Connected support
2 HORIZONTAL SUPPORT (ICHIMONJI-DOME) This is one of the most basic stabilizing techniques. Cut a twig or stem slightly longer than the diameter of the mouth of the container and push it down horizontally to press against both sides and rest suspended in the middle of the container by its own tension. Materials can be placed to rest against this stay.
Rather than use a dried twig that will loosen, a young and flexible one is easier to handle and has more strength. As long as the twig or stem is firm enough to stay suspended against the inside wall of the vase, any kind of material works. You can pick it from your garden or you can use a part of your flower arrangement materials. Do not force the twig too hard into the container as this may damage it. This method (and the following two methods) requires force and should not be applied to vases of great value or old and fragile containers.
This technique is particularly suitable for a narrow and tall vase or for an arrangement with all the flowers placed facing one direction.
Natural coiled materials
Wire coil
3 CROSS SUPPORT (JUMONJI-DOME) This technique basically uses the same method as the above-mentioned horizontal support. All you need to do is to add another horizontal stay, crosswise, above the first horizontal stay. Crossed double stays are stronger than single stays and can thus support the floral materials better.
Apply this technique if you want to place the flower materials firmly in exactly the spot you desire inside the container.
In the arrangement, you need not fill all four quarter sections created by this cross support. For instance, by placing materials into only two open sections of the cross-support, the arrangement should be stable enough and the base of the arrangement will look neat.
4 FORKED SUPPORT (MATAGI-DOME) A two-pronged stay supports materials in the same way as the horizontal stay but by using a single V-shaped or Y-shaped branch. If such a jointed branch cannot be cut, the same result can be achieved by combining two twigs or stems. With this method, when the arrangement is seen from the front, it looks as though all the materials are rising from the same point.
5 CONNECTED SUPPORT (SOEGI-DOME) This method is useful when you want to make an arrangement with short-stemmed materials in a deep vessel. Select a sturdy branch and cut it shorter than the depth of the container. Slit the top of the branch and insert the flower into the slit. Place the flower connected to the supporting branch into the container. The entire arrangement is further stabilized if the ends of the flower stems are resting flat against the inside of the container.
When arranging branches, a stronger or thicker branch should be used as the supporting extension. Slit the ends of both branches and insert one end into the other. Adjust the branch for the arrangement at the angle you want. Make sure the cut ends of supported materials are touching the water.
6 NATURAL COILED MATERIALS Natural materials like twisted vines or branches can also be used for the same effect as wire. Bind a vine to create a sphere and insert the flowers into the small spaces between the branches. A support made of natural materials can be a part of the arrangement, and thus need not be hidden. Since the device is placed in the water, choose strong and non-perishable materials such as ivy, jasmine, clematis, honeysuckle and grapevine.
7 WIRE COIL Coiled wire can act as a stabilizing device inside a container. Loosely wind or twist into a sphere and place inside a container to hold plant materials. Choose wire that is strong enough to hold the materials but flexible enough to form into a ball with adequate spaces to insert flowers. This is an easy method and wire is available in most hardware stores. Apply this technique for a container with some depth so the wire can be hidden inside the container. Use non-rusting wire in colors that are close to the flower materials or the containers.
Dried branch as a stabilizer
Inner container for water
Hydrangea flower as a stabilizer
8 USING FLOWERS/LEAVES Even without specific tools, you can stabilize an arrangement using the materials themselves. For example, a stem’s own tension can support itself. Some materials placed first in a container can act as the stabilizer for other flower materials added later. Vines or branches that constitute the basic structure of the arrangement can also function as a stabilizer.
9 INNER CONTAINER FOR WATER (OTOSHI) For a wide-mouthed container, a common stabilizing technique is to put another separate container, usually a small bottle or cup, inside called otoshi. This inner container is used when the main container is a basket, a vase with a hole or a clay pot that cannot hold water. This method is also useful when a container is too big to completely fill with water or when there is a problem with the container leaking.
Floral water tube
10 FLORAL WATER TUBE A capped water tube is one of the implements often used to keep flowers fresh. The water tubes can provide water to fresh flowers when other means for providing water to the cut material are not practical. Using this convenient water holder, you can create a dramatic arrangement by showing a flower from an unexpected place.
Use only one flower per tube, and check it frequently to make sure that it contains enough water for the duration of the display.
11 ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS In addition to the stabilizing techniques mentioned above, certain organic materials can be used to support flowers in arrangements.
One of the biggest challenges in arranging is how to stabilize floral materials in a container with a wide opening. Standard flower stabilizing techniques, such as the kenzan pin holder, are in most cases too mechanical and are not meant to be seen. In order to complete the arrangement, artificial support devices need to be hidden.
Here are some examples of natural stabilizing materials/techniques that need not be hidden in an arrangement and can actually enhance it.
Alternative materials
• STONES Use a stone to hold stems upright. The stone must have enough weight to support the flowers. Be careful with the shape of the stone, as sharp edges may damage the container. A stone should harmonize with the container, so stock several kinds in different colors and sizes to enable you to have a good selection from which to choose. Stones can also be used to weigh down a container.
Even a hole or a crack in a stone can hold a stem. Using pieces or chunks of smoothed glass in a glass container is a similar approach.
• DRIFTWOOD OR DRIED BRANCHES These items are often used for ikebana. Set a piece of driftwood or other branch on or across a container and set flower stems against it. The wood can act as a part of the arrangement and add some movement and flow or dramatic accent. People who arrange ikebana favor branches with interesting curves and unusual
