsu curriculum exercise was to make an Upright Variation Number 2 in a suiban. In this variation the Hikae (main flower line) is set on the left side of the Shin (principal upright branch line) leaning forward at an angle. Her materials are Eucalyptus leaves, most likely E. pulverulenta and Chrysanthemum flowers

I set the senior students the exercise of making an ikebana focussing on "colours in contrast".

Marisha used two differently coloured bunches of Alstromeria, white and red. They were set in an earth-coloured cylindrical vase.

Jacqueline set some unidentified blue flowers with three red Anthuriums, one of which is just visible at the back of the arrangement. To these she added a dried branch as a linear horizontal element to the otherwise vertical arrangement.

The two examples above do not strictly conform to the set exercise because the colours are not directly opposite each other on the colour wheel.

Eugenia used two green Aspidistra leaves for her main colour, which she contrasted with two small buds of Red orchid cactus Disocactus ackermannii.  Her black vase and branch lines created a non-colour foil to the two principal subjects of the ikebana.

Aileen began with a glass vase that conformed to the exercise being predominantly orange, and having blue glass knobs on its surface. She chose for her botanical material Strelitzia flowers, that also have these colours.  Blue paper tape was added to reinforce the contrast with the vase.

In the garden...

...to my delight the Grevillea robusta tree is having its best flowering yet. This, no doubt, is a result of our part of the state having its wettest Spring in the last 12 years. Unfortunately, the north of the state has been much drier.

The Strelitzia juncea is also flowering well. The Grevillea is well out of reach, but the Strelitzia is not. Therefore it is ideal for this week's ikebana.

I picked two flower stems from the S. juncea and a single small leaf from the base of the Strelitzia nicolai, elsewhere in the garden. The leaf has a particularly attractive, slightly spiralling, curve, which is lost with the flattening effect of the photograph. The tallest flower sits within the embrace of the front of the leaf while the lower flower sits at the back of, and outside, the fold of the leaf. 

The vase is by the US ceramicist Mark Bell.

Greetings from Christopher

7th December 2025

INTERTWINING CURVES

As Spring comes to an end and the weather warms... 

...Spike has appeared in the garden again. Sometimes Spike has visited our's, and friends' gardens, at night. Evidence of the night time visit is apparent in the characteristic digging of ant nests. A couple of weeks ago, Laurie noticed that Spike had ventured across the road and I was able to take this photo of them both. 

The other particularly abundant wildlife in our garden is the number and variety of birds. My friend John took this photo of a King parrot feeding on seeds of a Coastal Tea Tree Gaudium laevigatum in his garden.

To ikebana. 
A recent exercise I set for students was to make an ikebana in a suiban with 5 - 7 materials. This task is not as easy as it seems. Taking into account the volumes of the different materials can be quite a challenge.

In my Torquay class...

...Ròzå used Honeysuckle Lonicera, Roses, Rosemary Salvia rosmarinus, and other unidentified materials.

Coralie used four materials, Shrubby germanderTeucrium fruticans as the principal material, also Tall Cape honey flower Melianthus major, Lavender Lavandular stoechas, and a hybrid of Iris ensata.

Lyn set a single Strelitzia flower, Snapdragon Antirrhinum, Dietes grandiflora, Olive Olea europaea and Eremophila.

In the Geelong class... 

...Maureen harmonised her materials with green as the predominant colour. The tall dry branch is dried and coloured Edgworthia E. chrysantha, Tortuous Willow Salix, Leucadendron, Nandina, Gumnuts Eucalyptus, and a small fading red Callistemon flower.

Ellie used an unopened Asiatic lily Lilium, Statice Limonium, Lisianthus Eustoma, Rose, Snapdragon, Jerusalem sage Phlomis fruticosa and Nasturtium Tropaeolum.

Maree's exercise was to make an ikebana of Iris in the traditional style as taught in the Sogetsu School.

My ikebana this week is my contribution for the recent annual exhibition of the Victorian Branch of the Sogetsu School, of which I was the curator. Because I knew I would be very busy in that role, I reworked a sculpture I made for a demonstration last year. The principal structure was made from two branches of Weeping Elm Ulmus. For fresh material, I added two Gymea leaves which encased a mass of Dock weed Rumex, the seed-head of which had started to turn red.

The structure is 1.4m high and 1.8m wide. The branches are secured with wooden dowels and the ceramic "half pillow" vessel is by Graeme Wilkie.

Greetings from Christopher

FRESH and DRY MATERIAL

On Wednesday Laurie and I went west along the coast to Qdos Gallery in Lorne. Graeme Wilkie was setting up a solo exhibition of some of his work from the last several years. This included ceramics from his recent residencies in China and wood-fired work made in his Anagama Kiln. He had asked me to create a single ikebana in one of the large sculptural ceramic pieces in that part of the exhibition. Graeme's slab constructed work is about 1.4m tall with an elongated S-shape and is very narrow front to back. 

I did not have the opportunity of a trial run. So, I made sure that I had materials for plan B. Plan A was to use an interesting piece of driftwood with three radiating branches. I soon realised that it was both too heavy and too large in diameter to be safely stabilised in the tall, narrow ceramic work. My plan B material was three very light, broad and spiralling pieces of dried Banana plant Musa, and three fresh Gymea leaves Doryanthes palmeri.

Here Laurie, acting as my assistant, is holding two Gymea leaves in position while I check their relationship with the Banana material. I had already secured the dried material by attaching it to a long garden stake that I placed within the vessel.

This shows the completed ikebana in the vessel, which was supported with bags of clay to stabilise the structure while we worked on the improvised design and fixed the materials in place.

This shows the finished work on the day of the Exhibition opening, which was yesterday. I have taken the photo with a flash to reveal the beautiful surface of the vessel in particular. Some rather rusty-looking markings are also noticeable on the Gymea leaf that points downward to the left across the front of the ikebana.

This photo shows the back of the vessel and me looking pleased that everything was still in place three days after setting up this work. I must say that I feel very privileged to be able to present my ikebana in this beautiful gallery, and that Graeme had trusted me to be respectful of his work.

Graeme's exhibition is open for three weeks.

Thursday - Sunday

9.00 am - 5.00 pm 

Finishes Friday 12th December

Greetings from Christopher

23rd November 2025

SOGETSU ANNUAL EXHIBITION at ABBOTSFORD CONVENT

Several weeks ago I set my Melbourne students the task of making an Ikebana  Mass and Line’, combined with using dried or bleached material.

Jacqueline created a spreading style ikebana using two vessels. Her dried material was a long branch of driftwood that was supported on the black vessel the larger was set a mass of orange Clivia flowers and leaves. The smaller vessel held a single flower.

Marcia set a dried Allium stem in a vessel with a mass of Lilac Syringa,  flowers and leaves.

Eugenia set a line of Siberian dogwood Cornus alba, in a white vessel with a mass made using Viburnum plicatum and dried Kelp.

Aileen set a line of dried vine in an annular vessel with a mass of Wisteria flowers.

My ikebana this week comes from my archive of past works. I have chosen them because this weekend I have been very busy participating in the annual exhibition of the Victorian Branch of the Sogetsu School. Also the Branch has held a workshop led by Master Instructor, Oizumi sensei. in conjunction with the exhibition. The theme of the workshop was to make a flat object, washi paper, into a sculptural three dimensional form. I have not had the time to process the photos from the workshop.

The two photos below are earlier examples of using paper in an ikebana arrangement.

In this example from 2009 I used newspaper which I "pleated" into flame-like forms and added dried Dracaena draco stems and part of a dried seed pod.

In this ikebana I created two large hemispherical forms from pale green washi paper. They were placed around a deep green vessel in which I set two Hyacinth flowers.

If you are in Melbourne today you may visit the Annual Exhibition in the Linen room at the Abbotsford Convent cultural centre, 1 St Heliers st, Abbotsford.

Greetings from Christopher

16th November 2025