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The Cornell Reading Courses 



Harmony. — Harmony implies a degree of likeness, relationship, or 

 congeniality between parts. This is more easily obtained by the use of 



one than of several kinds of plants, for in 

 nature there is a degree of harmony in the 

 different parts of one plant. The line of 

 leaf, stem, and flower is the common bond in 

 the lily. The same is true of the goldcnrod. 

 Color in the foliage of many plants changes 

 after the blossoms disappear and again when 

 the fruit is ripe ; constantly there is hannony 

 between blossoms, fruit, and leaves. When 

 apple trees bloom, there are very few leaves, 

 and those are a grayed tint of yellow-green. 

 When the blossoms fall, the leaves become 

 a deeper, more vivid green. As the fruit 

 ripens, the leaves lose their summer bril- 

 liancy, thus subordinating themselves to 

 the fruit. 



Texture is another characteristic that 

 enters into the making of a harmonious 

 flower arrangement. The texture of the 

 hyacinth blossom harmonizes with the tex- 

 ture of its leaves, and the texture of the ge- 

 ranium with that of its leaves; but the foliage 

 of these plants could not be interchanged 

 effectively. 



The receptacle should have some element 

 in common with the plant in a perfectly 

 harmonious arrangement. In figure 20 the 

 rounded bowl harmonizes in shape with the 

 form of the peonies; in figure 23 the tall, slim 

 vase is in keeping with the slender grace of 

 the rose. The second vase in figure 13 is 

 well adapted to the wandlike variety of 

 goldenrod. If the general shape of the plant 

 arrangement is short and rounded, low, 

 broad, bulbous vases are good. If the 

 bouquet is tall and slender, the vase should 

 be that shape. In figure 26 both the color 

 and the decoration of the bowl harmonize 

 with the sod from which the buttercups and 

 the grasses grew- 



Fig. 23. — One long-stemmed rose 

 in a slender vase is a tiling of 

 beauty in line 



