I have been looking forward to this week's In a Vase on Monday post for which Cathy, unusually, set a theme. The theme is "Ikebana"; and I am the first to admit that I have only the most cursory knowledge of what is, in itself, a very complex art form. Nothing daunted by ignorance, I resorted to Wikipedia and memories of Japanese art concepts for a very superficial foray into the field.
I did use entirely different material than I normally choose: seeds, a succulent, and one of my favorite local weeds.
Two stems of Penstemon pseudospectabilis, replete with seeds...
...and anchored by their unusual foliage at the base of the flowering stems...
...were set in among stems of Eriogonum deflexum.
This is a harmless native weed, known as flatcrown buckwheat, among other names. It begins with a small rosette of round, gray leaves tight against the ground. Later it sends up leafless stalks in a loose-branching pattern, earning it the name of "Skeleton Weed" as this is the most visible part of the plant. In autumn and winter the stems set miniature flowers of white and pink, very dainty little flowers that are hardly noticeable unless one gets down to really look at them. I have only the leafless stalks to show here as flowers have not formed yet.
Then there is a stem of Sedeveria "Harry Butterfield", which is growing on well in a pot on the patio. For some reason the Sedeverias have been the most reliable succulents for this garden.
And finally there is a single hep from rose "Sterling Silver".
My vase of choice was a handthrown stoneware piece which was part of a glaze experiment.
Actually, as an experiment it was distinctly a failure since I used a firing cycle totally unlike my usual glost firings. The glaze got far hotter than normal and bubbled into many little craters, nor did it develop the color I was looking for. Still, it seemed a good choice for today's experimental venture into Ikebana!
So thanks to Cathy, I have gotten to play with a considerably different approach to the IaVoM theme, and I'm looking forward to seeing what others have done! Do check the post at
Rambling in the Garden!
Weather Diary: Sunny and hot; High: 110 F (43 C)/Low: 85 F (29 C); Humidity: 5%-21%
It works! My favorite part may be the weed. No, actually it's your vase, which in the photo looks as though it's alive and sweating. Well done, Amy!
ReplyDeleteI think that's my favorite weed in this yard -- all the more since it is usually easy to jerk out of the ground when necessary! So glad you like the vase too; I couldn't have gotten that effect if I'd been trying... Sometimes pottery has a mind of its own ;-)
DeleteI love this. The weed, the succulent, the vase...well done. Oh and of course the fact that it's so different than your normal vases also makes it great fun.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to take a flyer at something totally different ;-) And it was such a good escuse to use foraged material, which I almost miss now there is so much more blooming in the garden... Thanks so much, Loree!
DeletePerfect...love the vase...and with your temperatures so very high, ( I love the way you put the temperatures and weather conditions at the end of your post) a slow and mindful approach to flower arranging can bring a cooling effect. Love the choice of materials..I too love seed heads, and often admire the things I am about to put into the compost bin just as much as the fresh blooms on the plants...sometimes more!
ReplyDeleteYes, there are so many beauties in the garden (even weeds sometimes!) that it is good to take stock from a different angle... You are quite right about the cooling effect as well ;-) Thanks for coming by!
DeleteYour own vase is perfect for this in shape and colour - and I like the way the result is of a very limited colour palette, almost monochrome. Glad you enjoyed the challenge of trying something different :)
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to find that little vase so useful ;-) Thanks for the challenge, Cathy -- I'll probably be trying Ikebana again sometime...
DeleteI adore this arrangement...and you made the vase...lovely. The effect of the stems is perfect, and I like how you captured the airiness in your photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Donna! So glad you like it all -- the little Eriogonum is one of my favorite wildflowers around here, so it was certain to end up in this arrangement... ;-)
DeleteTo me this arrangement has drama. Great!
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Thank you so much, Sandra! :) And thanks for stopping by!
DeleteIkebana was a new word to me too, although I have long admired the simple elegance of Japanese flower arranging which you have captured beautifully here. Sometimes it is good to have a theme to work with and I wonder if Cathy will choose another one next week ...
ReplyDeleteWe'll be waiting to see... ;-) An occasional challenge is probably all to the good; it certainly has inspired quite a few people this week!
Deletean extra layer of interesting with your vase telling its own part of the story.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Diana! I did end up loving the way the vase blended in.
DeleteYou are so talented Amy! I think I would have been completely stumped by this one and yet you found some really fascinating plant material! So well done!
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