>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by... Albertsons Companies, with additional support from the following companies.

CalFlowers, Design Master Color Tool, Smithers-Oasis, Sunshine Bouquet.

♪ >> On this episode of "Life in Bloom," I show you traditional ikebana flower arranging, we'll explore the art of bonsai, and go on location to learn the philosophy of a Japanese flower-farming family.

Sake is the spirited twist to our cocktail, and we'll see how to create a tuna rose.

♪ ♪ I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

People have long been fascinated with the art of Japanese flower design, whether it's the beauty of bonsai, a Zen garden, or the art of ikebana flower arranging.

♪ There's something so captivating about these traditional methods.

Sure, the flowers and trees themselves are beautiful, but it's the thought and care that goes into the projects that makes them so special.

For example, the intention behind ikebana is to develop a closeness with nature and is about bringing nature and humanity together.

♪ Today on "Life in Bloom," we'll show you what goes into growing and arranging within these wonderful traditions.

♪ Today, I'm going to create a Japanese flower arrangement.

Ikebana is the classic style, and it has very strict rules.

I studied the Ikenobo school of floral design when I was 17 years old in Japan.

I also collect ikebana and Japanese flower-arranging materials.

Typically, an ikebana arrangement is created in a kenzan that looks like this.

It's also called a needle pack because the needles are set in a heavy, weighted base.

Today, in this free-form container, I have flower foam inside, and we're using that to make the strategic placements of our flowers.

I've covered it with moss to give it a wonderful natural look.

I found this book many years ago, and I love it.

It's a great reference guide, "The Art of Arranging Flowers," and it's a well-used, well-loved book.

As a second owner of it, I enjoy just going through it and seeing the different types of arrangements that you can create.

It's fascinating.

Today, I'll demonstrate a modified version of this arrangement.

We'll use a king protea and some pincushions.

We'll also use an ornamental kale and other types of foliage.

I found a wonderful stick that we'll also use inside this.

The thing to remember about Japanese flower arranging is that it's a peaceful activity, and you should relax and enjoy the process.

♪ When I was a teenager, my parents decided I should be classically trained in flower arranging, so they sent me to Japan to study at the Ikenobo School of Floral Design.

This allowed me an opportunity as a young adult to learn classic Japanese flower arranging.

That's carried through my entire career.

I reference the rules and the methods that I learned all the time.

Was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about flower arranging abroad.

One of the things that I remember most about the class was that, one day, before we created an arrangement, we looked at the flowers and foliage and stems for an entire day, taking note of how they grew, which direction they grew, whether there were little bites by bugs, all sorts of natural things that occur in the flowers and plants themselves.

It gave me a whole new awareness of how to look at each individual flower or piece of foliage before you place it in an arrangement.

I think it's fair to say that, in the Japanese flower arts, each individual flower or stem of foliage is a masterpiece unto itself.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ In Japanese flower arranging, all flowers and foliage have meaning, which are personally interpreted by the flower artist.

Heaven, earth, and man are frequent symbols in Japanese flower arranging.

♪ So, today, I have my friend Dusty Brown here to tell us about the art of bonsai.

Dusty, you and I met many years ago when we were shooting flowers for books that I used to do that people would look at in flower stores.

>> Yes.

>> You are still an accomplished photographer.

That's your day job.

>> That is my day job, yeah.

>> Right.

And so now you do bonsai to relax, as a passion, as a fun thing.

And so I wanted you to tell us a little bit, because I'm fascinated, but I know nothing, so... >> Yeah.

Well, I got started probably 12 years ago.

I think my oldest tree is about 12.

I just fell in love with it after a while, and it is -- Like you said, it is relaxing.

You come to appreciate the trees, and you have a vision of trees, so to say, when you get a small tree, and you watch it grow over a few years.

That's the relaxing and fun part.

The also relaxing and fun part is the putting it in a pot and doing what you want with it.

There's nobody to tell you.

The tree can't talk back to you.

>> Right.

Well, and it's classic.

It's art.

It's nature.

All of those things go together.

I think we're used to seeing something like this 'cause this is kind of what we see.

>> Yeah, so if you go to -- If you do go to a store, you're gonna find something, like, similar to that.

>> And so it's a little cypress tree, and it has the little, you know, stone in it and things like that, but then this is what I think of when I think of the art.

>> Right, and I think back in the -- Originally, it started in the Chinese culture and then transformed into Japanese, and what they would do is hike into the mountains and find these mountainous trees and bring them back in these pots, so "bonsai" is "tree in pot."

>> Okay.

And that's what this is.

>> You can literally bonsai any kind of tree.

>> And so you reclaimed this one.

You took this one out of nature and started with it.

>> I did.

This was found in our yard.

It is a Japanese maple, but I wanted to keep it nice and small.

>> Okay.

>> But it is -- There's mistakes, and if you want me to, I'll point out the mistakes.

>> Well, you can -- And I think that that's one of the things that we love is that I want people to try it.

>> Yeah.

>> We don't have to be perfect.

>> Right.

>> I think that that's a really important part about it.

So you can point out your mistake if you want to, but it taught you something, so... >> It did.

>> ...it's your learning experience.

>> So the best thing is, is like when you brought this one up.

We can go to the store and buy this, and someone has done the work for you.

You're just maintaining at this point.

>> All right.

>> But when you try something and you pull it out of nature and you have a vision for it and you're telling it to do what you want, it is more of an accomplishment.

So, when I had this, it was just a small, little -- I mean, it was only this big.

>> Really?

>> And I said, "Oh, I have a vision for this."

>> Okay.

>> You know, you can train trees and limbs with bonsai wire.

>> Okay.

>> And it's very pliable and cuttable.

So I trained it, and you can see I left it on over winter and then early spring, and this is the growth that happened, and I kind of was cutting into it, but what I was training is this arm.

This arm was coming up, and I trained it to go down.

>> Okay, so you wound the wire around it to push it down into that spot.

>> Exactly.

Exactly.

So that is part of the training and part of the fun and the patience of it.

So in our crazy day-to-day world, these things slow you down a little bit because they have no -- >> That is what I love about it.

>> Yeah.

>> So, now what's this little guy?

>> This little guy is a Serissa, and it is exposed root Serissa.

>> I love it.

>> Right?

>> So the idea is, is to see roots coming up.

It needs a trim, and I thought maybe if you wanted, we could trim this up.

So, first of all, I would...

So, all these little, tiny roots here are just sucker roots, so we need to slowly get rid of those, and these two here, I feel, are not needed.

>> Okay.

>> And they're going to do no help to the tree.

>> And I love how interesting this is right here, too, just that whole part.

>> So all of these little tiny guys in here.

>> Okay.

>> They don't need -- They're kind of distracting to the eye, right?

So something like this, there's a little cut right here.

See how this little branch is coming off here?

>> Uh-huh.

>> Another trick is, is that I've cut this.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> And this is coming this way, so obviously this is going to come this way, but even when we get as intricate as clipping some of these little flowers -- So if I wanted a growth to come this way... >> So, oh, now that way, and then now it'll come this way.

>> Now it'll come off.

The whole idea of this is training these.

>> Okay.

>> So training them is getting to a point where this is a happy spot for this trunk.

This is how I see this tree living the rest of its life.

>> Wow.

>> I don't need this to get huge and take over, so this easy draining is perfect for something like that.

>> And so pruning, super important 'cause it's gonna get crazy.

>> Especially something like this, which sits indoors, it's easy to -- You know, you can sit, let it -- This is a slow grower, so you can let it grow for a month, 2 months, and just come in and just start... >> You're just taking out the little ends.

>> Just taking out the ends, and you can get as intricate and crazy as you want, and pretty soon you may look at it and go, "Oh, I went too far," but guess what.

In a month, it'll be bushy again.

>> It'll grow again.

>> Might take a couple months but... >> I love that you made me feel empowered... >> Oh, good.

>> ...that I could do this.

I mean, and I think that that's the important part is, I want people who watch to understand that it's something simple that you can try.

I think, in today's day and age, we try and be too perfect... >> Yeah.

>> ...with stuff, and I think, you know, relaxing, meditating, you know, getting out with your trees, getting out with nature is fun.

So, we have a tradition here at "Life in Bloom."

I have a flower crown for you.

It's got a lot of deciduous material in it.

>> Oh, nice.

>> How about that?

All right?

So this is for you... >> Wonderful.

>> ...to wear.

And look -- I made it the right size.

I think you look great.

That's awesome.

Thanks so much.

I appreciate it, man.

>> You're welcome.

Thank you.

>> Thanks for coming.

♪ My enthusiasm for Japanese flower design even spills over into the kitchen.

Let's learn how to make the perfect tuna rose.

We start with a sushi-grade piece of ahi tuna and, of course, clean hands.

I use a sharp knife to cut thin, uniform slices of tuna.

♪ ♪ Spiral a strip of tuna to form the center of the rose.

Add more strips in concentric circles around the center to form a rose.

♪ ♪ ♪ Prepare the setting of your tuna rose by adding a bed of cabbage, an asparagus stem, and even basil leaves.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ For "Flower Cocktail Hour," we're making a ginger-orange cocktail with bourbon and sake.

We'll start with some shaved fresh ginger.

♪ We'll add 2 ounces of rye whiskey... ♪ ...an ounce of sake, a jigger of fresh orange juice... and a dash of simple syrup.

Then we'll add our ice.

♪ We'll shake... [ Ice rattling ] ...and pour into a martini glass.

♪ And then we'll finish with ginger beer... ♪ ...and garnish with an orange peel.

The ginger-orange cocktail with bourbon and sake.

Cheers.

♪ Here's another interesting connection the Japanese have with flowers in the USA.

The selling of cut flowers only goes back to around the 1880s.

Japanese immigrants were among the first to commercially produce a variety of garden plants and flowers such as camellias, wisteria, azaleas, and lily bulbs imported from Japan.

In 1906, the Japanese flower growers organized the California Flower Growers Association with 42 charter members which also included Chinese and Italian growers.

While World War II caused major setbacks for Japanese growers, many eventually reestablished their businesses after the war along with newcomers to the country.

Among those were the Kitayama Brothers, growers of cut flowers who, by the late 1950s, had 40 acres of flowers under glass.

My friends, the Kitayama Brothers, are still growing flowers today, including stem gardenias, one of my very favorite cut flowers of all time.

♪ ♪ >> We grow in about a million square feet of greenhouse and about 30 acres of outdoor fields.

>> I know we grow 100 different varieties of gerberas.

>> We do?

All right.

>> Well, because we also replant.

We try to bring on the newest varieties.

>> We did a quick calculation of how much we produce here at Kitayama's, and we think it's about 30 million blooms a year.

>> Wow.

>> We've been lucky.

We've been fortunate.

We were fortunate that, once upon a time, we were the biggest carnation growers in the country.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> I grew up in Colorado because we went there to grow a million square feet of carnations, as you know.

But then -- >> We shipped them on the bus to Fremont, Nebraska.

>> We sold them to the Schwankes.

>> Yeah.

>> And then when that market kind of went away... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...then we transitioned into roses, and at one time, find out we were the biggest rose growers in the United States.

>> Did you grow roses in Colorado?

>> We did.

>> Okay.

>> But a big transition for us was to go from, I say, ground roses into hydroponic roses because that was -- >> Oh, sure, sure.

>> That was gonna be -- It did.

It created a bigger rose, a stronger rose.

>> Right.

>> And that was a good business for us for a while.

>> Yep.

>> But now we realize, okay, what's next?

>> Right.

>> And what we grow now, we grow a lot of gerberas, lilies, lisianthus, snaps.

We grow about 20 different crops, but I believe, 5 years from now, probably 50% or 70% of that will be transitioned to something new.

>> Right.

>> My grandfather started growing flowers in Washington and moving over and setting up the greenhouses, going through the -- evolving, getting along, working together.

>> Let's talk about the stick story because the stick story is important to you.

>> It's part of our culture in the -- >> I think it's part of your culture, and I think that that's a really cool thing.

>> It's good.

>> Every Kitayama, no matter what generation, knows this story, and it comes from basically our grandmother.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> There were four brothers who were the original Kitayama Brothers.

There was Tom, Ray, Kee and Ted, and when they moved to California after World War II when they started their own greenhouse, Grandma told them, "You must stick together because individually, as one stick, you will be easily broken, but together, bound together as four sticks, you'll be very strong and difficult to break."

So that's the story that we hear.

That's why we work together.

>> Yeah, that's right.

>> Now, I'm not saying we don't have our differences.

We do, but at the end of the day, we know that we will stick together.

>> There's 89 family members in the Kitayama family, and there's probably, I want to guess, about 40 grandchildren coming up that don't know what they want to do, and they are very bright.

>> Our job is to build a very vibrant, profitable, growing, interesting company so that the next generation is going to say, "I want to do that."

>> Right.

"I want to continue the success."

>> That is part of our motivation.

We want people to say, "We want to join you."

We feel very fortunate.

We were given this business by our parents and our uncles, and we want to carry on that tradition of growing the finest flowers in the United States.

♪ >> Fuji chrysanthemums are native to Northeastern Europe and Asia.

Fuji mums are known for their size and bright colors.

They can last 14 to 21 days in a bouquet.

Fuji mums are also known as spider mums because of their long spidery petals.

Fuji mums are standard mums, which means each stem has a single large bloom.

Fuji mums are late bloomers, typically flowering in October through November.

It's believed that Fuji mums bring laughter and happiness into the home.

White fuji mums are a popular choice for bridal bouquets as they mean purity and truth.

However, this meaning does not translate to European countries where Fuji mums are used in graveside bouquets.

♪ Designing and constructing your own Zen garden is in and of itself an enjoyable process, and that's only the beginning.

Zen gardens are also known as Japanese rock gardens or dry landscape gardens.

Typically, they don't feature plants or flowers, but this is "Life in Bloom," so we'll make sure that we include some succulents and maybe a few flowers.

Gravel or sand are frequently used and then raked.

The raking can represent ripples in the water.

The rocks that are used are thought to symbolize islands or mountains.

Toiling in your Zen garden is considered by many to be a daily meditation practice.

I think it's fun because you can change your mind.

You may set something up a certain way and then decide, "I'd like it better this way."

It's a great opportunity for us to do something that's meditative and relaxing and isn't a huge undertaking.

Classic Zen gardens were intended to imitate the essence of nature, not its actual appearance, and to serve as an aid to meditation about the true meaning of life.

My Zen garden wouldn't be complete if it didn't have flowers or plants.

While I've used rocks, I'll also incorporate two beautiful succulents, and craspedia almost seems like flower orbs that could be nestled right down inside the garden.

Carefully raking sand or gravel with precision around the placed rocks are the main parts of a Zen garden.

Sand raked into round or spiraled or rippled patterns represents the sea.

Many kits come with a bamboo drawing pencil, which allows you to creatively draw your own patterns in the sand.

Upright or vertical stones can be used to represent trees while flat, horizontal stones represent water.

The best part about a Zen garden -- it's your own little garden where you can create your own life in bloom.

♪ ♪ As you've seen today, there's a lot of joy to be found in the processes and traditions of the Japanese flower arts.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

See you next time.

[ Gasps ] So you steam the ground, then.

>> Well, we don't use... >> One of my favorite smells in the greenhouse is always the cooked dirt.

I used to love that.

>> So you can tell that we steam.

You have the aroma.

>> So you seal this up.

This big tube sends steam in there.

>> Yes.

>> How hot does it get?

>> Ooh, good question.

I don't know.

What is the temperature?

>> What does the temperature get to be, Jim?

>> Well, you're probably looking about a high 200, in the low 300s.

>> Okay, and then that's how you sanitize the soil... >> Yes, right, sterilize the soil.

>> ...to start to go again.

>> Basically, you just cook it for 3, 4 hours.

>> Right.

>> Does it smell, then?

>> Yeah.

>> Does it smell like -- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That smell, I love that smell.

That's one of my favorite smells from being a little kid was when we would cook dirt in the greenhouses.

I love that.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by... Albertsons Companies, with additional support from the following companies -- CalFlowers, Design Master Color Tool, Smithers-Oasis, Sunshine Bouquet.

♪ Closed-caption funding provided by Ocean View Flowers.

♪ For everything flowers, recipes, projects, and more information, visit ubloom.com.