Ikebana Arrangements

Ikebana — flower arranging for small spaces — has been practiced in Japan for more than seven centuries. The basic principle is to arrange flowers in odd numbers only and in order of height to create depth in a small area. The primary stem is the tallest, the secondary stem should be three-quarters the height of the first stem, and the last should be half the size of the initial stem.

Here are two types of arrangements:

Floral-Foam Arrangement

Materials and Tools:

tall vase or jar
floral foam
flowers of choice (don’t have to be of the Asian variety)

Steps:

1. Dunk the floral foam in water and place in container of choice.

2. Place each flower at various heights as described above.

Open-Dish Arrangement

Materials and Tools:

open dish (such as a candy dish or dish for floating votive candles)
needle holder
flowers of choice in various heights
leaves of flowers
decorative rocks

Steps:

1. Set the needle holder in the middle of the dish.

2. Put the primary flower in first, then the next-smallest flower or greenery and so on until you’ve placed five.

3. Fill the needle holder with decorative rocks to hide the needle holder.