Every two weeks, my mother and I take an ikebana class at the Japanese Friendship Garden at Balboa Park with Yumi Rakers. We started in January 2025, so it has now been a year and eight months. My mom is 79, and being able to spend this time with her is valuable, not only because I love her, but because we are doing something together. We are creating together, learning something new, and growing through the process.
This arrangement is Book 2, Lesson 15, which makes it my 35th lesson. Nageire-style ikebana is arranged in a tall vase without a kenzan. The branches have to be balanced and secured inside the vase using an upright supporting stick, and it’s not easy to do. The horizontal line extending to the left at 85 degrees was the easiest. The more vertical the lines, the harder, although every stem presents its own problem. The anemones and the poppies had to be clustered and gathered, balanced and assembled, almost like pick-up sticks inside the vase. The vase itself has a wide mouth, which made the balancing act even more challenging. And, of course, the orange poppy petals began falling off the moment I touched them, but that adds to the charm.
I especially love that two of the bird of paradise have double blooms. The bird of paradise came from my mother’s garden, making her quite literally part of the arrangement.