Free Style - Anthurium and Allium

The Anthurium from the last class is still good to use for another arrangement. I sprayed silver paint on a giant Allium seed pod to put upside down in the ceramic basket (bought from Japan two years ago) and inserted Anthuriums with baby-breath in the back. (6/22/2015)

Arrangement with Sweet pea

In a open field nearby, I found many wild sweet peas. I know they are perennial and I've always wanted to plant these in my garden because they're so beautiful. Someday I will! (6/21/2015)

Sweet pea and sedum in the dark blue ceramic vase

Hata Sensei's Class for June

This is our last class before Summer break. We had two morning lessons this month followed by a pot-luck lunch.
Lesson 1) Free Style - Using Anthurium, material ordered from Hawaii.
Lesson 2) Book 3-4 -  two or more containers.
After class, all of us including Hata Sensei, enjoyed a delicious lunch together to end our class year.
Hope everyone has a Wonderful Summer! (6/15/2015)

Anthurium, Philodendrom, small white flower and vine

Trifoliate orange, smoke tree, Geranium and
Hosta in two tall glass containers 

Trifoliate orange and Asian lily in two ceramic containers,
I arranged at home (6/5/2015) 

Two containers arrangement. It's very beautiful by one of
my classmate's arrangement. (6/15/2015) 

Hata Sensei's class is a big one. Most times there are more than 20 people, and almost half of her students have different levels of teacher's certificate. Sometimes I want to take pictures of their beautiful finished composition but it is impossible because there is no way that I can set up the individual background and than take the pictures.

Garden Visitors

Once in a while, I spot a red fox passing through my back yard. More often the Heron, a long necked bird, stops by the pond wandering around to try to eat fish for a delicious meal. The other time I discovered a tiny butterfly staying on the deck railing. It's a rare beautiful one. I would like to share with you.

The Multi Ikebana School Demostration

The Ikebana International Philadelphia Chapter #71 held its last meeting on May 28, featured the creative use of treasures from our kitchens, either food items or containers. The Ohara, Sogetsu, Ikenobo and other school teachers demonstrated their arrangements. It is very interesting to see different styles of arrangement from different schools. See below:  (5/28/2015).

Bigger arrangement used Bamboo steamer as container(dish kenzan inside).
Arranged the wavy willow as base skeleton then put in Hydrangea, 
Gerbera and other materials.

Glasses container with vegetable and fruits arrangement

Old tea pot and peony 

Smoke tree, straw and ice bucket

Peony, bamboo and stainless steel cooking pot

Egg serving dish as container

May Orchid Bloom

In early May, around mother's day, most of my orchids were moved to outside under the pine tree shady area where I call it " the vacation site". They love it there and grow much healthier there, until early October or before frost when I move them back inside the house.
Below are the blooming orchids since April to Now.

Epi. Cilive.  Miniature, the flowers only 2" in size (5/29/2015)

C. Phaius Jun Shirashi (5/29/2015)

These orchids below have been flowering for more then 5 weeks. Now all the flowers are faded.

Onc. Mtdm. Issaku Nagata (5/7/2015)

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C. Iana. Appleblossom. One of the division plant. 

I had been divided this Appleblossom orchid into three 
plants 2 years ago. Each plant has more flowers then ever.

Wood Bark and Branch Arrangements

Sometimes once a month, my ikebana classes will hit two days in a row. Hata Sensei is on Monday, Meei-Huey Sensei is on Tuesday. In that case I have to make 5 different kinds of arrangements within these 2 days. It is really a challenge for me. Here are the Tuesday's work. Both are naturalistic design. (5/19/2015)

Big piece of wood bark, vine,Clematis and moss

Lilac branch, Allium, Clematis and rhododendron with ceramic
vase and some moss

Hata Sensei's Class for May

Each month in Hata Sensei's class we always have three lessons, two in the morning one in the afternoon (we bring our own lunch). Hata sensei always demos our assigned subject first and then we do our own arrangement afterward. (5/18/2015)
Lesson 1: Only One kind of Material (book 4 p.68)
Lesson 2: A Variety of Materials (book 4 p.70)
Lesson 3: Making Cubes or Circles or Both in an arrangement - Free style (in the afternoon)

Azalea flower and its branch is my only one material in basket

Five variety materials: Lilac, Allium, tree Peony,
Weigelia and driftwood in ceramic container.
Also is Color in the Same Tonal Range 

I rearranged at home because the flowers (yellow
peony) were no longer good, so I changed the
pink flowers (Calico Bush). The Circles were
Siberian dogwood branches.

By Classmate

By Classmate

My First Peony

I noticed that one of my tree peonies is blooming! But my Lilac bush isn't doing well this year, bare branches and less flowers. I used them and cut some of the Eastern Red bud branches for my Spring arrangement. (5/7/2015)  

Cherry Blossoms

There are many kinds of cherry (Sakura) trees, their delicate and beautiful blossoms last only a short time and scatter away. So the Samurai shared the same spirit. Life can be short but beautiful and melancholy!

Road side Cherry Blossoms (Yoshino Cherry) 

Cherry branches, Rhododendron and pine in two
tall glass vases. (5/4/2015)

Yoshino Cherry tree in my lawn