DIY | Alternative to Floral Foam - Flower Arrangement with Pin Frog (Kenzan)

Today I show you how to create a spring-like arrangement with daffodils, hyacinths, tulips, freesia, moss and willow catkins in a glass bowl. For this, I use a pin frog (Kenzan) with spikes made of small nails as a plug-in base into which the flowers are inserted. This is a more environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to traditional floral foam. I have answered general and frequently asked questions about floral foam here in a Floral Foam FAQ on sustainability, disposal, microplastics, etc.

Pin Frog (Kenzan)

Before we get started with the DIY, a few words about the pin frog. The pin frog, also called kenzan or flower frog, is a heavy round or square object with spikes made of small nails into which plant stems can be inserted. The kenzan comes from the Japanese art of flower arranging, known as Ikebana. There it is used in the Ikebana style Moribana in which a shallow bowl filled with water serves as a arrangement base.

Tools

Here you can see what tools I used for the flower arrangement. You need a pair of gardening shears to cut the spring flowers and pruners to cut the willow catkins.

Tool	Search on…
Gardening shears	*
I use the Japanese gardening shears Okatsune 304	*
Gardening pruners	*
I use the Japanese gardening pruners Okatsune 103	*

Materials

These are the materials I used for the spring arrangement: a pin frog (Kenzan) about 6 cm in diameter, a small red bowl, a glass bowl, moss, willow catkins and the following spring bloomers: yellow daffodils, blue hyacinths, pink tulips and white freesias.

Material	Suche auf…
Pin frog (Kenzan)	*
Small bowl (red)	*
Glass bowl	*
Moss	*
Willow catkins	*
Yellow daffodils	*
Blue hyacinths	*
Pink tulips	*
White freesias	*

Guide

Step 1: Prepare glass bowl

The first step is to prepare the glass bowl. In the middle of it I put the small red bowl.

So that the fresh flowers are later supplied with water, I pour some into the small red bowl.

Step 2: Cut willow catkin

The second step is to cut the branches of the willow catkins. I use pruners for this and cut branches of different lengths.

Step 3: Cutting spring flowers

The next step is to cut the daffodils, hyacinths, tulips and freesias. I use the shears for this purpose.

To make the arrangement look more interesting later, I cut the flowers to different lengths.

Step 4: Decorate glass bowl

The next step is to decorate the glass bowl with moss and willow catkins.

I put the moss in the glass bowl first.

Then I put the branches of the willow catkins over the moss. These can be bent well.

Step 5: Pin frog (Kenzan)

Now the pin frog is filled with the flowers and willow catkins. To do this, simply insert the stems into the nails.

I’ll start with the willow catkins.

After that I put the hyacinths in the pin frog.

This is followed by the daffodils.

Then I put the tulips in.

Lastly, I put the freesias in the pin frog.

Step 6: Put pin frog in the bowl

In the last step, the pin frog is placed in the small red water bowl. The branches of the palm catkins can be put a little over it, so that you do not see the pin frog.