In late January as I was walking through the Botanic Gardens Melbourne...
...I noticed these bright red leaves on a Bromeliad.
Two and a half weeks later it was in full flower.
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I had first noticed this plant in 2022 and I caught the flowering at its most spectacular. This link takes you to my earlier posting. On that occasion I did not identify the plant, which I now believe is the Heart of flame Bromelia balansae. Before you rush out to acquire one, be aware its flowering is brief and apparently infrequent, in Botanic Gardens Melbourne at least.
This week marked the beginning of my ikebana classes in Geelong. As some new students have joined the class, I demonstrated making this Basic Upright moribana arrangement. Because of the flattening effect of the camera the branch on the left looks longer that it actually is in reality, so the proportions do not look correct in the photo. The materials are Italian buckthorn Rhamnus alaternus, and Leucadendron.
I had set the senior students the exercise of making an ikebana using "summer materials".
Maureen used branchlets of Norfolk Island pine Araucaria heterophylla, and a double form of Tiger lily flowers Lilium.
Helen chose to represent the extreme heat we have experienced in Victoria this year. Her materials are two stems of Agapanthus and some desiccated leaves. The stem ot the Agapanthus which is leaning forward has been bleached by the sun. Helen commented that she was surprised that in spite of it being sun damaged, it was subsequently able to flower.
Ellie made a Mazezashi ikebana. That is, an ikebana using a variety of materials. Her materials included: Fennel Foeniculum vulgare, Lotus Nelumbo nucifera, Agapanthus, Rose, Cosmos, and a bright yellow New Zealand Flax Phormium tenax, leaf.
Maree's exercise was to make an ikebana in response to an art work. In this case she chose a work of the De Stijl artist Mondrian. She has used a modern acrylic vessel based on Mondrian's art. In the vessel Maree has set bunched green stems and a Lotus stem with pod. In the bottom right is a mass made with Dancing lady orchid Oncidium.
Jo's exercise was to practise her technique. She chose to make an abstract arrangement in a glass vessel with all the materials being placed below the water line. The materials are Cumquat fruit, Citrus hindsii and two inverted Agapanthus stems.
Earlier in the week I attended this year's first meeting of Ikebana International Melbourne Chapter. The guest speaker was Debra Collett, a Dahlia and Floral Art judge as well as a grower of Dahlias.
Members were asked to make an ikebana using Dahlias. These are not a flower I can grow in the hydrophobic, low nutrient soil of our garden. Thus I had to buy some from a florist at the last moment. As I suspected, the available flowers looked like lollypops on a stick - which rather restricts their use in ikebana. So I decided I would place the two flower stems at a shallow angle so that they are "looking up at the sun". I have set them in a small bowl with one of the flowers partially hidden by a Fatsia japonica leaf. At the meeting I explained to members that this is an arrangement to be seen from above. It should be placed on a low table or on the floor.
The lustre-glazed vessel is by the Australian ceramicist Greg Daly.
Greeting from Christopher
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