WOLLEMI PINE SPOTTED IN YOKOHAMA


This week Roadside Ikebana comes to you from Japan, where - to our surprise - Laurie noticed a rare Australian Wollemi Pine Wollemia nobilis. Prior to 1994 this plant was only known in the fossil record and thought to be an extinct species.

It was outside the apartment building of Yukiko, the daughter of one of Laurie's former English conversation students.

In the last class for Term One...

...Kerryn's exercise was to make a Variation No 1 of the Basic Upright style. She was not not able to procure suitable branch material so she managed with Lisianthus Eustoma flowers only.

I asked my Geelong students to make an ikebana using "Leaves only in a nageire (tall)vessel.


The main subject of Ellie's ikebana is the pair of Monstera leaves in the centre front that are interlocked. On the left are leaves with yellow colouring, including some New Zealand Flax Phormium, that has been arranged into angular lines. 


Helen has used Gymea  Doryanthes palmeri, leaves only in a large angular arrangement.
 

Maureen used variegated Aspidistra leaves which she manipulated into zig-zagging shapes as well as variegated Canna Lily Canna, leaves.

Christine used leaves from a large orchid plant that had suffered heat damage in one of the very hot days of summer. She commented that this was the first time for her to see the beauty in these damaged leaves. It is so disappointing when one of our precious plants are damaged that it is easy to only see the "damage".

Once more I am re-using some materials and a vase. 

The Gymea leaf at the front of the ikebana above, which I first  posted on 27th April, continued to change colour; so I needed to re-position it in the new arrangement below.

The new placement of the leaf is in the middle and toward the back of the work. I also added some small flowers and leaves of Coastal Banksia B.integrifolia. The pale yellow of the flowers picks up the yellowing of the Gymea leaf.

The vessel is by the Australian ceramicist Therese Rasanen


Greetings from Christopher
11th May 2025




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