EMILY IN TOKYO

Sunday 19 July 2015

Hello all,

Here in Melbourne we've been experiencing some seriously cold weather and, although materials in my garden are not as plentiful, there are still the camellias, hellebores, jonquils, clivias, and one very prolific prunus mume (Japanese flowering apricot). And, of course, the calla lilies and green goddess lilies as well as the japonicas are starting to flower. So, all in all, I should have enough to keep me going until spring.

And the vegetable patch can sometimes provide material like this brilliantly coloured chard.

Sadly, my Garrya Eliptica is on its way out but I managed to get a couple more arrangements before the catkins all blow away.

With white japonica in self made container

Wall arrangement with camelias

A birds' eye view of an arrangement I made using what's left of the strelitzia nicolai. With it I used some cotoneaster berries and a white carnation.

In this vertical arrangement I used a palm frond, from which I removed all but these few leaves, the points of which I caught in the opposite side to create a loose intertwining effect. I made sure the calla lily buds do not touch the palm leaves.

For class a couple of weeks ago, I set the task of making a freestyle arrangement in a suiban without a Kenzan. I instructed the students to make their structure on the bench, outside of the container so that it would be self-balancing, without the need to rest against the sides of the container. I'm including some of our work here.