Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Marvelous Pussy Willow


Our pussy willow tree in the backyard is budding again. The tiny catkins are covered in white silver-ish fur before it flowers. When the pussy willow flowers are fully open, the yellow pollen-bearing anthers are protruding and the stigmas are visible. It looks like a fur ball with yellow pollen at the tips of the fur.

This is the time I hand harvest branches from my tree, and peel the buds to reveal the catkins to preserve the whiter silver color.

Inspired by its graceful lines, I used the pussy willows with orchids in three ikebana-inspired arrangements designed to form one large display for a private function.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Very beautiful and cheery! Wonderful work!