GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



water, and the breaking off of the thorns opens 

 new channels for nourishment to reach the flowers. 



The flat Japanese bowls so popular the past few 

 years, are not only artistic, but good for the flow- 

 ers, which in them are not crowded, and so can get 

 their needed oxygen. They can be held in place 

 by the transparent glass holders if one objects (as 

 the florist did,) to the perforated frogs, turtles, 

 mushrooms, etc., now to be bought wherever vases 

 and other flower holders are sold. Any one who 

 has tried to arrange even half a dozen blooms in 

 this simple way will never go back to the crude, old- 

 fashioned mixed bouquet ! On the tables of the fine 

 restaurants in New York City one most often sees 

 only a simple, clear glass vase, with perhaps only 

 two or three flowers; but they can be enjoyed for 

 their full beauty. 



The secret of the whole subject is simplicity! — 

 and you never know what you can do until you try. 

 At our last Garden Show I had expected to make 

 a well-studied arrangement of wild flowers for that 

 class of table decorations, but did not have the 

 time. At the last moment I took an odd little glass 

 basket, filled it with damp sand, and stuck it full 

 of cornflowers, (what you might call ragged robins 

 or bachelor buttons, and which I grow to go with 

 my blue china,) so that the holder was nearly hid- 



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