My Ikebana: Berry Beautiful

Added on by the ikebana shop.

Seeing this beautiful berry branch, we just knew it had to be in an ikebana arrangement! We are very grateful to get these branches! Can’t find them in the flower shops in town.

Here is the whole arrangement.

I hope you like it. —Miyako

My Ikebana: Lots Of Local Branches

Added on by the ikebana shop.

Yesterday, I had the chance to visit Maple Grove Nursery’s farm in the beautiful Annapolis Valley, NS. There, I was treated to a smorgasbord of branches. They were everywhere and I kept cutting away. So much wonderful material that we could never find in flower shops! I was so excited that when I got home, I immediately created an arrangement.

Here is the whole arrangement.

I hope you like it. —Miyako

My Ikebana: Coltsfoot In A Fish Bowl

Added on by the ikebana shop.

The coltsfoot is an invasive species and they grow all over the place! Taking a closer look, we found some have redder stems than others!

The red vs green contrast was something to highlight and so we decided to put some stems in a fish bowl.

Here is the whole arrangement.

I hope you like it. —Miyako

My Ikebana: Messing With Mesh

Added on by the ikebana shop.

If you have done needlepoint work or embroidery, then these mesh sheets might look familiar to you. They have just about the right amount of stiffness to form a rigid base but still pliant enough to be manipulated into a shape we like.

This first arrangemnt is a simple play of lines and circles with painted sticks and gerbera.

This second arrangement has more complexity in colours, mixing up sunflowers and chard (yes, the vegetable!)

I hope you like them. —Miyako

My Ikebana: For Hanadayori 2021

Added on by the ikebana shop.

Being halfway around the world, we would never have even dreamed of participating in the Wa Melbourne Ikebana Festival! With the pandemic, some of its activities have shifted online and we are honoured to play a part this year! We'd like to thank Dr. Shoso Simbo, Shoan Lo and the rest of the organizers for accepting us to this year's event.

Hanadayori: Ikebana By Request is part of the Wa Melbourne Ikebana Festival.

“Hanadayori is a unique ikebana exhibition which directly connects ikebana artists with a wide audience. It aims to introduce two way interaction, from the audience to artists and from artists to the audience. This approach makes it possible for ikebana artists to find out what people really want from ikebana. It is a challenging but rewarding experience to create artworks based on requests from strangers.

This project not only connects ikebana artists with people all over the world, but in a world where the pandemic is causing so much suffering, these small connections though flowers might help to bring some joy and healing.” (from the Hanadayori 2021 website)

The request we received was from Hyderabad, India. It was for an arrangement with 4 colours.

Please enjoy the full exhibition here!

Sakura Tree Pop-Up Sale

Added on by the ikebana shop.

If you have been dreaming of growing a Japanese cherry blossom tree in your yard, this is your chance!

In collaboration with Maple Grove Nursery (Annapolis Valley NS), we are bringing sakura trees to Halifax! This is a one-day pop-up sale event so please save the date: Sep 4th, 2021, Saturday, 12:00-4:00 pm.

There will be several varieties to choose from. The folks from Maple Grove Nursery will be there to answer your questions and give advice to grow & maintain your trees.

All sales will be transacted directly with Maple Grove Nursery. Cash, Visa, MasterCard and e-transfer payments accepted. Sorry, no debit cards. Prices are subject to HST. Pricing can be seen in their website. Availability is subject to change without prior notice

The trees are grown in Ellepots. They are soilless media wrapped in a fully biodegradable and plantable paper membrane. The major advantages of plants grown this way are:

  • Absolutely no root bound plants or root circling as with plants grown in pots.

  • No root disturbance or transplant shock when planted.

  • Easy to plant.

  • If planted in the growing season, the plant will go into active growth immediately.

  • Environmentally friendly and fully sustainable production.

  • No plastic pot to deal with. (The only plastic used in production are the air pruning trays, which can be used hundreds of times and never leave the nursery.)

(Image courtesy of Maple Grove Nursery.)

(Image courtesy of Maple Grove Nursery.)

To answer some of the questions that you may want to ask….

Q: Will the sakura trees survive the NS climate?
A: Yes! Have you seen the beautiful sakura in the Dartmouth Commons?

Q: When will the sakura bloom?
A: Young trees will bloom in the spring and each spring thereafter, more & more blooms will come as the tree grows. Blooming season in NS is around mid-May.

Q: When should the tree be planted?
A: If you purchase a tree at the the pop-up, please plant them on the same or next day. In general, autumn is the best time to plant the tree.

Q: How do we take care of the tree? *
A: Supplying water to new plantings and fertilizing in the spring are very important. (There will be fertilizer available for sale as well at the Pop-Up event.) Cherry blossom trees also respond very well to pruning. Also, protect them from deer who might want nibble on them!

Q: ….and in the winter? *
A: Stake the tree. Keep the roots hydrated leading up to freeze up.

Q: Can the tree be used for bonsai?
A: Yes, but the sakura are grafted and from experience, most bonsai growers do not like that.

*Maple Grove Nursery will be happy to provide on-going support to help gardeners grow their sakura trees.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Updated Sep 4, 2021

What a great turnout! The trees were sold out by 2 p.m. We thank everyone who came. We hope your trees grow strong with beautiful blooms! We apologize to those who could not find what they were looking for (because we sold out very quickly!) Please contact Maple Grove Nursery directly; they have lots more at the farm! Last but not least, thank you Michelle for taking the time and effort to bring your lovely sakura trees to Halifax!