Laurie and I had a walk through Taylor Park in Torquay, where I took this photo of a large flock of ducks. After I took the photo I noticed that a duck was sitting on the table beside the older gentleman.
In the Melbourne class I had set the students the task of making an ikebana using succulent materials.
Jacqueline used a Japanese footed-vase in which she arranged three different materials. The principal line to the right is a stem of silver dollar plant, Crassula arborescens. In the centre is a single small leaf from an Agave attenuata . And on the left is a single "Black rose", Aeonium arboreum.
Eugenia used a modern ceramic vase made from intersecting cylinders. The striped succulent on the right is Haworthiopsis, behind it is a Sedum flower and the fruiting stalk of another succulent. On the left side Eugenia draped some 'Air Plant' Tillandsia-subg-diaphoranthema.
Marcia arranged her materials in a hand-made vessel with a large flat surface and a narrow slit. She also used the 'silver dollar' plant and a green form of Crassula.
During last week we spent three nights visiting friends and family in the hilly country about 100km north of Melbourne. This is a very scenic part of the state with a much higher rainfall and lower winter temperatures than on the coast. Hence there are beautiful gardens to visit that look like this one: Forest Glade Gardens. We were taken there by our friends Colin and Tony who live at Woodend. At the back of their garden the Photinia P. glansmispel x fraseri , hedge had recently been pruned which resulted in new growth of strikingly red leaves.
