Blooms & Bamboo - Chrysanthemum and Ikebana Sogetsu Artistry 1 of 6

The team of Sogetsu School, under the leadership of Headmistress (Lemoto) Akane Teshigahara,  traveled from Japan to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, USA, to create the largest, towering display of  bamboo structure and natural elements exclusively designed for Longwood Gardens Autumn Show : Blooms & Bamboo - Chrysanthemum and Ikebana Sogetsu Artistry, to be held
on Oct.3 - Nov. 17  2019.

"Although I have created bamboo installations in a variety of styles in Japan and around the world for more than 20 years, the two installations planned for Longwood Gardens will be the greatest and finest of all, both in terms of scale and bamboo manipulated techniques." Teshigahara explained.

"Teshigahara has created an imaginative and never before seen visual experience. Combined with Longwood staff's horticulture expertise for growing chrysanthemums in traditional Asian- inspired forms, Blooms & Bamboo promises to be an exquisite display that celebrates these two Japanese horticultural art forms in a way only Longwood can," said President and CEO, Paul B. Redman.

The imaginative display features 635 rods of bamboo manipulated into twisting, spiraling, and intertwined natural works of art that reach heights of 10 to 15 feet. These larger than life Ikebana structured sculptures, several people can walk through easily. For two weeks, the Sogetsu team from Japan with their skillful and hard work, finished the structure in front of you. We are so thrilled to be a tiny tiny part of it by helping out the minor jobs as volunteer (there are hundreds of local sogetsu people and friends take turns to do volunteer works). On the opening day, when we see it, our expressions were loud WOW! WOW!! AMAZING !!!