Spider Orchids

I have these two Spider orchids (Miltassia. name unknown) blooming this month, some others are spiking. Most of my orchids bloom in winter time continuously.

I am delighted this one has two spikes, so it is going to last very long time.

Medium Sized Cattleyas

C. Percivaliana "Summit" FCC/AOS. (fragrant) 2nd place
I got this one from B.C.O.S.'s auction last year. It is called "Christmas Cattleya." It is blooming for the first time under my care. I like its clean sharp color.


I don't remember where this one came from but it blooms every year. I like its velvet texture and beautiful color.(3rd place)

The above two Cattleyas bloomed in time for B.C.O.S.'s meeting show table. I will tell you if I get any place in the windowsill grower category later. The result came in 1/13/10's news letter. I got 2nd and 3rd place.


Lc Sylan Sprite "Blythe Spirit"( HCC/AOS) x Bc Pink Sensation"Cynosure" ( fragrant)
When this one starts to bloom, the color is dull on the first day and then becomes prettier each day after. Unfortunately their sepal turns brown so fast that I can't bring it to B.C.O.S.'s meeting to compete. I think they are very cute and beautiful, although it only lasts less than three weeks.

New Years Arrangement

This is Textbook 2-20. I want to show you what Mizuhiki means in this New Years arrangement.


In the Ikebana world, the leading materials for New Years flower arrangement are pine, bamboo, Japanese plum, mum, camellia and lily. I have no problem finding pine and bamboo, they are right in my back yard. I also used leftover mums, carnations and some bittersweet. It is important to add Mizuhiki into your arrangement (gold or silver paper strings, symbolizing happiness or prosperity, etc...), so I put the silver ribbon on the right side in the bottom instead (you can click it to see the enlarged picture). 12/15/09

Composition of Surfaces by Using Leaves

My teacher's final magic touch is adding a New Zealand flax to give enough height.

There are no more leaves left outside in winter. So I focus on my house plants. I found three different kinds of leaves that I can use, that also show their own characteristics and interesting surfaces. There is one Philodendron Selloum, one Tiger tail, and three of the same kind of leaves that I don't know the English name for (their white flower blooms at midnight and lasts for only two hours, and has a very strong perfume), I rolled each one of them and put them side by side. Last I put one white Mum to brighten the green. The teacher said the flower in this arrangement cannot be a focal point. 12/15/09

Natural Wonder

Over our Thanksgiving holiday, my son in-law discovered this wasp's nest inside our Rhododendron bush in my backyard garden. Everybody was so excited and curious, especially my grandchildren. My daughter googled it and found out they chew old wood from fences or posts and mix it with their saliva. Then they spit and spread with their legs to form a paper after it dries. So interesting! I don't know when the wasps started to build their nests there, but they are all gone now. I feel very blessed and thankful that all my family members were able to come home (my nest) then!

Another side of view, it's so big!

Christmas Arrangement

Another arrangement for a festive occasion. The teacher wanted us to make a new look, not a traditional style of Christmas arrangement. I used red poinsettias, white mums, baby's breath, silver painted hostas and nandina berries( shining materials). Adding the evergreen holly branches created harmony.
After all, it's Ikebana! (12/2/09)

Sketching and Arrangement

First, I got the materials ready (mums, bittersweet and leaves) and the container (this particular one is a gift from my very good friend, hand made). Looking at them, I drew an idea of my arrangement on a piece of paper. After that I made the actual arrangement. The finished work looks pretty much the same as the sketch. But through this lesson I realized that even though the drawing was flat, my arrangement was not. My sketch does not reflect the three dimensional quality of the flowers and leaves and of my overall arrangement.
The Ikebana flower arrangement is truly living art. (12/2/09)