PEACTICAL HINTS IX FLORAL ADOENMEXT. 371 



der, or a floral design. I apprehend we give too little credit to the influence of 

 form, upon our conception of beauty. Yet, if vre think a moment, Ave can all 

 appreciate how colors may be arranged never so deftly and their whole effect 

 lost by an indelicate form. 



We speak of a certain v.'oman as being beautiful, yet we know the beauty is 

 wonderfully enhanced by apjiropriate adornment. It is just as true of a flower. 

 Its intrinsic beauty is never so great as not to be modified for the better by 

 dressing it up. "\V^hat is this camellia without its cup of leaves, and what an 

 added beauty there is when we couple with a rose a spray of its own delicate 

 leaves. The appropriate arrangement of cut flowers in the vase, bouquet, basket 

 or design requires the most delicate apprehension of discord, as well as complete 

 harmony ; this taste, although it is largely the result of cultivation, must have a 

 live germ to begin with. 



The little girl of light complexion and sandy hair whom I have seen hunting 

 for a scraj) of blue ribbon to adorn her head, with ordinary opportunities will be 

 an adept at arranging flov/ers. She knows the meaning of congruity before she 

 can spell the word. Let us make a little application of our rules in regard to 

 color. Here are a lot of cut flowers before us. We take first this brilliant car- 

 nation, varying but little from a pure red, it is beautiful by itself, — rather stifE 

 and formal to be sure, — but very attractive withal ; place beside it this white 

 sister, — arn't they fine? I do not know that eitlier is benefited by the other, 

 but there is no discord, and of course two beautiful things must be better than 

 one. But wait a moment; here is a geranium leaf, nothing very wonderful 

 about that, — thousands of leaves more delicate by far, — place itbackof our car- 

 nations, mark the effect. They were beautiful before, now they are incompara- 

 ble. AVdiy this wonderful effect? All explained in a single sentence: green 

 and. red arc complementary colors, and together form a very effective " mutual 

 admiration society." We will place this combination in our tiny vase. Yes, it 

 is truly beautiful, but still something grates harshly. It is top-heavy, — too 

 large for the vase; it looks stiff, uncompromising, altogether too "big-headed." 

 Substitute this sprig of scarlet and white bouvardia, with a delicate leaf for the 

 background. That is better. The discord was due to incongruity of form. 

 Carelessly twine this spray of smilax about the base and we have added 50 per 

 cent. It is complete. Again, take this purple cineraria, place it along with 

 scarlet, with red or vritli blue and it makes a soriy appearance. It is really a 

 rich color in itself. But look carefully at its center and you will observe the 

 beauty of the flower is indebted largely to those bits of polen which have burst 

 from the anthers and still adhere to the blossom. We hare reallv found a 

 place for the brazen jasmine (a flower with no pretensions to beauty, and would 

 never have entered the dreams of the poets witliout its odor), not so attractive 

 .a combination, to be sure, as our first arrangement, but not altogether unpleas- 

 iug, and with a bit of vdiite is not so far inferior to the bouvardia combination. 



With a piece of paper stretched across a box, and perforated with holes, we 

 can form all sorts of combinations and accumulate an indefinite amount of evi- 

 dence in verification of the statement that the lav,^ of complementary colors 

 should always govern floral decorations. But j'ou vfill say many times, our 

 flowers are limited and v»'e cannot accord with this rule. I have only to answer 

 to this : white, the unit of all color, comes to the rescue. It is not out of char- 

 acter in any company. It smiles upon crimson as well as upon scarlet, and 

 placed between them dissipates the frowns they always hold in readiness for one 

 another, in case of too great intimacy. 



