🎍 Euphorbia and Coral Dogwood: A Winter Ikebana of Depth and Simplicity

This piece was arranged in the crisp stillness of winter.
The vivid red branches of coral dogwood (Sango Mizuki) create a linear structure, evoking a sense of serene tension.
Euphorbia was placed subtly in the background, embodying okuyukasa—the Japanese aesthetic of graceful modesty.

🪷 Refined Composition and the Power of Space

As seen in the photo, the radiating lines of the coral dogwood establish both rhythm and tension.
Though the structure appears simple, every branch was adjusted with care—balancing length, spacing, and angle.
It is within these spaces—the ma—that silence and focus come alive.

🌿 Euphorbia Blooming in the Background

Despite its bright green leaves and small red blossoms, euphorbia stays gently in the background.
Rather than being a secondary element, it adds depth—a quiet counterpoint to the strong linearity of the dogwood, offering a whisper of life.

🖤 The Container and Background: Anchoring Stillness

The black rectangular container grounds the energetic dogwood, offering a sense of stability and gravity.
The soft brown background captures a still winter atmosphere, enhancing the vividness of the branches and blossoms.

✂️ Tips for Conditioning Euphorbia and Making It Last

When euphorbia is cut, it releases a white milky latex. This latex is highly irritating and may cause skin inflammation or rashes upon contact. Handle with care and consider wearing gloves when conditioning euphorbia. If left untreated, this sap clogs the stems and reduces water uptake, leading to wilting.
To prevent this, cut the stems underwater and immediately rinse them under running water to wash away the sap.
This simple step greatly improves hydration and helps the flowers stay fresh longer.

💡For more detailed cut flower care tips, check out my post:
👉 How to Keep Cut Flowers Fresh

🩺 From a Doctor’s Perspective: The Importance of Invisible Care

Just like euphorbia requires invisible care at the stem level, patient care often hinges on what cannot be seen on the surface.
As a physician, I believe true wellness lies in attending to what’s hidden—the underlying causes, the subtle shifts in condition, and the unseen efforts to heal.

In both ikebana and medicine, the essence often lies in the unseen.

🔗 Related links

🌸 For those who feel inspired to experience flowers firsthand：
👉 Try an Ikebana Class in Omotesando (EN)

🌿 For those with a busy lifestyle…：
👉 Fake Greenery for a Healing Space (EN)

🌼 Why don’t you start a life with flowers?

Perhaps it is in these hectic days that we need flowers that bloom softly.
The first thing I tried was a flower subscription service👇. It’s affordable to start, easy to cancel, and fits right into your lifestyle.

You don’t have to do ikebana right off the bat, just a quick display of flowers in a vase at hand will do.
A simple bouquet can bring peace to even the busiest days.
That’s what makes flower subscriptions so appealing.

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🌸 If this post inspired you to try ikebana, check out our recommended lessons here: