It all started in the early 2000s, at the dawn of the 21st century, with 12 kilograms of spiky flower frogs. Not just a couple, not a handful—an entire box filled with weighty metal pin holders, all packed neatly for international travel. And who was the mule? My husband, Ben.

 Ilse humorously recalls the challenges of sourcing ikebana tools before the digital age—airport mishaps, creativity, and resilience!

Keeping Warm As the season shifts to autumn, the landscape transforms with vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. Leaves begin to change color and fal...

In the world of ikebana, the introduction of Western flowers presented a unique challenge to traditional Japanese floral art. These new varieties ...

Ikebana and Interior Design: Harmonizing Nature and Space, lessons through floral arranging. Before talking about Ikebana, let's quickly approach...

In recent years, I've embarked on a rather delightful and, at times, maddeningly perplexing journey to understand the "why" of ikebana. You see, i...

In the heart of Japanese culture lies the principle of wabi-sabi, a philosophy celebrating beauty in imperfection, transience, and simplicity. This...

Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arranging, is often perceived as a singular art form by those outside Japan. However, this percepti...

In exploring ikebana's ecological character, several reasons highlight its inherent eco-friendliness. While these are all valid, there's a broader ...

In ikebana's early days, simplicity was key. Practitioners aimed to accentuate each flower's intrinsic beauty and used rudimentary tools like sand ...

The origins of ikebana can be traced back to the introduction of Buddhism to Japan via the Silk Road between the 6th and 8th centuries.  An early ...

Ikebana is often translated as Japanese Flower Arranging, but I have mixed feelings about that translation. Ikebana is so much more flower arrangi...

Today we switch from bonsais to the other side of Wazakura; Ikebana flower arrangement.One of the best gifts from Japan to flower arrangements come...