AZALEA, GERMANDER, NARCISSUS
FEBRUARY
Azalea (Rhododendron, variety unknown)
Daffodil (Narcissus ‘Polar Hunter’)
Flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum ‘White Icicle’)
Hellebore (Helleborus ‘Ice n’ Roses Picotee’)
Tree germander (Teucrium fruticans)
Seika bowl design by Aesme Studio
Small kenzan
The idea for this bowl shape came from a very old book I found somewhere on Ikebana. The narrow base perfectly fits a small pin holder but necessitates restraint in terms of the quantity not only of ingredients, but of stems it is possible to use. The azalea branch came from a pile of prunings in the park so I’m not sure of the variety but the forked shape and drifts of lichen were, I felt, a good a start to an arrangement as any… The flowering currant were Johnny’s prunings from our own shrubs and I took them home to force them - within days they were opening to reveal their dangling creamy earrings of flowers, which have a sharp, lemony scent - so good! Tree germander is one of my favourite foliages, for the grey-green leaves that, used backwards, display a flash of white underbelly - the stems are slim and curve in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways so they are a great filler and useful for adding height and width too. The ‘Ice n’ Roses’ hellebore has a white flower streak with raspberry pink at the edges but as the flower heads age they darken to a murky pinky lime - this was the colour I was after, to pair with the chartruse Narcissi - a new addition to our ‘Wabi Sabi’ garden this spring. An early flowering variety ‘Polar Hunter’ is here to stay - the powerful perfume, long stem length and exquisite colouring make this a really special one - add it to your list!