Holiday Arrangement - Merry Christmas (3)

This month for Martha Washington Garden Club Virtual Little Show is “A Present” holiday arrangement. A creative design with an emphasis on gift giving, may be on top of a gift box, basket or bag .....

I have a bag of Christmas candies for you to say “Merry Christmas”! 

Materials: Reused Amazon gift bag, rose, lily, pine, nandina and baby’s breath. Flowers were from a beautiful bouquet, my daughter sent to me for my birthday. Many thanks, my dear!

December Orchids Bloom

When I am busy doing Ikebana, sometimes I forget minding my orchids. I was a little surprised by this Cattleya. I did’t know what it would look like until it reached full bloom. It’s so pretty and fragrant too! I checked the same orchid in my older post, 1/2/2020. It had two blooms, even more beautiful!

Cymbidium, faithfully bloom every year 

Close up view

Holiday Arrangement (2)

For the December 14, 2020 Zoom class, I made three arrangements for the holidays, two for Christmas (one posted already) and one for the New Year. Actually they are required subjects for this month. 

I purchased white lily and mums for the flowers I needed, the other like Winter berry and nandina which grown beautifully in my garden. Long lasting evergreen Christmas holy that you can see everywhere! These were my main materials for Christmas arrangement.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Holiday Arrangement (1)

Merry Christmas! 

Red, Green and White or Silver and gold are the main color for Christmas!

Materials: Nandina, yew and painted silver allium. Container: Tall glass vase with few colorful Christmas balls in it. Black and red base used, I could not tell which one looks nicer?

 

Autumn Cherry Blossom

Autumn Cherry trees are stunning and unique, offering up small clusters of flowers not only once but twice a year, spring and late fall. The bloom in the late fall is not as full, and these trees might need more time to mature. My husband planted two trees in our back yard when we moved here three years ago. Now, I can cut one branch for my Ikebana arrangement!

Cherry blossom, nandina, mum, yew and anemone leaves

Autumn cherry (12/1/2020)

FALL-IDAY 2020 VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

The Ikebana International Philadelphia Chapter invited all it members and schools to take part in a new online exhibition titled “Happy Fallidays”. As Autumn gives way to Winter, we celebrate many different holidays and we enjoy the seasonal materials only available at this time of year. With that in mind, we are all encouraged to create and share the “Holiday or Autumnal” arrangement of our choice.  

My choice is Autumnal: Using dried big leaves found on the ground, other materials like Hinoki, mums, bittersweet and driftwood that I already had in hand, I created this “Late Fall“ free style arrangement.  

November Zoom Class - Morimono - Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all! Be well, safe and stay healthy!

 

Basic Slanting Style Variation #2 Nageire - Zoom Class

Mainline Sogetsu Study Group Zoom class for November 9:

 1) Basic Slanting Style #2 Nageire. To be critiqued by Hata Sensei. we must take photos and email them to her. The critique will be in next month Zoom class. (12/14/2020 ) 

2) Morimono  

3) Fall free style arrangements (please see previous post)

These three subjects of arrangements were done before my operation date. 

Front view, maple, mum and dahlia/ ceramic 

Side view

Another side view

Top view

Fall Free Style Arrangement - November Zoom Class

November 9/2020, in our zoom class meeting, Hata Sensei demonstrated basic Slanting Style variation #2 Nageire, Fall Morimono and Fall free style Arrangements. I made all these three subjects before surgery. Whoever submitted this Fall free style, could get Sensei’s comments this time. Other subjects will be critiqued in next Zoom meeting.

Sensei gave me very positive and good comments for my fall arrangements. I was delighted! Thank you! Sensei.

Mums, crape myrtle seed pod, leaves and bittersweet / ceramic

Fall Free Style Arrangement

I made this arrangement before my surgery for my own pleasure, which inspired by Hata Sensei’s demo,  using self made basket. The second arrangement was for fall theme. (see next post) 

Side view

 

Operation for My Rotator Cuff Tear

My right shoulder pain has been bothering me for years. I had Cortisone injections two years ago and physical therapy, which helped for a while until recently the pain reoccurred again. I was seen by my orthopedic surgeon, he gave me another trial injection but without any improvement this time. So, he ordered the MRI study which showed that I have bad rotator cuff tear. He said, the only way to help me to relieve the pain for good is an operation to repair it. My husband is a retired surgeon, he agreed with him. So I had my surgery done on Oct. 26th, 2020. The operation was successful, but l have to put up with this shoulder sling for 6 weeks which is very inconvenient and miserable. I shall not be able to use my right hand for a while and might not be able to do my Ikebana too! ☹️

Nandina

Back yard golden Japanese maple

Japanese maple looks like Bonsai tree

 

Two Oncidium Orchids

My orchids have ended their vacation, already home for two weeks now. The temperature is up and down, not stable, sometimes dipping to 40F degree at night. It’s about time to bring them inside the house. A month ago, I noticed two Oncidium orchid stems appearing one inch. I’m so excited! Especially because I haven’t had any other orchids blooming for a long while, except my Pinocchio (lady slipper), which keeps blooming. (10/27/2020)

Some update pictures on 10/31/2020 and 11/6/2020

Right picture name Epi. Cilive “Xenia” 

I remembered this one, up date to 10/31/2020 

Has not bloomed for a long time

I don’t know what its color is yet

10/31/2020

10/31/2020

Free Style - Fall Harvest Arrangement

I was so delighted to present this home grown silk squash which I picked from my husband’s small vegetable garden. Before I cooked it I would like to make an arrangement to show you how proud of my husband’s little harvest. Haha!😀

silk squash and mum/ ceramic

 

Autumn Splendor - Demonstration for Zoom Class

I was invited to do a demonstration for BuxMount Sogetsu study group Zoom class on October 13. Using wood was the subject. A big piece of bare rooted wood that I found from a discarded wood pile (see below). I used this piece of wood as my base for an arrangement. I gathered all the possible materials that I might like to use, such as bittersweet, hydrangea, mum, hosta and....

I only used two water tubes for mums to keep them fresh. The hydrangea, bittersweet and hosta would gradually dry nicely without water. All these materials I carefully arranged into the rooted hole to complete my composition.

There is another subject of arrangement in text book 4 for composition with dried materials, I can present this one as well.

 This is a rather big arrangement, more than two feet tall:

practice demo on outside patio 

My demonstration arrangement 

Upside down rooted wood

Sign of Fall - Garden Chrysanthemum

Garden Chrysanthemums are blooming, sign of Autumn here in my garden. 

The Hinoki, mum and dry branch were the main materials that I wanted to arrange with or without dahlias, I took three pictures for each arrangement and compared them. In the end, I liked the first one the most. How about you?

Container: ceramic triangular tall vase  

Basic Slanting Style Moribana

The MainLine Sogetsu study group is now meeting virtually. September was our third time for zoom class. Sensei asked us to review book 1,Variation #2, Slanting Style Moribana. In Zoom class Sensei did a demonstration of this style. If we wish, we could make this arrangement and photograph it from the view of front, side and top, and send the photos to Sensei. For next month's meeting, she will offer critiques of  this arrangements.

Materials: Azalea, dahlia and fire throne /  ceramic suiban

Sensei’s critique: overall is good. Suiban is too small, can not show the water (I noticed it), if my container is big enough, kenzan put in the right side, it will be perfect and look beautiful! (11/9/2020)

Front view

Side view

View from top

Gladiolus and Aspidistra

It is hard to believe that we have been in this Covid-19 Pandemic lock down for more than six months, from late Winter to Spring, past Summer to now early fall. We are still not free to get back to our life the way we were! But, one thing for certain, I have beloved Ikebana to think and create, plenty of garden materials I can pick..... Fortunately! I didn’t have to go out to buy any flowers, all were found from my back yard garden and surroundings. Until now, for a change, I purchased a bunch, ten stems of Gladiolus for only three dollars! Here is my arrangement with Aspidistra house plant.

Japanese Anemone and Pachira Money Tree leaves

Fall is in the air! I love that crisp and refreshing air. But, we all know that it doesn’t take long for all of the leaves to fall off the trees. My Japanese anemones are fading away soon too, only a few flowers remain.

“Pachira aquatics is a commonly found house plant called a money tree. Because it will bring luck to the owner of this plant.” This house plant was from a dish garden, a gift from a patient of my husband’s almost 30 years ago. Since we have changed it to a regular pot, the plant has been growing bigger and taller. Now, it is up to 8 feet tall! (in the wild tropical jungle it can grow up to 60 feet).

Japanese Anemone Arrangement

Japanese Anemone is one of my favorite plant. I like their long blooming seasons. These perennial plants make a beautiful sight in my partial shade garden from summer to early fall, when many other perennials starting to fade. 

Here is an arrangement using the most of Japanese anemone and few dahlia.