About this product
Full description
Full description
There's a quiet art to holding a stem exactly where you want it, and the Japanese have been perfecting it for centuries. A Kenzan — sometimes called a spiky frog or pin frog — is the traditional tool behind Ikebana, the art of flower arranging, and it earns its place in any vase-lover's kit.
It's a weighted metal base bristling with fine brass nail spikes. Press your stems onto the pins and they hold exactly where you place them — upright, angled, or leaning just so — with none of the flopping and re-arranging that comes with a narrow vase neck alone. Because stems are held apart rather than crowded together, water and nutrients move through them more freely, so your arrangement stays fresher and the water stays clearer for longer.
Available in three sizes, so you can match the frog to the vase — and the arrangement — in mind.
How it works
- Weighted brass base — sits low and heavy in the bottom of the vase, so it won't tip or drift once flowers are added
- Fine nail spikes — press stems firmly onto the pins to hold them in position; adjust the angle as you build the arrangement
- Improved water uptake — spaced stems draw water and nutrients more freely than a tightly packed bunch, keeping blooms fresher for longer
- Rubber gasket base — fitted underneath to stop the metal marking or scratching the bottom of your presentation vase
Choosing your size
- Small — 34 x 52mm, 135g — suits a compact posy, a bud vase, or delicate single-stem arrangements
- Medium — 50 x 70mm, 320g — the versatile middle size for most everyday arrangements and medium vases
- Large — 70mm diameter, 370g — for generous, full displays and wider-mouthed vases where more stems need holding
Not sure which to choose? Measure the base of your vase — the frog should sit comfortably within it with a little room around the edge for stems to fan out.
Particularly good for
- Anyone taking their first steps in Ikebana or flower arranging
- Arranging flowers with soft or hollow stems that won't sit upright in a vase alone
- Building structured, sculptural displays rather than loose bunches
- Gardeners bringing cut flowers in from the border and wanting them to last
- As a thoughtful gift alongside a favourite vase
Caring for your Kenzan
Rinse under warm water after use to clear any plant debris caught between the pins, and dry before storing to keep the brass spikes rust-free. Looked after this way, a Kenzan will last for years of arranging.
A small thought: there's something rather calming about arranging flowers this way — no fighting a narrow vase neck, no flowers slumping sideways by the second day. Just quiet, precise placement, stem by stem.