Happy New Year - December Orchids " Cattleya"

These four cattleyas are always blooming in December  in time for the
 holidays.

C. percivaliana ' Summit' FCC/AOS. The " Christmas" cattleya.
It was collected in Venezuela over 50 years ago.

Lc. Huge, dramatic flowers on a vigorous plant. I divided
this plant last year, now both are in bloom. Fragrant.

Lc.  This one has the same beautiful flowers, but it's not as big
as the above cattleya, and its lip has no ruffled white line. 

New Year Arrangements

Pine, bamboo and red, white roses are the main materials that I used for this new year arrangement.

The wood base is a gift from my husband's Japanese teacher. I just love it!
(12/14/2012  done in home)
Wishing you the quiet beauty of a peaceful and healthy holiday season.

Vertical or New Year  arrangement. (12/18/2012 in class)

Christmas Arrangements 2

The date 12/12/12 this year is very special and unique. It's my birthday. My husband bought me 12 roses (red and white) for my special day. I am delighted to use them for my Ikebana class.
Here are the two Christmas arrangements: the first one was done at home, the second one was done in class.  I thought that it was an abstract ikebana arrangement and that it was inspired by the Sogetsu master, but my teacher said it is western styled. I am really confused!

Red (rose), green (pine) and white (twig) are the basic
 Christmas colors.
Container: Glass vase (12/17/2012)

Another kind of Christmas arrangement.
Container: Glass wine glass (12/18/2012)

Christmas Arrangement 1

This is my make up Holiday Arrangement for the class I missed (12/4/2012). I wish you an early Merry Christmas!

This arrangement can be viewed all around. No kenzan,
water tube for Poinsettia ( burn the cut stem first).
Material: Poinsettia, Nandina, Holly, silver painted vine,
 bamboo and ball.

 

Only One Kind of Material- Camellia

Camellia is one of my favorite plants. On a sunny day it blooms so bright and happy, but when the weather is unstable and gloomy, its flowers do not look so happy at all. Before the flowers wilted I cut and arranged them. Using only one kind of material for arrangement is my teacher's assignment (12/4/ class). Here it is:

November orchids Bloom

Cattleya. Compact plant with strong fragrance.
It blooms for the first time, I am thrilled and
surprised its color and size (flower only 2.5"). 

Mitassia Charles H. Fitch " Izumi"
It's pity, it has only three flowers.

Finally! It's blooming. This is the last stem's flowers.
 ( please check  the last September's post) 

Holiday Cheer

Here I'm using a glass container to layer and arrange materials. This champagne glass and tall glass are a toast to everyone! Many thanks for all your support.

Champagne glass: Small pebbles layered first then colorful glass sea
shells, Hydrangea, orchid and mum is on top.
Tall glass: Colorful gem stones, Hydrangea and orchid. 

Happy Thanksgiving

The previous party's center piece had a lot of flowers which I took apart. I took good care of them so I could reuse the flowers for the 11/20 class. I chose the subject "Thanksgiving Basket Arrangement" because I had a lot of materials and wanted to make a bigger one. It's 36 inches long and 14 inches wide. It can be viewed from both sides. I also arranged a simple "Free Style."

Free Style-- Sun Shine

I bought this ceramic container at a clearance sale at Home Goods. It has a hole in both sides. I put a gerbera daisy in both. You can see a little bit of the daisy in the back.

LBH Holiday Party

Lower Bucks Hospital's holiday party is held in the Four Seasons Hotel every year. My husband and I were so happy to see his old friends and former partners there (he retired in June this year).
Here are the grand entrance's floral designs. It caught my eye and is very pretty. There was a big, tall and beautiful center piece of each dinner table (see the third picture). The people were so kind, they let me to take it home. I'm thinking that I can use these flowers to arrange a few ikebana style arrangements.

I placed the center piece at my living room table. After
a few days I might take them apart to make another
flower arrangements.

Basket Arrangement for Fundraising

These arrangements consist of Phalaenopsis orchids. I want to arrange them individually in two baskets with ikebana style.These baskets of flower arrangement were originally for the purpose of my garden club's gala night (11/ 2/2012) fundraising. But, unfortunately, the gala was canceled due to the super-storm Sandy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Free Style - Fall Theme

Less Is more; it definitely shows here. Please compare these two arrangements:

Bitter sweet, Hydrangea, Pumpkin and wooden stick.

I arranged this one at home first. In class
 my teacher said the line is beautiful enough,
it doesn't need any other flowers.

Fruiting Plant Materials

A crystal bowl and rustic basket (I made it using chicken wire and vine) don't seem to match too well together, but it worked and showed their contrast. My teacher agreed and said it's a nice arrangement.

Materials: Fig  branch, Nandina, Mum and Pine
Container:  Crystal bowl and Basket

Hawaii wedding

My husband and I took a trip to Hawaii for my niece's wedding in Kona (10/18- 10/23), this was my 4th time to Hawaii but it's my first time to see Kona. It was a small wedding but it was so warm, friendly, touching and beautiful. The day after the wedding, my sister, our husbands, and I went to Hilo to see a tropical garden and to visit my husband's Japanese teacher. Here, tropical flowers are always in floral shop or greenhouses, so I enjoy seeing them all over the place in their natural surroundings.

Pawai Bay Cove
My beautiful niece; the guests were asked to wear Hawaiian
styled attire.

These plumeria are popular in leis.

Centerpieces at our Sunday brunch  table
Wow! using Cattleya orchid

October Orchid Bloom

(Brassocattleya Memoria Bernice Foster)
This is a division plant from the one I posted last month.
It is easy to grow and its flowers are last very long time. 

Milttassia " Xenia" (Milt. Bluntii ' 4n x Milt.
Clowesii 4n)  Strong fragrant in the morning.

Blc.  Toshie Aoki "Camela"
This is my new collection. I bought last year
 because I like its color and long lasting flower.
 Its color changed in few days, compare to the
 one below it just freshly bloomed.

Oncidium  Alliance ' Wild Cat '

Some Like It Hot

For October's class, we have to make up a subject and arrange it. I wanted to use a leftover Anthurium ( Flamingo lily) and I picked this red hot berry branch to accentuate it. " Some like it hot" is an American romantic comedy film with Marilyn Monroe, made in 1959.

Anthurium and Japenes beauty bush
I snapped all the branch's leaves off  and left the red berry only.

Mass with Wood Arrangement

Most of the time I am able to pick the materials I need from the surrounds of my house for my Ikebana class.
For this assignment I did it as a rustic fall arrangement.

Hydrangea, Twig and Driftwood
I finished this arrangement in 10/2/2012 class.

Butterfly bush, Cat tail, Hosta and Dragonhead  in the
 dish Kenzan behind the wood.

Free Style - Using leftover Roses

Material: Rose, Coral bell leaf, Baby's breath and Iris leaf

September orchids bloom

All the activities( BCOS, MWGC and etc) resumed this month. We had a pot party. I bought one very young orchid plant and hopefully under my care it will bloom some day. Here are my three orchids that I brought to the BCOS meeting show table:

Now, this orchid has 12 flowers in 5 stems compare to last
 month it only has one flower.

Dendrodium.  After a month  later, it has 3 stems and
 the first stem has 7 small flowers. 

Oncidium. Sherry Baby " sweet Fragrant"

The Last Day of Summer

Freshly picked daisies, together with leftover rose and baby's breath I completed this summery arrangement.

Using Both Fresh and Unconventional Materials

Material: Rose, Metal Sheet and dish kenzan
See the title and try to arrange it an abstract way. This is my teacher's
 requirement on 9/18/2012 class. I was absent so I did it at home.
 I named this arrangement " Tough Love".

Two Arrangements for Demonstration

I was so honored to be invited by the Trevose Horticultural Society on September 17, 2012 as guest speaker. In a PowerPoint presentation to talk about "Ikebana: Japanese Floral Art." It is based on my learning experience and I explained many selected pictures from my blog. At the end I demoed a basic slanting style (Nageire) arrangement and free style line arrangement.
Last February, I was a speaker for our Martha Washington Garden Club and gave a slide presentation and discussion. That was my first presentation. I just updated the program for this time.

Azalea branch and rose
Here using technique to stabilize the shin.

Only one kind of material (sunflower) and line arrangement