journal vol.001 seasonal flowers & plants

With the end of winter and the arrival of spring, trees bud, flowers change color, and the natural landscape changes. In this season when plants come alive, we asked the florist of Kojien - Mr. Koji Yoshida, who arranges flowers for mizuiro ind's stores and exhibitions, for his recommended arrangements.

The florist of Kojien in Kagurazaka, Tokyo - Mr. Koji Yoshida said, "I selected flowers based on the theme of 'budding' plants in this season when many new buds are coming out”. He selected a total of nine different types of flowers and sprouting branches, including Early Stachyurus, Silverberry, Elderberry, Tokiwa Viburnum, Christmas Rose, Flannel Flower, Sea-holly, Nigella, and Eucalyptus, all of which will bloom in the coming season.

 Early Stachyurus, with clusters of yellow-green flowers, is a typical spring flowering tree. Elderberry is a deciduous shrub found in fields and mountains, and all the other flowers, except Eryngium, are found in fields and mountains. Mr. Yoshida said, "I put them together in a natural way, just as they are, with an awareness of not being too much”. You can imagine trees with branches and leaves growing freely and flowers growing modestly but with dignity in the wilderness.

The red flowers are Tokiwa Viburnum. These are still buds and will bloom in the coming season with fragrant white flowers. Christmas roses bloom from winter to spring. There are many variations in color and shape and they are characterized by their greenish rather than white color, and their downcast appearance. Fluffy textured flannel flowers are also white with a slight green tinge. Mr. Yoshida said, "In spring, we can see a lot of green such as a beautiful pale green called 'Wakameiro' and a deep green rather than a bright green".

You can arrange a bouquet like this in a large vase or just pull out the branches and display them. Branches also last longer than flowers and can be displayed for a long time. Mr. Yoshida said, "Some people say it is difficult to balance the branches, but the point of selecting good ones is the silhouette of each branch. If you choose one with movement, it will fit beautifully even in a rough way. It is closer to the natural shape if you choose branches with interesting movements and decorate them freely. I recommend such a free style when using wild flowers and branches".

Kojien
3-4 Akagi-Motomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0817, Japan
http://www.kojien.jp/top.html

photo：Akiko Baba　text & edit：Chizuru Atsuta