>> "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.