First Encounter: Cobaea

When I work with a botanical ingredient for the first time, I always test: The strength of outline, how it behaves in different vessels, whether its stems are thick enough for a kenzan, how long it lasts in and out of water, how it ages…

I explore all of this before I even consider how it might interact with other elements.

Cobaea is a vine. It hooks, searches, doubles back and catches hold. As a cut stem, it is a little more compliant. Yet, as with any new material, working with it is less a demonstration than a record of negotiation.

I test it upright. Let it fall. Turn it through the frame. Remove everything that competes with its wandering line.

The result is not a finished arrangement, but a set of first impressions: curious, unruly and full of possibility.

A stem that refuses to follow your plan is often the most interesting of all.