HYDRANGEA and NEW ZEALAND FLAX

In spite of the extreme hot weather being experienced across the state this week, the plants in the conservatory have not fried. The combination of external shade cloth and humidity have allowed the plants to survive, in some cases thrive.

This small Phalaenopsis orchid is flowering for the second time in its new home. I won it at a raffle at an Ikebana International meeting some time in early 2024.

The little flowers are quite delightful close-up. I tend to describe our garden as conforming to the 'survival of the fittest' principle. Thus I feel I am not a good enough gardener to be a great fan of these plants, they just seem so delicate. However, it is clear that the right environment makes all the difference. 

Yesterday our maximum temperature here by the sea was 35C. In the north of the state it was in the low 40Cs.

Looking east from above Bird Rock the beach was quite crowded, especially as the tide came in.

This is the view to the west from the same viewing platform. High tide and no exposed rocks, nor sand.

Because we were expecting a hot day, I was up early to ensure that the pot plants had sufficient water. I also picked some Hydrangeas, lest the bushes be wasted in the anticipated hot weather. Fortunately, the bushes survived quite well. Greater heat is predicted in the middle of this coming week.

 

My precaution allowed me to make this ikebana. I had picked four modest-sized, deep pink Hydrangeas and set three of them vertically on the right side of this unusual vase which has two side openings. In the higher opening on the left side of the vase I set a single New Zealand Flax Phormium  leaf. I curled the leaf forward and threaded it through the flowerheads to hold it in position. When curling these leaves I prefer to make the curve "inside out". That is, curling the leaf in the opposite direction to its natural curve. In this case I brought the leaf forward, showing the back of the leaf. Doing this results in a smoother curve and prevents rippling of the edges which usually occurs when curling these leaves in the direction of their natural curve. 

Greetings from Christopher

25th January 2026

 

NATURES GEOMETRY

In Melbourne this morning we are being visited by Laurie's cousin Nick and his partner Sabrina, among others.

Neither of these gentlemen look very much different than when this photo was taken 13 years ago. 

Because it is such a perfect summer's day we went for a stroll around the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

I was surprised to come across this planting of Sunflowers Helianthus, beside one of the smaller lakes. They look so cheerful and bright in the morning sun. The only other Sunflowers I have noticed are exceptionally tall and large ones in the vegetable section of the Children's Garden.

The other big attraction at the moment is the mass of Lotus Nelumbo nucifera, in two of the lakes. 

I love this elegant example of nature's geometry. No wonder that people have been so inspired by such natural forms as to use them in art, architecture, ceramics, and creative designs of all kinds.

The light coming through these flower petals was enchanting. 

This was one of the few flowers close enough to be able to see within the cup of the petals. Of course these flowers are very ephemeral and their beauty exists for only a short space of time. It is a characteristic that is understood and celebrated in Japanese culture and expressed through ikebana.

This week my ikebana  picks up on the idea of geometric patterns. I was inspired by an idea my student Jacqueline explored in one of our classes. She created a zig-zagging pattern with a single New Zealand Flax leaf and set it beside a vertical leaf. Unfortunately, I do not have a photograph of that ikebana to show you.

 

The material I have used is the stems of Strelitzia juncea from our garden. These are thick and sufficiently sturdy to hold their form with a little assistance using discrete ikebana fixing techniques.

I have used two of the Strelitzia stems. On the right is the zig-zagged stem, which is secured to the left one that has been folded into a large triangle. The other floral material is red valerian Valeriana rubra. I placed three flowers and a stem of leaves around the principal structure.

The vessel is a Japanese-made ikebana vase.

Greetings from Christopher (and Happy 80th Birthday to Laurie).
18th January 2026

HYFRANGEAS SAVED FROM THE HEAT.

This week I begin with the last group of photos from 2025 classes.

In the Torquay class the students' theme was focusing on contrasting two colours. Except in the first example, for the purpose of this exercise the green of the leaves is ignored, as it is the colour of the flowers that is the focus of the contrast.

Pamela used only one material 'Nasturtium' Tropaeolum. In this simple ikebana Pamela has contrasted the green of the leaves with the yellow of the flowers.

Coralie contrasted the blue of the Germander Teucrium fruticans on the left with Hibbertia riparia, the yellow flower on the branches on the right.

Róża has used a large branching stem of Euphorbia which is contrasted with a curving line of pink Geranium flowers.

Lyn has contrasted the yellow of the Leucospermum with the purple of the statice Limonium. In spite of the mass of the statice, a large space is revealed which lightens the ikebana.

Readers in Australia will be well aware that significant bush fires have occurred in Victoria over the last few days. In many places they are still burning out of control. One group of these fires is about 90km west of Torquay. Yesterday, the smoke from this fire was clouding the air and smelt very strongly when we were outside the house. 

On the beach the smoke filled the sky, making the sun red and the third headland in the photo very hard to see. 

Because of the heatwave conditions during the middle of this last week, I picked about half of the Hydrangeas in these two pots. Some of those that I left were heat-damaged, but fortunately most survived. Of course, I used some of the flowers that I picked to make ikebana. 

Reflecting on my comment above about the space beneath the statice flowers in Lyn's ikebana, it is interesting to see the absence of space in this preliminary arrangement. The stems of these flowers were too short and weak to create space between them. The ikebana also needs another element contrasting in colour and texture. My solution was to add an interesting line. It is a dried branch from the Tea tree Leptospermum in the garden. The branch still has its bark intact and has a slightly rough texture that contrasts well with the delicacy of the Hydrangea petals.

In this view the branch crosses in front of the flowers.

This view is from 90 degrees to the right of the first photo so, the branch is on one side of the ikebana.

The celadon-glazed porcelain vase is by the Australian ceramicist Graeme Wilkie.

My thoughts and best wishes go out to all those impacted by the bushfires in Victoria during this last week.

Christopher.

11th January 2026

 

 

TWO HYDRANGEAS

In a Geelong class last year...

...the theme for Jo was to make an ikebana that represented a movement. In this case, the word she chose was 'entrapped'. A single Strelitzia flower is caught in a trap of Dietes grandiflora leaves which surround the flower. The leaves are tied with knots and a symbolic chain hangs down the front of the cylindrical vase.

Anne's exercise was to make an arrangement of vegetables and/or fruit on a table. This Sogetsu curriculum exercise is called "morimono", literally: "heaped things". She actually made two arrangements. This one really made me smile for its playfulness and unique cutting of the Zucchini.

I had set the senior students the task of making an ikebana on the theme of contrasting colours.

Maureen contrasted the orange of pincushion Leucospermum flowers with a blue vase. She used a dried branch for its linear and textual contrast.

Ellie contrasted yellow Kangaroo Paw Anigozanthos, with an unidentified blue flower. She too used a dried branch as a textural contrast.

Helen contrasted the orange of two Strelitzia flowers with a large blue ceramic vase. I think the purple leaves in the mouth of the vase are the cultivar Tradescantia "Purple Heart".

While out walking yesterday I noticed this Coastal sword-sedge Lepidosperma gladiatum. I have never before seen it at the peak of its flowering as is obvious here. In my ikebana this week I used three leaves of this plant that I had picked a couple of weeks ago.

I also used two of the cerise Hydrangea flower heads. Last year I had pruned this potted bush too hard and only had a couple of flowers. This year it has re-bounded. The pink flowers are a different Hydrangea cultivar.

I set two of the flower heads in a low flat-bottomed ceramic vase with inward sloping walls. This suited the flowers well as I cut the stems fairly short. The two flowers are massed one behind the other. I then arranged the three sedge leaves in looping curves around the flowers. The leaf on the left side had started to colour a warm brown as it ages.

The vessel is by the Australian ceramicist Owen Rye.

Greetings from Christopher

4th January 2026