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

 

TWO SMALL IKEBANA ARRANGEMENTS

My internet friend, Amos, who lives in Maryland sent me the photo below of his garden ten days before Christmas.

A beautiful sight, absolutely made for a northern hemisphere Christmas card.  

Although I took this photograph on "our" beach nine years ago, it remains one of my favourite images of Christmas Day in this part of Australia.

Below are photos from the last of the end-of-year ikebana class celebrations. The photos were taken at Ellie's house, where we held the final 2025 class for my Geelong students.

Anne used two vessels. In her ikebana, the vessel on the left has a reversed slanting variation number one and on the right is a basic upright ikebana. Using two vessels to make one ikebana arrangement is an exercise at the end of the first part of the Sogetsu curriculum. Unidentified branches and Red valerian Valeriana ruber flowers are the materials used.

Sussie used a vase with three openings. For her main material she used stems of Yam daisy "Murnong" Microseris walteri, an indigenous food source. The stems had finished flowering. Sussie then added Smoke bush Cotinus inflorescence and two Marigold Calendula flowers placed behind the other materials. 

Helen arranged Smoke bush, pale blue Statice Limonium and pale mauve Sweet pea Lathyrus odoratus flowers. Her ikebana was set on a low table and designed to be viewed from all around.

In a tall cylindrical vase, Maree arranged Delphinium, Sea Holly Eryngium and a mass of unidentified white and pale pink flowers at the front. She created a Christmas look with a gold spherical bell placed on the table, and ribbon around the vase.

Ellie used a narrow, flat-fronted Japanese vase in which she arranged two Arum Zantedeschia leaves, a single Goddess Lily and a mass of white daisies partially hidden behind the large lily flower. She added a red glass ball which sat in the fold of the leaf at the rear, and strategically placed the ikebana so that it was reflected in the mirror behind.

Maureen used an unusual vase with an off-centre hole poking through from the front surface. She arranged large stems of Smoke bush and then added three Strelitzia flowers. The Strelitzia really lightened the deep maroon of the Smoke bush, which would otherwise have looked dull against the background. 

In this rather busy period, Christmas through to New Year's Eve, I have only two small simple ikebana arrangements to share with you today. 

This first one-flower ikebana came about when this Strelitzia was superfluous to the needs of my ikebana on 7th December. I was looking around for a suitable vase when my eye landed on this unusual vessel by Paul Davis. The narrow opening allowed me to position the flower stem so that it face upward despite being placed almost horizontally.

My second arrangement is a small mass of three Mr Lincoln roses that I had picked early in the morning yesterday. By the time I was ready to set them, the room was filled with their beautiful fragrance. I added a small dried branch from the Apricot tree to provide a contrasting line. I bought the traditional style celadon-glazed vase many years ago when we visited Hong Kong in the time before I started studying Sogetsu ikebana. The timeless nature of this classic glaze seems to complement almost any botanical material.

Sending you best wishes for a Happy New Year.

Christopher

28th December 2025

END OF YEAR CLASSES CONTINUE

My Torquay class celebrated the end of the year with an "Ikebana at Home" event at Coralie's house. As with my Melbourne students' class shown last week, the students brought ikebana materials and food to share. The visiting students were able to borrow vessels from Coralie's collection. The house features some Japanese decor.

Pamela was allocated a tokonoma space at the end of a short corridor. Beside an ink painting scroll of bamboo, she arranged a stem of Garden nasturtium Tropaeolum, and some stems of Jade plant Crassula ovata, in a modern red vessel.

Róża selected a trough-shaped vessel in which she arranged some dried Callistemon stems, chosen for their graceful curves. The inclusion of Grevillea that was in flower provided some fresh green and a red floral focus. 

Lyn's ikebana was arranged on a low table that divided two spaces. This meant that the work could be seen from all around. Here the arrangement shows against a shoji screen. The long stems on the right are Olive branches in flower that have been stripped of all their leaves. The massed flower material is Persian Lilac Melia azedarach.

Coralie set her materials in two matching red ceramic cylinders. Her theme was Christmas, which was suggested through colours of red, white and green, and the inclusion of coiled dried vine suggesting a Christmas wreath. The green branches are Pomaderris and the flowers are white everlastings Xerochrysum bracteatum. 

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Yesterday I was given a large bunch of Leucospermum by some neighbours who have a densely planted garden. The bunch included two different varieties of leucospermum. Three of the flowers were yellow and the rest predominantly orange. This afternoon I had the opportunity to arrange them, taking advantage of the particularly long stems. 

Two of the longest stems reach toward the right. The three yellow flowers had shorter stems and are placed left of the centre point of the vase. A short stem with only leaves extends to the left, providing a counter movement to balance the principal line. The vessel, which has a deeply grooved surface, is by Graeme Wilkie.

Finally... 

...this week I created what I think of as an Australian Christmas tree, using the large bare branch of my previous week's posting. Perhaps I should really call it a large Christmas decoration. The  large wood fired vessel is by the New South Wales ceramicist Ian Jones.

The mask on the wall was brought back from Papua New Guinea by Laurie in 1973, after working there for two years.

Season's greetings from Christopher
21st December 2025

 

 

LAST CLASS FOR 2025

At the last ikebana class of each year we meet at one of the student members' houses to celebrate and socialise. The usual order of the day is for everyone to bring materials for an ikebana, and food to share. The students select a vase from the host's collection and are allocated a space to set up their ikebana. This year, my Melbourne class met at Aileen's house and made their arrangements.

Marisha used a double-ended U-shaped vessel. Her branch material was a few stems of Eucalyptus. The flowers on the left are Delphinium and on the right, pink Chrysanthemum.

Jacqueline had a single multi-branched stem of Tortuous willow Salix, that she had twisted together. She made a mass with yellow Roses to which she added some green leaves from Climbing fig Ficus pumila. The vessel is made from several ceramic cylinders of irregular height.

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Julie-Anne chose a Sogetsu-style split cylinder in which she set two long stems of Russian sage Salvia yangii, on the left side, and made a mass with some white Snapdragon Antirrhinum, on the right.

Eleanor, who was a visitor at the class, made an abstract style ikebana using de-constructed Lady palm Rhapis excelsa, and Billy Buttons pycnosorus. The vessel is a narrow curving trough.

Aileen used Tortuous willow for her branch material and two Calla lily Zantedeschia, flowers of such a deep purple that they looked black. The unusual vessel is by Mel Ogden.

Eugenia set two Leucospermum flowers in the tall, square- section vase; around which she then fixed some dried palm inflorescence.

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We have had some rather hot days in the last week. It seems that is what has driven Spike (the echidna) to visit the garden in search of ants. 
 

I took this photo in the mid-afternoon on Thursday. Spike returned again on Friday evening and was fossicking between the bricks on the garden path when I came in from a walk on the beach.

My ikebana this week comes from the last meeting of the Victorian Branch of the Sogetsu School for 2025. All of the senior teachers holding the Riji certificate, who were able to attend the meeting, were asked to simultaneously set up an ikebana on the theme of celebration. We then briefly spoke about our ikebana. I chose Summer Holidays as my theme.

I have used a particularly unusual driftwood branch I found on the beach earlier this year. Where it sits at the top of the tall vessel the branch makes a complete loop turning back on itself. I have secured it with a vertical fixture so that it floats above the mouth of the vessel. The additional materials are Cushion bush Leucophyta, and two bright red Anthuriums. To me the Anthuriums suggest a joyous happiness, while the other two materials speak to me of the freedom of summer holidays spent on the beach.

Greetings from Christopher

14th December 2025