GROWING CLIVIAS and using them in IKEBANA

The focus of the the meeting on Tuesday 12th October was the plant, Clivia, which is endemic to South Africa and Swaziland. This herbaceous evergreen is very hardy and, as an understory plant, prefers shady positions. The similarities of climate between South Africa and south eastern Australia mean that it is easy to grow in Melbourne. 

Our guest speaker was Dr Peter Haeusler of the Melbourne Clivia Group, who spoke with great knowledge and enthusiasm about the cultivation and propagation of this robust plant.

Following our guest speaker, Emily Karanikolopoulos gave a demonstration, creating two ikebana arrangements using Clivias from her own garden.

In her nageire arrangement she wrapped clivia leaves around a ceramic cylinder in which she arranged orange clivia flowers.

Emily also made a small arrangement using ingeniously rolled leaves of clivia and one clivia berry in a quirky vase.

This is a bird's eye view of the arrangement.

Below are clivia arrangements by members.

Sally Wilkinson

Betty Karanikolopoulos

Margaret Wilson
   

Chieko Yazaki

Margaret Leung

Nicole MacDonald

Beverley Webster

Thea Sartori

ANNUAL EXHIBITION

This year our annual exhibition was held in the lobby of the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins. This is a very large space which, in addition to having the front desk of the hotel, also functions as gallery for a variety of different types of contemporary art practice. The lobby has very large windows that look into a glass-roofed internal atrium over six stories high. The three large works set on the wide window ledges on the left of this photo were created by teams of ikebanists. 

                    

This photo is taken from the opposite side of the atrium and shows the three windows that were used for the three large works. These ikebana installations were visible from the cafes which are at a lower level on the floor of the atrium.

This work by members of the Ohara school was created by Aiko Nakada and Kid-Ching Ong. It featured bamboo, pine and 'moth' orchids.

Kaye Wong and Naomi Cullen from the Ichiyo school used large baskets and bamboo poles as principle design elements of their installation.

Christopher James and Kyoko Imai from the Sogetsu school created a large-scale work in a Shigaraki pot with driftwood, gymea leaves, chrysanthemum and painted agapanthus stems.

Most of the ikebana by individual members of the branch are shown below. Unfortunately some could not be photographed because of the lack of a backcloth.

Julie Ayers, Ikenobo school.

Chiemi Daly, Shogetsudokoryu school.

Felicia Huang, Ohara school.

Robyn Unglik, Sogetsu school.

 Kim Ng, Ohara school.

Emily Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu school.

Judy Hajdu, Ohara school.

Trish Ward, Sogetsu school.

Chieko Yazaki, Shogetsudokoryu school.

Margaret Wilson, Sogetsu school.

Elizabeth Angell, Sogetsu school.

Elishia Zhang, Ichiyo school.

Helen Novic, Sogetsu school.

Stella Gan, Ichiyo school.

Lyn Wong, Ohara school.

Nobuko Kobayashi, Ichiyo school.

Toula Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu school.

Qui Nguyen, Ikenobo school.

Lee Johnstone, Sogetsu school.

Yoshi Arai, Shogetsudokoryu school.

Lisa Yazaki, Shogetsudokoryu school.

Olive Cheng, Ohara school.

Ivy Loo, Ohara school.

Kim Louey, Ichiyo school.

Betty Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu school.

Kayoko Hayashi, Ohara school.

Katrina Cunningham, Ichiyo school.

Lorraine Langley, Ikenobo school.

Kid-Ching Ong, Ohara school.