The Geisha

I was taking a walk at one of the vegetation islands behind my chalet yesterday. I noticed a clump of Licuala palm ( Licuala spinosa) in its prime best. I took a stalk of its broad fan-shaped leaves for the day's cut flower composition.

Licuala palms grow best in humid and filtered light with rich humus cover for its roots. As such they are ideal plants under a forest canopy but not in potty environment. At my farm I find that the tallest ones are now reaching 4 meters. Locals here use the leaves to wrap food or thatch them to make sleeping mats or sun hats.

Their wedge-shaped leaves look fresh and deep jungle green in colour. To provide a refreshing contrast to the composition I add two stalks of the frangipani or plumeria flowers ( Plumeria obtusa).I like to use them for they are scented and the flowers will last for a couple of days when other buds slowly open up to the world. By cutting the leaves edges in a staggered formation I achieve the effect of movement.. The plumeria flowers being white and gentle in colour like the lily indicate gracefulness and the green leaves connotes growth . The slender glass vase and the outspread leaves look like a Japanese geisha in kimono. Thus, today's composition is called......The Geisha.