Sharing Ikebana beyond Columbus brings fresh perspectives and new friendships. In this post, we reflect on the September workshop in Cleveland—what we taught, what we learned, and the joy of connecting with students from another region who share a love for Ohara style.
On Friday, September 19, 2025,I had the pleasure of teaching for the Northern Ohio Ohara Chapter at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. The chapter meets regularly in the Smith Garden classroom, and it’s always a joy to spend time with this talented and welcoming group.
Our first lesson of the day was Circular Form (Mawaru Katachi). The principal stems were dazzling dahlias grown by Cynthia Druckenbroad in her own garden. They were absolutely spectacular—large, full, and brimming with late-summer energy.
Circular Form is unique in Ohara Ikebana because it expresses movement radiating outward, as if traced along the circumference of a circle. It challenges us to balance space and flow while highlighting the natural beauty of each stem. With dahlias this striking, the students’ arrangements glowed with vibrant rhythm.
In the afternoon, we turned to Hanamai (Dancing Flowers), featuring a sunflower paired with the graceful line of a robellini palm leaf. Hanamai allows us to work sculpturally, often across multiple containers, with an emphasis on harmony and contrast as materials touch, overlap, or cross in space.
As I like to say:
“Hanamai is a fleeting moment of dance, captured in stillness.”
The sunflower’s bold face and the palm’s sweeping arc created a dynamic interplay—an elegant duet that perfectly illustrated the spirit of Hanamai.
The Northern Ohio Ohara Chapter meets on the third Friday of January, February, April, May, September, October, and November. If you are in the Cleveland area and want to explore the beauty of Ohara Ikebana, this group is warm, supportive, and always inspiring.
You can follow them on Instagram at @ohara_ikebana_cleveland
Joe Rotella
Associate Second Term Master
Ohara School of Ikebana
