CONSTRUCTING BOTJaUETS. 49 



son's ambition ; and the result is once more, much grace 

 and little heaviness. 



" For actual use on dinner tables, the prettiest fashion I 

 have ever seen by far, is that of the large open vase sup- 

 ported on gilt branches, always so arranged as to look 

 wide and low in proportion to its height. 



" The dish or vase, I should mention, was of plain frost- 

 ed glass, shallow and wide, and rested on twisted supports 

 of bright and frosted gilding. 



" The dish was itself filled up with bright dark green 

 moss one of the beautiful green-house lycopods might well 

 be used here. Lycopodium denticulatum is, perhaps, best 

 of all for the purpose, and is easily grown anywhere, in a 

 shady corner of the green-house, or in a window that will 

 not suit many flowering plants because of want of sun. 

 The moss was raised in the centre not a heap, but curved 

 upwards. The flowers were as follows : one deep red 

 Hose, one of the palest Blush white, a spray of Avhite Con- 

 volvulus, just touched with pink, a cluster of red droop- 

 ing flowers (I thought of the Rose acacia), one spray of 

 pale wild Rose, one bright pink Rose, a cluster of white 

 Acacia, and a drooping branch of the pink Convolvulus. 



" It is to be remarked, the colors were all shades of rose 

 and white. The whole thing was most perfectly bright, and 

 fresh, and beautiful. Each flower was simply laid down 

 on the green, fairly round the vase, no attempt being made 

 to fill up the centre at all. The flowers just touched, and 

 had each its own green leaves ; the stems, of course, were 

 just hidden slightly in the moss. I give this to show the 

 style of thing, but, of course, other flowers can be used 

 for any of those named. The great thing is, it seems to 

 me, to have some idea to work to ; and there certainly are 

 such ideas to be picked up, sown broadcast abroad ; where 

 nobody is ashamed of trying to make themselves and 

 everything else look their prettiest ! 

 3 



