slides: Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arranging In 10 Steps

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Amelie Rousseau, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Ikebana arrangement via Wikimedia CC.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” -Anaïs Nin

Now that spring blossoms are bursting open all over town, my clippers are dying to go on a rampage for luscious flower arrangements in every room of the house. Daffodils, daphnes, flowering quince, cherry and plum blossoms, yes, yes, yes.

Ikebana, the ancient art of Japanese flower arranging, is all about less. Less is more.

While western arrangements are about showy colors, Ikebana is about the curves, twists and turns of a few choice blossoms and branches. Any and every type of organic material may be used. The art of Ikebana lies in placing them together gracefully. Like all good art forms, there are rules to guide us. Lots of rules, actually.

See the 10 Rules in the Slides Below

An urban farmer and master gardener, Amélie Rousseau writes for fellow explorers and eaters of the plant kingdom. It's a jungle out there.

Related Slideshow: Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arranging In 10 Steps

Ikebana, the ancient art of Japanese flower arranging, is all about less. Less is more. Here are 10 steps to help you create the perfect arrangement.

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1.

The process is just as important as the end product. Put on some relaxing music, breathe deeply and spend time with the intricacy of each branch and leaf in your arrangement.

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2.

Arrangements should use three stems, all of differing sizes.

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When designing your arrangement, look to your organic material for inspiration but dig into your depths to find a beautiful memory or passion within. Ikebana is about capturing a specific landscape or a single moment in nature, just like a haiku.

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The tallest should stand upright and represent the heavens (shin). The medium length represents man (soe). The shortest represents the earth (hikae). One should also consider what altitude each plant specimen comes from. A flower that grows in the mountains should be placed above a branch that grows in a lowland prairie.

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5.

You are free to incorporate any leaves or flowers that complement the shin, soe and hikae, but only in odd numbers. This is called the jushi.

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A kenzan, or floral frog, is used to support the stems upright or attractive angles. It has a weighted base and spikes to spear the stems onto. This frog is placed in a shallow water dish.

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No putty, floral tape or glue allowed.

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Working slowly, place each stem into the frog. When ready to place on the frog, trim the ends 1.5” from the bottom for maximum water intake.

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To create a truly stunning living sculpture, hide your frog and water container by tucking leaves or moss around the base of your arrangement. Sometimes flowers are placed in a wide shallow dish with river rocks placed around the frogs to look like a tiny placid pond.