My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Use a drinking straw to push foliage horizontally deep into a Kenzan to leave space for stems to rest on top of them

Place a Kenzan in the middle of a shallow container

Place a Kenzan in the middle of a shallow container and fill the container with water.

See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on how to place a Kenzan.

Gently press the foliage to catch on the teeth of the Kenzan

Gently press the foliage to catch on the teeth of the Kenzan. Be careful these teeth are quite sharp.

Gently press the leaves down into the Kenzan using a drinking straw

Gently press the leaves down into the Kenzan using a drinking straw or thin aquarium pipe.

This is a great way to re-use drinking straws instead of it becoming trash. Simply rinse out the straw after use and keep it handy.
... and now that drinking straws are becoming less readily available: remember to keep one in your design bag or buy aquarium pipe that you can reuse time after time.

Layer the leaves and continue to press it all the way down

Layer the leaves and continue to press it all the way down.

The foliage is speared all the way into the Kenzan

The foliage is speared all the way into the Kenzan keeping it neatly in place under water.

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

7 January 2015 Securing a kenzan

Temporarily adhere a traditional Ikebana Kenzan or pincushion to a shallow container.

7 January 2015 So many ways to use a Kenzan to hold floral materials

How to place various sizes of plant material in a Kenzan

11 September 2013 Longer lasting Gladiolus Composite Flower

Split (but don't cut) a few gladiolus flowers to spiral in a vase

15 February 2012 Gladiolus Composite

This looks spectacular but it is the easiest composite flower to make

16 August 2011 Cut spiked flower stems and foliage into short sections

Orchids grow in long flower spikes. It is great to use the entire stem but sometimes you need shorter section. There is a trick to cutting the stems without leaving a visible...

Favourite Flowers

Gladiolus

Gladiolus, Sword lily, Corn Lilies, gladioluses, glads, plural: gladioli

Related Designs

7 August 2019 Point Out: this is a single bunch of gladiolus!

Cut stems of Gladiolus to place in a radiating summer design.

25 May 2022 Grateful Heart

Frame a single perfect Bleeding heart flower in a leaf dot.

8 June 2022 Make Believe

Ever seen an eucalyptus flower? This is... and is not one.

20 July 2022 The tiniest drop

A radiating summer design that waves in the slightest of breezes.

10 May 2023 By the cone full

A small design to display those last Spring snippets from your garden...

6 September 2023 Mother Nature’s little magic to let us know Autumn is near

It's the little sun-washed coloured hints that makes you look again to see if you really saw what you thought you saw... yes! There really are signs of autumn everywhere!

11 September 2013 Making it last

Split and spiral a few gladiolus flowers in a way that the stems remain intact, to spiral in a water filled filled vase for a long lasting composite flower

7 September 2012 Just Right! Floral Art demonstration: Own It!

My fourth design in my demonstration at the BC Floral Art Society meeting

15 November 2017 Alchemy

Gently stand leaves upright in a Kenzan

6 June 2018 Hi-Lo

Perfect stems, perfect flowers. Needs nothing more.

12 July 2017 Sparkler

A radiating twig design

2 October 2013 Prickly

Build a twig porcupine armature for fall flowers