HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

 

Hello all,

I need to clarify something before I go on with my usual post. Some of you may have noticed that you didn't receive the usual email notification for the weekly post. You're not imagining it - I didn't get it either.

From what I can tell, this wasn't an issue with the post itself but with the email subscription system (the service that sends blog updates to your inbox). Occasionally, these services glitch - emails can be delayed, filtered into spam or promotions folders or not sent at all due to changes on the platform's end.

The email may have landed in your spam, junk or promotions folder.

If you rely on the email system and missed the most recent post, you can always check the blog directly.

Thanks so much for sticking around and for your patience when tech does what tech does.

The arrangement at the top of this post is in a large, ceramic container by Graham Wilke. Because of its size and weight, I use it infrequently. There are a number of streets in our area that have Corymbia ficifolia 'Red flowering Gum' planted on the nature strips. I would have to say they are my favourite native trees. I cut a small branch, having fought the myriad of bees and one, very disgruntled rainbow lorikeet. I used it with white hydrangeas and a piece of dried wood, which I felt, complemented the container.

Below is an arrangement that I had included in my previous post. Then I had used only one piece of dried wisteria but, seeing it every time I walked past, I felt the wisteria was too weak. So, I added another one and I now feel it is more balanced.

The photograph, below, is of a succulent, the name of which I don't know. It is growing under a tree and, in its effort to reach the sun, it grows very long and lanky. I cut these pieces and challenged myself to make something with them.

In the first arrangement I used the succulent on its own, relying on its long stem to create line and space in this modern, conical container. I didn't feel it needed flowers.

The second is loosely based on Variation No. 4 Hanging arrangement.  In this case I did use flowers - hydrangeas.

Below is a photograph of yet another incarnation of my hoops arrangement. This time I used leucadendrons for the flowers.

As you all know by now, I have masses of agapanthus. The two in the arrangement, below, are fascinating because they are only half open. I believe the cause is the very hot day we had last week, which dried up the exterior sheath and did not allow it to fully open as the flowers inside grew.

Mary made a freestyle arrangement, using NZ flax, which she shaped into 'birds' and added hydrangeas and umbrella grass stems in a ceramic suiban.

I am so dreading tomorrow. The temperature is predicted to be in the low to mid forties. Sam and I have been trying to protect as many of our plants as possible. We went to the extent of moving all the pots that can be moved into our store room under the house. All the old sheets are covering the hydrangeas and we're keeping our fingers crossed. Of course, I'll be out there with the hose for as long as I can tolerate the heat.

Bye for now,

Emily

19TH JANUARY 2026

 

Hello all,

So, we had some extremely hot days recently, the type of days we gardeners dread. I've spent an inordinate amount of time watering and covering my most vulnerable plants with sheets to protect them from the searing sun. Alas, this was not enough because there were also very strong winds, which are every bit as destructive as the sun. My hydrangeas are very precious and, although I lost many, I'm happy to say that I was able to save quite a few of them.

In anticipation of the extreme weather, I went out the day before and cut quite a number of materials and brought them inside to arrange.

I cut the seed heads of arum italicum pictum in the arrangement, above, not because I feared the weather but because, as soon as the seeds ripen to an orangy/red colour, the birds eat them. I'm hoping that, with time, they will change colour in the container. The leaves I used with them are aspidistras cut in half lengthwise.

Our strelitzia nicolai had produced many flowers, which were too high to cut. Left on the plant they look quite unsightly when they dry up. Sam and I used an extendable saw to bring them down. When cutting fresh flowers we have to be careful not to damage them, not so with the dead ones.

Anyway, we removed eight of them and I asked Sam to throw them in the gardening bin. However. that didn't sit well with me, so I went and retrieved the ones that were least damaged. I removed all the dead flowers and scrubbed the 'beaks' with a scourer sponge to remove the dried, slimy secretions that are stuck on them. I then polished them with oil to bring out the deep green colour. Then I had to decide how to use them. Below are two arrangements with what I call  the 'strelitzia nicolai beaks'. In the first I used two black containers and placed them so that the large  'beaks' were facing the same direction. I used some of my rescued hydrangeas as two masses.

For the next arrangement I chose a tall metal container because I wanted to place the material draping downwards. I was able to place the curved agapanthus flowers draping downwards, also.

Two days later the strelitzia produced its white and blue petals.

In my last post I included a photo of an arrangement with a strelitzia nicolai flower and a leaf. I had split the leaf in half lengthwise to use in that arrangement. What was left over I used in the arrangement, below. The glass bowl is a very dark blue and I chose the orange kniphofia (red hot poker) to contrast with the blue.

Once the kniphofia died and the leaf was still green, I wanted to make another arrangement in that bowl. With an abundance of flowers, I thought I could make a maze-zashi arrangement. That's an arrangement that uses a variety of materials - five or more. The flowers that I used with the leaf were agapanthus, crocosmia, clivia and roses.

I mentioned last week that I was going to throw away some old, dried materials, amongst which was a piece of wisteria. At the same time, the black, football shaped container was sitting on the table in my studio and I could see the two coming together, creating a basket-like handle on the container. I finished it off with more rescued hydrangeas.

Mary had her first private lesson for the year and came up with a very big and dynamic arrangement. She used two tree philodendron leaves and removed parts of each one to create the look of one leaf with a split in the middle. Fortunately, there was an agapanthus in the garden with just the right curve for the stem to sit behind the stem of the philodendron.

Bye for now,

Emily

Hello all,

The arrangement, above, was what I had originally designed for our last Sogetsu Victoria exhibition. However, at about that time, my cream coloured dogwood (cornus Norman Haddon) began flowering and I decided to use a branch of that instead of the strelitzias. Photo below.

Cymbie arrived to class with a large branch of green, kangaroo paws. She chose a heavy container from the shelf and a branch of smoke bush (cotinus Grace) from the garden. Cymbie painstakingly trimmed the kangaroo paw to reveal the stems and placed them in an informal mass.

We had some difficulty photographing the arrangement because, using the black background meant that the stems of the kangaroo paw are not visible. However, using the cream coloured background the colour of the smoke bush was diminished. So, I included both versions for clarity.

I had a pile of old materials ready to throw out but, alas, I just couldn't do it. I rescued a couple of pieces of bamboo, which I had cut in this, unusual, way. I then sprayed them black and placed them in a container with two bottle necks. I went into the garden looking for something long and thin. I found these, two, somewhat distorted calla lilies. The distortion made the flowers much thinner that normal, which suited my purposes beautifully.
 

You're going to be seeing quite a lot of my agapanthus, both curved stemmed and straight. The ones, below, are the variety 'Queen Mum'.  They are white in colour with a blue 'neck.' These I grow in a pot. The leaf is pinellia pedatisecta.

Close up of blue necked flowers

Below are the first of my gloriosa lilies. Due to ill health I planted them later than at other years and, despite their late arrival, I was very happy to see these gorgeous blooms. Because they have such short stems, I made a small, powder room arrangement using squiggly grass and a small, ceramic vase.

Here's another small arrangement using flowers and leaves of a plant in the arisaema genus but I don't know which particular one. 

Bye for now,

Emily

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Hello all,

And a very happy New Year to each and everyone of you.

The arrangement at the top of this post is made up of a strelitzia nicolai leaf and flower. There are a number of gorgeous flowers on the plant but I could only reach one of them to cut. And that with the use of a ladder. The others are much too high.  The steel container was made by my cousin, Nick and is ideal for this arrangement as it is heavy enough to hold the materials.

A couple of days later, the leaf, which was changing colour because it was dying, dried and curled up, making the arrangement look messy. As the flower was still fresh, I replaced the leaf, this time with a green one. I had to cut the top of the leaf as it was too long. A completely different look.

The strelitzia in the next arrangement is quite large and heavy. The bend in the stem was created naturally due to the heaviness of the flower. I chose the donut shaped container for its size but, also, because one of the three openings suited my needs. However, I needed to find a way to secure the stem and prevent it from swinging out of place....

....below is a photograph of the solution. I pierced the stem with a flat skewer, which I then cut to size, so that it wedged against the inside of the container, holding the stem in place. I was, then, able to find and appropriate branch on my rhododendron to complete the arrangement.

Well, it's that time of year again when the agapanthus are putting on their magnificent show. I must admit, I love it when I see the blue ones planted near jacarandas when they're both in flower. It's quite a sight!

Of course, I have to play with them and create the curved stems. Below are the first flowers I cut this summer. 

Just down the road from our house is a row of large cypress trees. I'm not particularly fond of them for ikebana but I did like the horizontal form of the branch in the next arrangement. I brought it home and looked around for floral material to use with it. The calla lilies practically called out to me.

Next to the cypress trees there are two casuarinas, which have some very interesting stems. I used two of them in the arrangement, below, after trimming them very heavily to reveal the stems. I teamed them with my altissimo roses, which are not doing all that well this year, much to my chagrin!

I got a couple of flowers, somewhat out of season, from my bromeliads 'Queen's tears' and placed them in this, rather fancy, glass decanter. I used two aspidistra leaves inside the vase to conceal the bottom of the flower stems.

I was given this stunning, dancing lady orchid (oncidium) a couple of years ago by my sister-in-law, Betty. I understand that there are many kinds of oncidiums but the tag on this one doesn't say which it is. Anyway, I love it and it has flowered twice already. I'm looking forward to more.

Closeup of individual flower

Last weekend Sam surprised me with a short getaway for our wedding anniversary. We went to Daylesford, a charming spa town in central Victoria, nestled in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. It is renowned for its natural mineral springs, lush bushland and strong arts and wellness culture.

My student and friend, Dianne Longley, lives near by and had kindly invited us to a most delightful, afternoon tea. Dianne is a consummate gardener, cook and  hostess. She served us home made scones with home made jams (yes, plural) made with fruit from her garden. Sam and I loved walking through the garden and admiring how healthy all her plants seemed to be. As we walked in through the gate I was struck by the beauty of her mature dogwood (Cornus Kousa) in full flower. Photo of flowers, below. I loved the pointy bracts, which are quite different to my dogwood (Cornus Norman Hanon). 

Well, I did my homework, managed to identify the plant and to find it. Only problem was, we had to travel to Mount Macedon, quite a distance away, to Dicksonia Rare Plants nursery. When I say 'we', I mean my sisters and me and our men. We were met by Stephen Ryan, one of the owners and a most knowledgeable nurseryman. So, we bought our dogwoods and now we have to find a spot in our gardens in which to plant them.

Dianne has a couple of hedges made with a very fine leafed bamboo. It is the greenest and most lush hedge I've ever seen. The photograph, below, is of Dianne in front of her gorgeous hedge.

Bye for now,

Emily

CHRISTMAS 2025

 

Hello all,

Christmas this year was hosted by my daughter, Madeline and her husband, Warren, for about 35 people. Their house, which was recently bought, is generous in size, with spacious indoor areas as well as a large garden and pool, which made it ideal for such a gathering. While everyone contributed dishes to the lunch, the bulk of the work lay with the hosts, who coordinated and prepared the entire event. I was very proud to note that the day was a resounding success. 

Our charming hosts.

Below is the floral arrangement that Madeline asked me to make for the dining table. I used cedar branches, cockscomb (Celosia Argentea), hydrangeas, nandina domestica seed heads and poppy pods sprayed gold.

George and Dennis - experts
in the preparation of Gyro

Sisters three - Vicky, Lucy & Emily

A few more Christmas arrangements from our last class.

Below is Lei's arrangement. She used dried agapanthus, sprayed gold, one fatsia japonica leaf and bright pink calla lilies. In the placement of her materials, Lei took advantage of the two openings of the ceramic container.

Jenny kept her arrangement all white except for the red poinsettia. The branch is dried magnolia, sprayed white and the Christmas bells are actually silver, although they look white in the photo. 

Below is a photo of Vicky's second arrangement and, as such, she could afford to be playful. The white material is something synthetic, while the dark maroon Asiatic lilies are real and proudly grown by her. In the centre of the lilies she placed a little Christmas bauble.

Lucy, in her second arrangement, used a dried branch, sprayed white, a hydrangea, a small conifer branch and a number of Christmas baubles and beads.

With Christmas over, here's to a safe, healthy and very happy New Year for all.

Bye for now,

Emily

 

Hello all,

As it was our final lesson for the year last week, I had set the theme of a Christmas Arrangement for the whole class not just the seniors. The photograph, above, is of one of my arrangements. The silver material is xanthorrhoea and I chose it because it reflected the texture and colour of the container. The rest of the materials are red celosias or cockscombs, alstroemeria psittacina leaves and phalaenopsis orchid.

The arrangement, below represents the first verse of the popular Christmas carol - The twelve days of Christmas.

I was asked how I could bear to sacrifice so many fruit for the sake of an arrangement. My answer is it's either that or they get eaten by birds. Despite being small and quite unripe, many have already been eaten.

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Below is Mary's arrangement, in which she used hosta leaves, celosias and some dry material that has been sprayed silver.

For her arrangement, Bredenia used agapanthus, umbrella grass stems and at the back a couple of orange dahlias. She added mizuhiki and a Christmas bauble to make it more festive.

Lucy used a tall, glass vase, with a piece of kiwi vine inside and out of the vase. She, then, suspended from the vine a sprig of pine and a small bauble. 

Dianne used a container with a large opening at the front and a smaller one at the top. She placed her gorgeous rose inside the cavity of the container and added a sprig of duetzia magicien to the back, which, sadly, I was not able to photograph clearly. She then tied the mizuhiki through the two openings, thus partially framing the container.

Deb, who is only in Book 2, enjoyed doing her first freestyle arrangement. She used some pincushion flowers (leucospermum) and mizuhiki in this unusually shaped container.

Vicky was in a particularly festive mood and really went to town. Using two, tall, glass vases she added a dried branch sprayed white. She also added Asiatic lilies in an almost black colour that she grew herself and some murraya paniculata for greenery. She, then, hung baubles and added a string of lights over the whole piece.

Cymbie took a completely different approach to the theme. She used small pumpkins that looked like oranges and added cinnamon bark strung together. She delicately balanced her glass vase over a bowl. Interestingly, the bright orange bands that appear on the glass vase don't exist but are only reflections.

We had a very pleasant afternoon tea once we finished class. We had plans for Christmas break-up lunch at a restaurant but mum's passing had put paid to that. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the company, the repast and the exchanging of Kris Kringle gifts.

Three of my students were recently promoted and I was able to present Lei Wang and Jenny Loo with their certificates on the day. Unfortunately, Wendy Sun was absent and will receive hers later.

Whatever you're celebrating, may it be a safe and enjoyable festive season.

Bye for now,

Emily