u/ProFloristOhio

Itoh peonies, eremurus, achemilla, cotinus, feverfew, hellebores, aruncus, saponaria in a handmade footed bowl.

I’ve spent the past few weeks with Louise Worner studying ma within full moon arrangements.

The first slide shows my classical full moon arrangement, built around allium. Classical moon vase arrangements are very simplified, but not because they are casual or under-designed. The restraint is the structure. The vase acts as a frame: materials remain within the circle, slightly off center, with the arrangement subtly directed toward the light. Pale yellow or white flowers (yellowing allium leaves) often echo the color of the full moon, and empty space is treated as an essential element, reflecting the Japanese concept of ma—the meaningful space between elements.

The second slide, featuring roadside grasses, takes a more contemporary approach. Instead of focusing on floral mass, it uses line, repetition, height, and restraint. The circle remains visually important, but the grasses extend beyond it, shifting the arrangement from classical containment into a more modern study of movement and negative space.

The third slide shows my peony arrangement, which was my first attempt at working with the form. Here, the flowers, tendrils, and movement interrupt the circle instead of staying contained by it. It still responds to the moon form, but the frame becomes a portal for materials to move within and through.

The final slide was not intended as a modern full moon arrangement, but it feels closely related. The opening in the Sommerso style vase creates a frame, the materials move through it, and the empty space becomes part of the arrangement.

Same form, different approach.

Using two vessels and cotinus.

Materials are Nepali lokta paper and wire.

Flax is a great material for ikebana. If you’re a florist, never put it in the cooler, it will brown quickly from the cold. It will last a month or more in water.

From earlier this spring.

Book five lesson 6 Japanese Narcissus

Bizen ware tsubo with dried spruce, spirea, Solomon’s seal, bark, and hellebores.

Pruned and edited heavily to create the line and mass.