Ikebana Style Floral Design with a Kenzan
Graceful, modern, and fabulous! In this Flower School How-To Video, Leanne creates an ikebana-style floral design using a kenzan and anthurium. The magic – garlic spears to add dramatic height. With just a few beautiful stems, strong lines, and plenty of open space, this design proves that simple can be spectacular.
Video Transcription
The elements and principles of design, line, space, negative space is what makes floral design the art of design. Today, working in twos, let me show you how it's done.
Materials, starting with classic mechanics, using the kenzan, super heavy and just setting it straight down in. And I have two sections, so using two kenzans. Then, working in twos on everything, got some meyeri fern, some beautiful anthurium, be using a little bit of hanging amaranthus, some equisetum, and one of these beautiful garlic scapes, actually using two, working on pairs on everything.
To keep the flowers alive, adding fresh water, premixed with flower food, making sure I get it in both sides. Then, I can start placing my blooms. I'm going to start with the garlic scapes very first, so grand. Then yes, they smell like garlic. Placing it in, making sure it's down into the pins, and then shortening, shadowing it behind. So yes, a flower school term, shadowing, getting that placement in there. Then, coming back with the anthurium, giving them a cut, angling inward and letting them extend, making sure their faces show well and then shadowing behind again, shortening it just a bit, facing it, placing it down in. Then, I can come back with the meyeri and add a little more movement coming back, so that it pulls your eye, adding depth to the arrangement.
To connect the two portions, that's where I'll use the equisetum, placing an 18-gauge wire down inside to keep it nice and straight. Then, determining placement, giving it a cut and angling it in, then bending it over and bending it again, creating it very tightly, and then anchoring it down into the pins a second time, adjusting with the wire inside. You can bend it exactly where you want it to be, and then repeating with a second piece, so that carry on those pairs two, two, two, and two all the way throughout.
As I work, I realize these lines conflict with each other. So taking it out and moving it to the opposite side, getting a little more movement, and then cleanliness here. Then, to finish, a little bit of the hanging amaranthus, removing all the leaves. I just want that touch of green to help break the line of the container and pull the eye all the way down and repeating that, continuing the twos throughout, giving it a cut, and then placing it down in. Then, for a little last touch to cover my mechanics, using black river rock. And I'm going to put these in, covering the kenzan, but I'm going to do it right at the end here because it's noisy and I don't want to hurt your ears, but I'll just drop it in and then it'll be done.
Everything in twos. Two of the Anthurium, two of the Garlic Scapes, then two of the Equisetum, two Meyeri (Foxtail Fern), and two bits of the Hanging Amaranthus. Pairs to beauty.
Working in twos can be a challenge. It can stretch your creativity. You'll find more inspiration on the website, flowerschool.com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there. But now it's your turn. Pick two of all your favorite flowers and create something focusing on line and space, go very minimal. Be sure to take a picture, post it on social media, and #floraldesigninstitute. That way, we all can see what you do as you do something you love.
