Keiko's Ikebana. Keiko Kubo

plant materials or for decoration. I sometimes use marbles to make ikebana in glass containers. When choosing marbles for an arrangement, be aware of how their color will affect your overall design. Personally, I prefer matching clear glass marbles with most containers and materials.

      Floral Water Tubes

      The water tube is one of the tools often used to keep flowers fresh, particularly in Western-style floral arrangements. The water tubes can provide water to fresh flowers when other means for delivering water, such as floral foam, aren't practical. Use only one flower per tube, and check every few days to make sure that water remains in the tube after you finish the arrangement. An arrangement showing the use of floral water tubes is described in the step-by-step section.

      Floral Foam

      Floral foam is used mainly in Western-style floral arrangements. However, I often use this material for arrangements that need to be portable, such as gift baskets. You can usually buy this foam at a flower shop.