MWGC - Gala 2016

The Martha Washington Garden Club Gala and covered-dish luncheon was held on 1/27/2016. It is our major fund raising event for scholarships for students pursuing a horticulture/floral related field.
The program: Presenting Alan Kiryluck, he created a number of unique floral arrangements which were raffled off after the event.
I am glad that I could contribute a big arrangement for the entrance hallway table and donated an orchid basket to be raffled off for my club. I was happy to receive many compliments on my arrangement, which is supposed to be viewed from all sides. My ikebana arrangement was an interesting contrast to the western-styled arrangements.

An arrangement to be viewed all around
Material: Silver painted bamboo, Alstroemeria, carnation, Winter
 berry, nandina and Cyprus with a set of ceramic container

Back side view

One member's table arrangement 

My dress up orchid basket

Another table design setting

Few of some wrapped baskets to be raffled off (total of 40 plus)

Blizzard of 2016

Extreme weather, blizzard of 2016, the snow was falling on Friday night through Saturday(1/23/2016) and ended on Sunday morning (1/24/2016). Our Buck County area totally snow accumulated was 20". It's the most accumulated amount of snow in one day I have ever experienced in more than 40 years since I have lived in this area.

NYC Central Park got 26.8". Philadelphia 22.4". Washington DC and Baltimore 29.2". Making it the greatest snowstorm on record there. This blizzard caused the northeast part of America to shut down and 12,000 flights were cancelled. It also caused New Jersey coastal flooding and big damage.
The pictures below are around my house:

January orchids bloom

I have quite a few blooming orchids for this first month of 2016. I was supposed to bring them to the Orchid Society Meeting's (1/21/2016) show table for our monthly competition. But I totally forgot about it (I missed the meeting again this month) because I went to join the friends for a lunch party to cerebrate the BIG VICTORY of the presidential and parliamentary election of Taiwan (1/16/2016). Now we have a female president and one step forward for more Democracy and Freedom. We call it a NEW TAIWAN! Proud to be a Taiwanese American!

Here are part of the orchids in bloom for January:

Compact plant, Slc. five small flowers (2.5")

Cymbidium, " Moon bean"

Winter Wonderland "White Fairy"

   

Onc. Chaculatum "Golden Pacific"

Dendrobium

Cymbidium, Two stems, lots of flower

 .

Hata Sensei's class for January 18 :

We have three lessons for January.
1) Simplified Arrangement: The simplified arrangement is that you have to go through the trimming process to the ultimate limitation and still show its original beautiful line.

Japanese quince and a Alstroemeria in a ceramic vase (in the class)

Japaniese quince and mum in a ceramic basket
I arranged at home

2) Slanting Style Nageire Variation #2: I arranged in the class and at home. It was a good practice again, I used the black pine for Shin and soe, and mum for hikae.

3) Free style with Difficult Container: Philodendron, mum,driftwood and vine. I arranged it in the class and at home. I am not really happy about my own arrangement. Hata sensei suggested using two branches or other materials to cross each other and.....

I hardly use this container because I think it's a bit difficult,
 but I have to try it this time.

Using Both Fresh and Unconventional Materials

The fresh Mum and cymbidium orchid leaves are arranged with the vinyl mesh fruit bags in the ceramic vase. They harmonized with the characteristics of the both fresh and the vinyl mesh materials.

  

This basic upright style nageire was my demo
for the class

Cymbidium Problem

This particular cymbidium has been having trouble blooming. Many of the buds fell off and now I only have two left. Many of my friends have had the same problem and ask me why this happens. From my experience, moving the budding plant around is the problem. Wherever it starts budding, leave it where it is. The temperature, amount of light, and air may be different, causing the buds to fall out. Compare the healthy one below, the buds will not turn yellow and will bloom nicely.