The New Year's Ikebana arrangement or festive arrangements often uses pine, a material that often renders an arrangement ceremonious. Pine itself refers to eternal youth and longevity, pine used alongside peony symbolize youth and prosperity, pine with bamboo signify prosperity and peace, pine chrysanthemum, orchid or lily stand for joy.
Narcissus, also referred as Suisen in Japanese, blooms in December, in the midst of winter (where it does not snow) or from the beginning of autumn to the beginning of spring. Narcissus anticipates the coming of spring, it always have a congratulatory impression alongside its delicate fragrance even its growth lasts through the season. Most commonly seen, a narcissus arrangement is often an Isshuike Shoka arrangement during the winter season. From mid-season onwards, the material can serve as nejime (filler...
Kenzan are a fairly straight forward tool, however we have some tips for dealing with tricky stems or an elaborate arrangement. Although kenzan perform the same function as floral foam (keeping stems and branches in place for an arrangement), they require a slightly different set of techniques. Once you familiarize yourself with these techniques, you will be surprised how easy it is to use this spiky little friend to position stems much more precisely than with floral foam and make...
Understanding the difference of Ikebana Containers and Vases is the first step to learning the practice of Ikebana: Three basic Ikebana categories of Shoka, Moribana and Nageire and the use of three different forms of Ikebana container.
