The morning call., 1894-12-30
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CUT FLOWERS.
The Vase Should Be Adapted to Hold
ing the Treasures of the Garden.

ing the Treasures of the Garden.
fiower-vase must be perfectly adapted to
Its purpose, and that purpose is, of course, to
display flowers 10 the best advantage. Since
tie flowers only are objects of display and
study, the material OF the vase must not be such
as TO attract attention. Hence. cut-glass YES.
sells and all snowy patterns, whether of glass,
earthenware or metal. should be avoided. For
the same reason the forms of the vases should
be simple and not In themselves catch the eve
OF the observer, excepting only as their special
fitness may deserve notice. A snowy vase
however exquisite In form. Is wholly unfit for a
flower vase, and the more highly IL Is orna.
mented The more unit II Is.
OF course, different forms OF vases will be re-.
CURED for different kinds OF flowers, A fiat.
circular dish is needed for water lilies and as
the flowers are In this case large the contain
hold the flowers, but also TO preserve a proper
sense Of proportion. Tall spikes require IAN
vases. which should not be cylindrical. but
should be sensibly wider at he top than at the
POTION. Roses and flowers with comparatively
short stems require low. broad vessels, flaring
al the top. so as TO admit OF the graceful droop-
Ing WHICH Is so attractive with both leaves and
flowers. Not more than four or five different
shaped flower vases are really necessary the
tyres. Of form being either fiat or low circular
vessels, which may be widely fluted upon
the edges 10 break the too great uni
formity of a plain circular rim, or round
vessels. which spread more or less as the
be widely fiuted at the top. All forms which
bulge below, or which are in the smallest degree
bizarre in shape, must be rejected. The old.
fashioned bulb pot shaped like a rabbit or
other animal. with growing bulbs sticking out
through holes In the surface, Is the type Of all
that Is hideous. If. with The Japanese, we con-
slider single beautiful flower enough at a
time, narrow containing vessel may be used
The Japanese use piece OF bamboo, which,
from its Irregular surface, loses he stiffness of
the cylindrical form. We have no bamboo to
q of lima In nj If..a
ware are, like all limitations, offensive 10 good
taste. Flower vases should always be of some
opaque material, and. all things considered,
good uDglaZed earthenware h TO be preferred.
only it should be impermeable TO water, and
not coarse IN texture. 1t should also be with.
out ornamentation OF any kind and of single
and uniform tint OF color.
This brings us to the subject OF color in gen.
eral. The elementary principle Is that no color
should be employed for Tn. vase which does not
perfectly harmonize with the various tints OF
both flowers and leaves. Since we have had to
deal wit b great variety OF colors In both, some
color must De chosen Tor the vase which will
harmonize al least fairly we'll with all. pure
neutral gray answers best, and gives very
agreeable contrast with tile various shades OF
green in leaves and with almost all tones of
flower color, while In Itself not fixing the at
comes pale pure buff. not inclinDg to orange.
but it's use Is more limited than that of gray.
Yet IL contrasts very charmingly with green
leaves, as, for instance, with the beautiful green
flowers.
Opaque white flower vases are sometimes
effective by contrast, bur as Il rule the con-
trasts are rather too strong. especially in the
case OF white gtaz d porcelain. and The vase
Itself attracts too much ATTENTION. All coored
glasses are 10 be rejected, and white or color
less classes are also Objectionable, since as
rule flower stems are unslghtly. admit that
there are RECEPTIONS to his rule. Gray earth.s
enware vessels for flowers are advertised BY a
prominent firm of bulb dealers In New York
Those which the writer has seen are cylindrical
and very heavy. The gray tint Is tolerably
guod. and There are upon the surface small
sequence of the large size OF thr vessels are
not object enable. The ware, however, is very
coarse, and suitable only for hall decoration
with large masses OF flowers. Much success
In the manufacture OF artistic earIhenware
and it Is to be hoped thai flower vases will be
considered OF sufficient Importance to command
The attention OF skilled deslgners.-Garden ana
Forest.