HOUSE AND GARDEN 
104 
August, 1911 
The governing factor in selecting 
flowers is contrast in growth. 
Marigolds and snow-on-the-mount 
to the recipient the lovely coun¬ 
try home to which she had been 
asked as a guest. 
Many contrivances are on the 
market for holding flowers in the 
positions desired. Japan furnishes 
turtles with cellular backs, crabs, 
and other devices. There are 
glass shapes with holes in them, 
to hold stems, and heavy enough 
to stay in place in the bottom of 
a vase. Wire gauze covers for 
vases, with different sized inter¬ 
stices are liked by some people. A 
German idea has been improved 
upon by one of our own Arts and 
Crafts shops, and the result is a 
serpentine arrangement of soft 
metal, which may be bent at will 
into curves for larger or smaller 
stems. 
Personally I have found this the most useful of any of these 
articles. Where opaque vessels are employed, bits of stiff en¬ 
velopes stuffed in between the stems and below the top of the 
vase, answer admirably. In shallow china, or very heavy glass 
receptacles, little stones and pretty pebbles furnish a satisfactory 
and attractive method of holding stems in position. 
The Japanese make a short slit in a bit of bamboo of a suitable 
length for a chosen vase, and cut a little notch in one side. Suf¬ 
ficient spring is thus insured for the bamboo to snap into place 
between the sides of the vase. Stems of the flowers slipped 
through the slit maintain upright positions. 
Twigs cut from willow act successfully in straight sided vases. 
There is also much to be gained in flower combinations by 
choosing proper accessories, just as much as there is when ar¬ 
ranging plants separately. One’s choice of a vase should be, both 
in shape and decoration, of a kind to set off the flowers, rather 
than to display itself too prominently. The shape may be sug¬ 
gested by the flower itself possibly, or the stem or leaf may assist 
in the choice of the receptacle. The plain cylindrical shaped vase 
Phlox and honeysuckle are pleasing together. 
When vines and flowers are used together it is 
best to have the vine drop below the primary 
flower 
spot, the vase, and 
plants in it, and 
how much thought 
may be put on the 
reciprocal rela¬ 
tions. In short, the 
whole thing should 
be a sort of pic¬ 
ture which its very 
completeness 
forces a little 
ahead of the ob¬ 
jects around it, im¬ 
mediately delight¬ 
ing the eye and at 
once impressing 
the beholder as a 
part of the deco¬ 
rative scheme. 
hospitality and 
friendship might 
be expressed by a 
combination of oak 
leaves and h e 1 i o- 
trope. 
A friend of mine 
was sent a beauti¬ 
ful arrangement of 
roses, pansies and 
grasses. The roses 
and pansies typified 
the love and 
thoughts of the 
giver, and the 
grasses suggested 
in one of our pictures is good for general use, as it is very sug¬ 
gestive of the straight growth of the stems. 
There are a few general directions too for keeping flowers in 
water which may not come amiss here. Change the water every 
day, clipping off a tiny bit of stem. Several competent authori¬ 
ties suggest plunging wooded stems, and stems having a sticky, 
milky juice into boiling water after clipping. This method opens 
up the cells and induces a better circulation of sap. Poinsettia 
for instance responds well to this treatment. With most flowers 
tepid water is better than very cold. Having as few leaves as 
possible under water, also helps to prolong life. Indeed the 
Japanese consider any foliage under water a menace to the cut 
blossoms’ health, and vigorously strip all stems to the height of 
the vase. 
If opaque receptacles only are used, and so far as I know the 
Japanese always do use them, it is well for us to follow their lead; 
but transparent vases demand a 
different treatment of the stems 
inside them. We have too many 
kinds of beautiful glass holders, 
and enjoy them too much, to set 
them aside and confine ourselves, 
solely to the opaque. It is better 
to compromise by discreetly clip¬ 
ping out extra leaves, retaining a 
little foliage to show through the 
glass. 
As a usual thing in this coun¬ 
try we do not consider one flower 
arrangement in relation to the 
whole room as the Japanese do, 
and again as they do, make it the 
principle point of decoration. We 
select one little spot, like a table, 
piano, corner or window, to dis¬ 
play our cut flowers, nor is it 
practicable to do otherwise as our 
homes are planned and furnished. 
But it is readily seen how close is 
the relation between the chosen 
Maple leaves with cedar. The element of 
growth determines the disposal here 
