36 



The Garden Magazine, March, 1922 



Keep the taller flowers nearer the floor or at least below the 

 level of the eye; few flowers look well when above eye-level. 



Blooms of distinctive form should be used by themselves in 

 small numbers so that the beauty of structure may be seen. 



Flowers of delicate coloring may be used either singly or in 

 mass. There is less danger of light shades clashing than of 

 strong colors. 



Delphiniums combined with a few Coreopsis make a de- 

 lightful bouquet; they are also very effective in combination 

 with Phlox Miss Lingard, with any light pink Phlox in fact. 



For the ivory-finished dressing table, try a few yellow Stocks 

 in a small vase. 



A single Peony or a Cactus Dahlia cut off close to the flower 

 may be attractively used as a centre-piece for the dining table 

 by floating in a bowl, Pond-lily fashion. 



If one has a place to grow Ferns, they are well adapted for 

 many decorative purposes and are particularly good when used 

 with the smaller flowers. 



Put plenty of green in your bouquets, preferably the natural 

 foliage; but if this is unattainable, secure something that re- 

 sembles it and as nearly as possible of the same shade: heavy 

 leaves for large flowers; fine leaves for small flowers; and straight, 

 speary leaves for the bulb and Lily family. 



Mignonette judiciously mixed in a scentless bouquet adds 

 greenery and imparts a delightful odor. 



To keep your flowers fresh give them clean, slightly salted 

 water, and cut off their stems a little each day. 



What to Avoid 



DO NOT mix the finer flowers with the coarser, except in a 

 few cases. For instance, Baby-breath goes well with 

 almost anything, whereas it would never do to use Sweet-peas 

 with Sunflowers. 



This applies also to colors, It is not advisable to attempt to 

 mingle the delicately tinted flowers with those strongly colored, 

 because the latter kill the effect of the former. 



Use red very sparingly; it is sometimes handsome if displayed 

 by itself in surroundings of a neutral tone to offset its emphatic 

 brilliance. 



Avoid using flowers with strong fragrance in the dining- and 

 bedrooms. For the bedrooms light colors are best, Inciden- 

 tally, the current conviction that harmful gas (carbon-dioxide) 

 is thrown of by flowers at night frequently prevents people 

 from enhancing the attractiveness of their guest chambers. 

 To me it seems absurd to believe that a handful of flowers can 

 throw out sufficient poisonous gas to hurt anybody, especially 

 as most people keep the windows open all day and all night 

 during the summer. 



A Safe Guide to Follow 



HERE is a simple device which enables one to avoid at 

 least any glaring discordancies and to achieve some fairly 

 happy results. Of the six primary colors as arranged on the 

 accompanying chart, any adjoining two (for example red and 

 orange or orange and yellow); or any exactly opposite each 

 other (as blue and orange or purple and yellow, etc.) may be 

 combined with good effect. However, when using opposites it 

 is better to let one predominate than to use both colors in 

 equal quantity. In these matters there is no more reliable 

 guide than nature and a thoughtful study of her methods is 

 one of the first essentials. Her palette has infinite variety — 

 we find a golden-eyed purple Violet, a flame-petalled Nas- 

 turtium with a throat of cool, lemon yellow — try these com- 

 binations or any others more to your fancy; following her, you 

 cannot go wrong; as a mixer and blender of color she remains 

 unsurpassed. 



>RED 



^RED ORANGE 



REDVIO] 

 VIOLETlAr . 



ANGE 



ANGE YELLOW 



ELLCW 



DIAGRAM SHOWING STANDARD COLORS, AND METHODS OF COM- 

 BINING THEM TO OBTAIN BEST RESULTS WITH CUT FLOWERS 



Adjacent colors may be used (red and orange, or orange and yellow, etc.) or opposite colors, such as blue and orange, or purple and yel- 

 low. This rule applies mostly to the stronger colors, as it is possible to use much more latitude in mixing flowers of more delicate tints 



