PINK FLOWERS AND A PINK-SPLASHED VESSEL

As I write it is a glorious Spring day on the Surf Coast. The sun is bright and the air slightly cool with a very gentle breeze, which is something of a relief after a few days of quite strong winds.

This is a view down Spring Creek, about half a kilometre from its mouth on the Torquay surf beach. I love this area especially for the large old Moonah trees, Melaleuca lanceolata, that border the creek. 

They are especially attractive to my 'ikebana eyes' for their contorted branches.

In the garden, Spring is evident with the flowering of some of the exotic plants.

This morning I was pleased to see a few early buds of the Cecile Brunner rose.

The lavender, below the Lorraine Lee rose, is making a wonderful mass and taking over a large space by the terrace. This is mostly Lavandula angustifolia. However last year, I planted a L. dentata in a bare patch in the middle. It is too small to distinguish in this photo. 

Three weeks ago, the Forsythia, that Shirley gave me, looked like this.

 

Today most of the flowers have opened. The yellow is so vibrant against the deep green of the Asparagus fern, A. aethiopicus, behind.

Beside the golf links the flowers of the Tamarisk, Tamarix (T. Gallica in this case, I think) are also opening.

This closer view shows the soft pink of the open flower and that some of the buds have yet to open. I decided this would be a good subject for my ikebana this week.

I chose a large ikebana vessel by Graeme Wilkie for two reasons. Firstly the colour of the "copper red" glaze running over the vessel complements the blossom. Secondly the branches I cut were about a metre long and needed a solid base to support them as they cascaded forward. I have added some vibrant pink Geraniums and a single red Melaleuca, M. viminalis,  to provide a strong focal point. At the back is a small spray of Banksia, B. integrifolia, to support the geranium and melaleuca flowers.

Greetings from Christopher

26th September 2021

TWO VESSELS

   

For the second year (in its already fairly long life !!) the Wisteria in the garden has flowered. From reading the Wikipedia article I now know that the plant in our garden is Wisteria sinensis. 

Among other things, I have learnt that it is slow to flower and may  also be unpalatable to possums. I have great hopes for the future of this vine. 

Also in the garden the Callistemon, now re-classified to Melaleuca viminalis, is really starting to flower. I included a photo of this bush two weeks ago when the first flower of this Spring started to open. The photo above is just the top quarter of the bush. As we walk around the neighbourhood it is amazing to suddenly notice all the red flowers that have opened on bushes that, at other times, just blend into the green background. I have been planning to use the Callistemon in my ikebana this week... 

...along with some Coastal-beard Heath, Leucopogon parviflorus. This is a large bush in our garden which has just come into flower in the last couple of weeks. To my naked eye the end of the branches are covered in clusters of very tiny white flowers like five point stars. They are only about 5mm across when fully open.

Interestingly, when photographed close-up and then zoomed they look like they are made from white velvet. A branch of these white flowers is the second element of my ikebana.

The challenge is a topic for the September workshop of the Sogetsu Victorian Branch, set by Akemi Suzuki. She has modified the curriculum exercise of making an ikebana, "Using two or more vessels". Akemi's added level of challenge is that the vessels must either: touch, be stacked or interlock in some way.

In thinking about the topic I considered using these three vases by Ray Pearce in this configuration. However, I decided that the uniformity of their shape ended up being restrictive and not very dynamic. 

I finally chose this uniquely-shaped vessel by Graeme Wilkie...

...and this small suiban by Robert Schulze. Although they differ in shape and were made by different ceramicists, they both have a shino glaze which helps unify them. 

After some experimentation I decided to use Graeme Wilkie's vessel in this position. I had never placed the vessel like this before and what appealed to me was to discover that, on the righthand side, it is supported on a single point. It also allowed me to complement the form of the vessel with the extended curving line of the Calistemon.

 

My final version was to add the suiban with the Coastal Beard Heath rising in a counter-balancing upward curve. This created a circle of movement and preserved the interesting space beneath the first vessel as well as the spaces created by the materials.

More examples of this exercise can be seen on the Victorian Branch website through this link.

Greetings from Christopher

19th September 2021

 
 

CONTRASTING AND COMPLEMENTING

Two weeks ago I posted an ikebana I had made for a 'lockdown-cancelled' workshop to be led by Emily Karanikolopoulos. Emily had set a combined exercise which was to make an ikebana which took into account both the shape of the vase and also the colour of the vase. Each of these requirements are separate exercises in the Sogetsu curriculum. I am returning to that theme today. For my first attempt at the exercise, I decided to use some of the Golden Wattle, Acacia pycnantha, that is abundant at this time of year. 

As you can see from this photo it has rather a lot of large leaves that I had to remove so that the bright yellow was the dominant colour. This was to take into account the colour of the vase,  which has a purple appearance.

The vase in question is glazed with alternating, fine red and blue lines which, at a distance, makes it look purple. It is also a rather thin walled vase... 

...so I made a crossbar with a forked branch called a kubarigi. My method of setting the cross bar is unconventional. Because I did not want to put any pressure on the walls of the vase, I have wired the branch onto a vertical fixture that is standing upright in a kenzan. I did this because it enabled me to elevate the materials above the rim of the vase with the intention of them reflecting one half of its almost parabolic profile.

This is the finished ikebana. I have added two stems of drying Papyrus sedge, Cyperus papyrus, for the depth of colour that they add to the bright yellow blossoms. The vase is by the Western Australian ceramic artist Pippin Drysdale.

Because the yellow mass did not seem to me to be sufficiently dense for the visual strength of the vase, I made a further attempt at the exercise.

This time I used the curving lines of the virtually leafless Strelitzia Juncea. I thought its strong lines would make a good contrast to the the bold rectangular geometry of the modern vase I chose.

 

The vase has a deep blue glaze and is perforated with two square holes that are glazed white. Over a couple of days I was keeping my eyes open for some orange flowers that I could mass as the contrasting colour opposite blue on the colour wheel. Then I had one of those 'A-ha' moments when I noticed the Tangelos on the kitchen bench; a great colour and shape contrast. I have added a small lemon at the back to lift the orange colour.

Click on this link to see photos of the Victorian Sogetsu Branch members' response to this exercise.

Greetings from Christopher
11th September 2021

HANADAYORI

Earlier in the week the weather was very warm with a couple of days in the mid-twenties. Beautiful spring weather with only a little breeze. The mild weather enabled me to finish the retaining wall repair which I mentioned in last weeks post.

I am pleased to report that the project was completed without any further damage to my wardrobe or person. (Thank you for your messages of sympathy and mirth.)

I am particularly pleased with the result as I now have a flat space for a small number of potted plants on the brick surface. The pot in the photo above has Haemanthus coccineus, which is recovering well from being divided a couple of seasons ago.

As the weather continued sunny and warm we took the opportunity to have a walk in the Iron Bark Basin reserve.

Being still under Covid restrictions, mask wearing when outdoors is still a requirement.

We were both surprised to see this Scarlet Robin. Although these small birds live in woodland such as Iron Bark Basin, it is a long time since we have caught sight of one. In the photo above the robin is looking to the right and its beak is just noticeable against the branch behind.

In this photo the bird is looking straight at the camera and you can see the white patch above its beak.

Two weeks ago I gave a recipe for the preservation of materials at the bottom of the posting. These are the same Acanthus leaves (over two weeks old) with a mass of Golden Wattle, Acacia pycnantha, added to the vase. I picked the wattle five days ago and gave it the same treatment. It has also had the advantage of being in a cool space.

Recently I offered to make and photograph an ikebana in response to a request posted to the Hanadayori online exhibition. Members of the public were invited to request ikebana, with no parameters set. 'Andrea' requested an ikebana based on an anime character, Gojo Satoru, and that the colours used should be black, white and blue. In my research I discovered that "...Gojo Satoru is a special grade jujutsu sorcerer..." with astonishing powers.

He seems to be able to fly at great speed and attack 'the baddies' with curses that defeat them.

This was my first ikebana response to the request. I created an inverted wire mesh cone that stands on its apex to which I have added black lines to express movement at speed. White Chrysanthemums suggest his hair. Blue Rosemary and Sea Holly for the colour of his eyes and his clothing that sometimes seems to be blue. 

I made this second more conventional ikebana based on the same ideas a few days after the first, when I was able to purchase some blue irises from the florist. 

I really enjoyed this challenge of ikebana by request and encourage you to now to view online: "The flowers you have been waiting for are here".

Congratulations to the Wa Ikebana committee and the participants in the project.

Greetings from Christopher

4th September 2021

BUSY IN THE GARDEN

The 'treated pine' timber planks of the retaining wall on the terrace had been leaning progressively forward in recent times. I decided they needed to be secured properly with "U-shaped" steel posts into which the ends could be slotted. In the process I found that the back of the planks had rotted significantly even though they looked intact from the front. So the job grew.

A fair amount of earth had to be removed and new timber planks purchased. This time I had the sense to line the back of the planks with heavy-duty black plastic designed for in-ground garden ponds. The process required cutting one of the metal posts in half with an angle grinder. Who would have thought that the sparks from the grinder could set one's trousers on fire! 

Laurie caught me unawares toward the end of the job. In a fresh pair of trousers! I am looking forward to reducing the size of the garden bed behind the retaining wall and laying some brick paving there, on which I might place some pot plants.

Some days earlier we walked along a section of 'footpath' where the adjacent house owner has planted a variety of acacias. I particularly like the one on the right hand side in the photo for its long tapering stems that are covered with blossom that is progressively smaller toward the tip of the branch.

Meanwhile, in our garden...,

the South African Daisy, Osteospermum, has produced its annual show of massed flowering. I am fairly sure when we bought the original pot all the flowers were purple. As this photo shows most have reverted to white.

Next to the daisy is a tall red flowering Callistemon. One flower is visible on the right side of the photo about half way up the shrub. Its flowering has just started and is what I needed for this week's ikebana.

Also required are some green lines. The Umbrella Sedge, Cyperus alternifolius, in the conservatory grows tall in its warm sheltered environment. The tallest stems are about two metres long, but a bit thin rather than robust.  

Last Monday we were to have a Sogetsu Victorian Branch meeting with a workshop led by Emily Karanikolopoulos. Emily had set a combined exercise which was to make an ikebana, which both took into account the shape of the vase and also took into account the colour of the vase. Each of these requirements are seperate exercises in the Sogetsu curriculum. Because of our current lockdown restrictions, the workshop could not be held and it was decided to post photos on our website of ikebana made by members at home. This has yet to be achieved. However, I will provide a link when I am able.

I have used a rectangular, slab-built ceramic vessel with a green glaze. The Umbrella grass stems reference the shape of the vessel and the red Callistemon contrasts with its colour. I had to employ some mechanical support for the flower on the left to situate it within the space created by the Umbrella grass stems

Greetings from Christopher

29th August 2021

 

BLACK WHITE and GREEN

When we began to establish our garden 36 years ago, there were more shrubs than trees. Many blocks around ours still did not have houses on them. There were very few dogs and cats in the neighbourhood. The dense shrubs and reed thickets in the creek gave the many small birds some protection. Now there are houses on all but the very occasional block and most gardens have larger trees. The cat and dog population has exploded. 

Our early garden was populated with small birds like this New Holland Honeyeater, but they gradually disappeared.

Now, the changed environment suits larger birds in the garden and the smaller birds have migrated to the clifftop heath where they have greater protection in the low growing dense shrub. This recent photo taken on the clifftop heath gives a glimpse of the Honeyeater's yellow wing patches.

On a rare vacant block in the township, a pair of Masked Lapwings commonly know as "Plovers" are once again trying to raise a chick. They may be successful because the block is completely fenced. 

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In the world of ikebana I showed you this photo last week...

...when the potted irises produced a single flower. At the time I was delighted to have such a beautiful blue bloom. However, I thought the ikebana was not well balanced in terms of the volume of the flower compared to the leaves.

So I was especially pleased when the irises produced another flower before the first had withered.

In my Geelong class Tess made an ikebana using White Narcissus from her garden. So that she would not kill the bulb, she told me she only took a couple of leaves from each plant. Obviously they have propagated well. Having such a lot of leaves she was able to make a contemporary style ikebana. A mass of leaves sweep across two black suibans with a focus of a single stem of the white flowers.

Coincidently I had made an ikebana at home with the same colour combination, green leaves and white flowers in a black vase

. 

This is a side view to reveal just how far forward the large leaf projects, which is not obvious in the photo from the front.

I have used white Incurve Chrysanthemums, and the dark green leaves are Acanthus from the garden. The flowers are "peeping" from the side of the vase and are sheltering beneath the larger leaf above. 

Acanthus leaves are especially beautiful for their glossy dark green and symmetrically lobed form. Unfortunately, they have very sticky sap and wilt quickly if not treated correctly.  Here is the solution to keeping Acanthus leaves fresh. Prepare a tall vase with warm water (40 degrees C) to which is added 10ml of white vinegar per litre. Re-cut the stem under water and rub the cut until the stickiness has gone. Then place the stem deep in the prepared water. Leave for at least an hour, in a cool dark place if possible. If it is to be arranged in a kenzan it would be wise to gently bind the end with florists tape or an elastic band as it will curl like split celery. The arrangement above is still looking fresh five days after it was created. 

Greetings from Christopher.

22nd August 2021

GRASS TREES BLOOM in the ANGLESEA HEATH

During the week we were taken for a walk through some coastal heathland by our friends Heather and John. They live in Anglesea, the next town along the coast west of Torquay. The area is famous for the heath and open woodland forest, on the north and west of the township. The Anglesea Heath covers an area of 6,700 hectares and is particularly well known for the great diversity of its wildflowers, including a large number of terrestrial orchids. 

The impetus for the walk was the sighting by Heather and John of a large number of Xanthorrhoea australis, that were all in flower; a particularly spectacular sight. It is unusual to see a lot of these plants flowering all at the same time. The clue to this phenomenon is on the right of the photo. The blackened trunk of a Messmate, Eucalyptus obliqua, is the result of a small 'controlled burn' to reduce the fuel load in the undergrowth. Both the Messmate and the Xanthorrhoea are fire-adapted species. Xanthorrhoea responds to fire by producing flowers, and thereby many seeds.

We were surprised to see a small number of flower spikes that were contorted, presumably because of damage as the flower spike was starting to form. I am guessing that it may have been caused by insects.

As you can see most of the flower spikes are quite straight.

However, this one must have been damaged very early in its development. If you look closely you will see that it has formed a spiral of one and a half anti-clockwise revolutions.

This photo is poor quality because it is a small section of a much larger image. It shows a flock of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos perched on the flower spikes and feeding on the seeds. In the full photo I can count seventeen individuals. 

This photo shows some of the Heath where a variety of small flowers are starting to bloom. It is adjacent to an area of open forest. The Wikipedia article states that "...Heathland is favoured where climatic conditions are typically hard and dry, particularly in summer, and soils acidic, of low fertility, and often sandy and very free draining."  

On our walk I was surprised to see a lot of the white form of the Australian Common Heath, Epacris impressa.

In the Ironbark Basin area, where we more often walk, the pink form is much more common and the white rare. The pink form is the state flower of Victoria.

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Meanwhile, in our garden the first of this year's blue Dutch Iris, Iris x hollandica 'Imperator' has appeared. The bulbs of this Iris were given to me by a neighbour. Not trusting the soil in our garden I planted some in a pot with a 'water well' and others in the open garden. Those in the garden are about one third the size and have not flowered. The blue is so wonderfully intense that I have used it for this week's ikebana. 

Having only one flower I have set it with three leaves of New Zealand Flax that I have split and folded into narrow triangles. The olive green of the flax is a good foil for the blue of the iris.  The Shino-glazed suiban is by the New Zealand ceramic artist Elena Renka.

Greetings from Christopher

15th August 2021