Mini Workshop 5
Book 5-1 Seasonal Plant Materials
“One of the primary objectives of ikebana has been to bring seasonal plants into the room from the field or garden for appreciation of the beauty of the season”. Previously we have been able to source a wide variety of flowers such as roses, lilies, and chrysanthemums at any time of the year. With the unavailability of store bought flowers this is very evident at this time. I recall that when I was younger most gardens would grow chrysanthemums but this is no longer the case so if you do have any consider yourself fortunate.
I am fortunate to have a number of deciduous shrubs in my garden at this time so was able to combine viburnum, nandina domestica, and Japanese maple. These materials would also fulfil the requirements of Book 3 Lesson 8 ‘colours in the Same Tonal Range’ which we talked about at our AGM meeting .
Rosehips with viburnum, nandina domestica, and Japanese maple
At first I used a single flower dahlia to add interest to the arrangement but they quickly deteriorate. I have just been consulting the web about dahlia types and was surprised to find that there are at least 12 categories.
I was then fortunate enough to locate some lovely orange rose hips instead for my second version of the arrangement and these have lasted well.
Kathy arranged berries and greenery in a beautiful red container
Another ‘Autumn’ material that is becoming available for us are “berries”. Kathy was inspired to make use of these wonderful berries and enhanced their impact by teaming them with a matching red container (Book 3 lesson 10).
I hope you are inspired to have a go and I would love to see photos of your creations.