Flowers from this week…I was asked to arrange special flowers for someone who likes simple things and practices Japanese Tea Ceremony-the Omotesenke School. Flowers for tea are called cha-bana and it is different from Ikebana, traditional floral art practiced for 700 years in Japan. Chabana is not as stylized or structured as Ikebana. It is a seasonal expression and has to be subtle with a few kinds of wild flowers as if they just happened to be there in the tea room for the guests. No big flowers or statements. The host’s effort isn’t shown here. So, I had to think a bit and drove around and found some beautiful flowering cabbages! I chose several cabbages to create the arrangement. I also went to the field to pick some grasses and wheat grasses in my boots with heels…I wasn’t thinking when I was leaving! I tried some mustard flowers. They are so beautiful now in Sonoma but they didn’t drink water well. Some challenges but I just loved the idea only using what were growing around here. I called my friend who has a massive meyer lemon tree and got a few branches with meyer lemons and also added daphne flowers for the sweet citrus scents. Right here this isn’t chabana with scented flowers. But the scent is just so divine and I had to add them! I can keep going and express my passion with this one arrangement. My only hope is that she is enjoying the arrangement this week.
