Ever Used a “Frog” (a.k.a. Kenzan)?

Published on: August 6, 2004

by Dina Buck

No, not that kind of frog! I’m talking about a circular metal disk with many small sharp points coming out of it. It’s also known as a “kenzan” (to you Ikebana enthusiast) and they are a very fun tool to use for creating simple and seeming gravity defying floral arrangements. They especially come in handy if you are trying to create a more minimalist look, or if you have only a few flowers to design with (good for those on a budget). They are also fun because they enable you to break away from the typical vased arrangements to create new looks.

So how do they work? Frogs are secured into a vase or container with florist’s putty. The putty enables you to secure the frog into any type of container that you want (though usually containers with low edges are most commonly used with frogs). Try teacups, glass bowls, shallow dishes, small short vases that you though you’d never have a use for, etc. The sky’s the limit! The stems of the flowers are pushed onto the short spikes enabling the flowers to stand on their own. You can cut flowers at varying lengths and arrange on the frog vertically, or at angles to create the look you want. Flowering branches or curly willow also work well. For a unique look, try leaving some flowers tall and cut others very short and low to cover frog. Covering one’s “mechanics”, as we florists say, is very important. If you don’t have enough flowers to cover the frog, try using pebbles, marbles, baby artichokes or other fruits and vegetables, pine cones, pieces of wood, or moss. People will wonder how you got the flowers to stand on their own and use of other material can spark design ideas you might not have thought of otherwise. What’s more, flowers tend to last longer because their bottoms, being punctured on the spikes, allow them to easily draw up water. Just be sure to freshen up the water regularly since flowers can drink a surprising amount of water, and using shallow containers means the water can be sucked dry sooner than you might think.

So where do you get a frog? Frogs and florist putty can usually be bought in craft stores and at some florists. If you can’t find a supplier, call your local florist and ask them if they know a local source. If you have trouble getting started with ideas, bring one into you favorite florist and ask them to arrange something on it for you. Chances are they will only need to use a few flowers (again, inexpensive) and you can get an idea of how to arrange with one. Have fun!

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