Last Monday, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden invited bloggers to create a vase in the Ikebana style. Having only a vague notion of what that was, I did some research and found a page with the most very basic instructions. Here is the result:
I chose the lowest, most Japanese looking pot/bowl I owned, and, for lack of a flower frog, cut a wedge of floral foam to fit the right side. Then I went searching for flowers.
The Heliopsis are in full bloom now, and they have very long stems, so I chose that for my tallest, “Shin” element. After measuring the diameter and height of my bowl and adding them (14 inches), I cut the stem to a little more than 1.5 times that, roughly 24 inches. Then I stuck it in the foam at a slight angle to the left, near the 11:00 position.
I wanted a non-floral piece for the medium length “Soe” element, so I chose the seed heads of Heuchera ‘Marvelous Marbles’. I cut them to about two-thirds the length of the Heliopsis and inserted them into the floral foam at a more horizontal angle.
The shortest element, the “Tai”, should be about two-thirds the height of the Soe, so I cut three stems of Shasta Daisy ‘Becky’ to roughly ten inches and placed them on the other side of the Heliopsis.
Finally, I needed some other plant material to cover the floral foam and fill out the arrangement a bit, so I plucked some leaves off of Heuchera ‘Marvelous Marbles’ and pushed them in close to the foam. I’ve never used Heuch leaves in an arrangement before; it will be interesting to see how long they last.
Whether it’s an accurate portrayal of Japanese flower arranging, I know not. It is attractive, though, and a nice change from my usual vases. Thank you Cathy, for encouraging us to expand our horizons and learn something new!
You can see Cathy’s creative take on Ikebana and find links to other bloggers’ arrangements at Rambling in the Garden. 
Cosmos and Cleome 
Oh, that is lovely Kimberley! What a pretty vase with the Heliopsis rising above the other elements. I also considered using Heuchera leaves at the base of my vase this week – they are such versatile plants. I especially like the angles the flowers are standing at. Well done! 😀
Gosh, you have gone all technical with yours with all the measuring and proportions – but it gives such a balanced result so the Japanese know what they are talking about! Heuchera is really effective in vases, both leaves and flowers, isn’t it? I am glad you enjoyed trying something a bit different
Pingback: In a Vase Monday, and Tuesday’s Views, on Thursday | Cosmos and Cleome