152 Milady's House Plants 



Fixing in a Vase 



When arranging flowers in an ordinary vase with- 

 out moss much time may be saved, and better work 

 done, by grouping the flowers in the hand first, then 

 sliding them bodily into the vase, rather than by stick- 

 ing them into the vase one by one in the conventional 

 amateur manner. 



A Good Lining 



An ordinary flower pot that is sound makes an ex- 

 cellent "liner" for a basket. The hole in the bottom 

 of the pot can be stopped tightly with a cork and green 

 sheet moss used as suggested previously. The moss 

 is a very useful adjunct, much superior to sand, and 

 it may be kept on hand indefinitely in a cool, moist 

 place; 



First-hand Study of Flowers 



With regard to the artistic arrangement of flowers 

 the greatest pleasure can be derived from studying 

 the subject at first hand in one's own home and gar- 

 den. No one need be enslaved by the views of an- 

 other. Even Nature herself is often ugly and gro- 

 tesque in her associations and cannot be blindly fol- 

 lowed. On the other hand, art can be cultivated and 

 to this ena the study of work of more advanced stu- 

 dents is profitable. Abundant practice is also, valu- 

 able in that it enables one to develop with quickness 

 and certainty a mental picture that would otherwise 

 never materialize. Finally, the comforting thought 

 remains that these practice pictures quickly fade and 

 give opportunity for fresh efforts with no waste of 

 canvas and pigments or accumulation of crude at- 

 tempts with the brush to bring a blush in future years. 



