San Diego Chapter #119
Our November General Meeting included two demonstrations, the first a co-presentation by Master Debbie Warriner and President Valli Reed featuring the Ichiyo School, and the second by David Kennedy, President of the San Diego Bromeliad Society.
At first, Debbie and Valli each made their own arrangements: Debbie’s was created from kumquats and okra pods impaled on the tips of two long rosemary branches anchored in a cream-colored container. A bunch of grapes and two small red apples added color, and dwarf nandina and two kale “roses” posed as “floral elements.” The result was a fascinating example of colors and textures using fruit and vegetables as the major components.
Valli featured Buddha’s hand (good in fruitcakes and salad dressing!) in her individual arrangement, together with philodendron leaves, pyracantha berries, veronica, and solidago in a low yellow glass container.
Their coordinating presentation used matching grids bent into shapes and set in Ichiyo black containers to create arrangements which complemented and contrasted with each other. Again, Debbie chose mostly vegetables (beets, onions, carrots, and kale) plus sunflowers. Valli mixed roses and an orchid plant with chilis and ginger root.
The result was eye-opening, not only exploiting the individuality of the two artists as they “played” with the theme of food but also the consonance of their imagination.
Next was the presentation on bromeliads which presented a great deal of surprising and astonishing information. For example, a pineapple is a bromeliad as is Spanish Moss, and there are 600 – 700 species of tillandsias alone, not counting the 400 – 500 cultivars. Bromeliads evolved from grasses in Brazil which were colonized by hummingbirds whose long beaks evolved with the tubular shape of the flowers.
David also gave many tips on his own specialty, tillandsias, which enjoy Mediterranean climates, especially near the ocean, as long as they receive plenty of shade, including how to plant and care for them. He also brought some samples for people to purchase.
