Ikebana arrangements

Back when I was pregnant, one of Tommy's coworkers gave us an odd little ceramic container. We really didn't know what it was until a couple days ago when my friend bought a small pack of Kenzan. Apparently there is a whole world of Japanese flower arranging which is much more an art form than what we are used to seeing in the United States. So in an effort to finally use this gift, I ventured into our backyard to find some weeds and flowers, and other natural things to make my Ikebana arrangement. Here is what I came up with...

I used 2 salvia flowers, 2 black-eyed susans, a small handful of wild strawberry vines for the base, some unidentified weed for the main foliage, and 1 clipping of a bush from our backyard which has neat red fluffy blooms.

This being a Japanese thing, I am sure there is plenty of meaning and intention behind this whole discipline, but I haven't delved into it too deeply yet. Once this arrangement dies, I will try again and see what else I can find out about Ikebana. If you want to try it for yourself, all you really need is 1 Kenzan to stick your foliage into (google it!) and any type of container.