How this hard bud of forsythia will turn out next week
It’s cold here in Seattle. My forsythia in the backyard doesn’t have a slight hint of blooming anytime soon. The Northwest Flower and Garden Festival is coming up in a week, and I’m supposed to make an Ikebana arrangement for the Ikebana International Seattle Chapter booth. Will I be able to use this branch for my arrangement?
Why not try it! I will pick a few branches with interesting lines and shapes, cut them, put them in a large bucket filled with water, and bring them inside. With warmer temperatures in the house, the hard buds may begin to open in a few days.
You cut out branches and flowers from nature, and you transform them into something different from their original conditions, shapes, and forms. You add sprinkles of your imagination and creativity. Sometimes it turns out to be beautiful, but sometimes it doesn’t.
You move your point of view. You improvise. You do your best. Yet you will never know what the outcome will look like.
What is fun about Ikebana is the excitement of transformation.
I will report to you how my arrangement will turn out. Chances are that these forsythia will not blossom in time for the show. In such a case, I will rush to the local florist to get alternative materials. That’s OK. It’s part of the game.
Underneath the bare forsythia, these tiny white flowers are already in full bloom. So gentle… I don’t think I can create any more beautiful arrangement than this. I simply bow down to nature!
This is my arrangement from last year.