194 The Amateur's Book of the Dahlia 



advantage. Group the types together, but not 

 more than two varieties in the average, vase 

 when the blooms have any individuality. Al- 

 ways have the stems as long as possible in 

 proportion to the size of the bloom. A dahlia 

 eight to twelve inches across should have a stem 

 three feet long at least. 



If you have Delice, arrange it in a dull-green 

 vase with deep-purple heliotrope. If you have 

 Ballet Girl, arrange it with Statice — ^in fact, use 

 Statice all you can with the pale cactus types. 

 Lay blooms of Crystal in a gray -blue bowl; 

 again use statice and maidenhair rue. Place 

 Valliant or Kalif in black glass or darkest bronze. 

 Add deep-bronze oak leaves and a touch of 

 berried dogwood. Insulinde, Princess Pat, and 

 dahlias of upright habit need but Httle "trim- 

 mings" save to soften the lines of the vase itself. 



Through some accident maybe one of your 

 finest blossoms will have been whipped from its 

 stem. Do not weep and throw it away. Use 

 your black glass bowl and float it on the surface 

 of the water, adding ferns also floating, and a 

 few in an upright holder. Put it under a table- 

 lamp so that the light may shine directly upon 

 it, and the whole room will be filled with that 

 dahlia, radiating its colour and its cheer among 

 all the occupants. 



