Little Monsters in the Garden: Anna Rosa Vollmann’s Pomegranate Ikebana
The Vienna-based Ohara instructor turns curved pomegranate branches and soft-pink anthuriums into an autumn moribana, with a lesson in seeing flowers as living characters.
Anna Rosa Vollmann / HanaRosa, Vienna, Austria · Words by Anna Rosa Vollmann · 5 November 2026
In the countryside outside Vienna, Anna Rosa Vollmann spotted something unexpected in her autumn garden: ripe pomegranates that looked like little monsters making faces. Their curved branches and bursting fruit became the starting point for a moribana arrangement with soft-pink anthuriums. Vollmann, an Ohara ikebana instructor and founder of HanaRosa who teaches in Vienna and London, studied the Japanese floral art after moving to Japan. In this week’s arrangement, she explains how branches, colour and seasonality can bring character to a composition.
Tell us a little about you and your relationship with flowers.
I love wildflowers and everything I find in my little garden in the countryside near Vienna. I especially love using branches in my arrangements, such as walnut or pomegranate, depending on the season. I travel a lot and enjoy working with flowers from different regions, as each flower is so unique and inspires a different arrangement.
How did you first begin arranging flowers?
I started studying ikebana when I moved to Japan, where I had the opportunity to get a cultural activity visa and really focus on this traditional floral art. Before I started ikebana, I worked at an office, using only my head but never my hands to create something. Ikebana helped me calm my mind and find my creativity.
Can you tell us about an arrangement you’ve made recently that you particularly enjoyed?
Recently, in early autumn, I picked pomegranates from my garden. The branches were beautifully curved and the pomegranates looked otherworldly. The fruits reminded me of little monsters making funny faces. I decided to create an ikebana called moribana, to show the elegant line of the branches, deep colours of the fruits as well as seasonality.
What materials did you use, and why did you choose them?
For the moribana ikebana, I used pomegranate and anthurium. The deep pink of the pomegranate responded naturally to the soft pink of the anthurium, while the leaves created a light green and yellowish base. Also, pomegranate was the perfect tree to honour late summer and early autumn, as the fruit had fully ripened.
What was the idea or feeling behind the arrangement?
The idea was to create a strong arrangement that shows the change of seasons. All the energy of summer was held inside the pomegranate fruit, ripened and burst open, surrounded by leaves that had already started to change colour and held by a strong wooden branch.
Is there a technique, rule or habit that has had a big influence on the way you arrange?
I like to look at flowers as if they had faces, looking back at me. When creating an arrangement, I always want to show the happy face of the flower. My teacher in Japan told me to never let the flowers look sad.
What is something flowers have taught you?
Flowers taught me to cherish the moment and to embrace change. I also learned that each flower is unique—even from the same plant, each one looks different. Just like people: each one is unique, and together they form a diverse community.
What advice would you give someone who wants to become more confident making arrangements?
My ikebana teacher in Japan always tells me to have fun arranging flowers and to trust in my skills.
“My teacher in Japan told me to never let the flowers look sad.”
Photographs: IMG_0531, IMG_0186, IMG_4018 and IMG_3661 by Clemens Schmiedbauer (@clemensschmiedbauer). IMG_3292, IMG_3664 and IMG_3671 by Anna Rosa Vollmann. Images supplied with publication permission by Anna Rosa Vollmann (15 October 2026).