Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-29
HOW TO ARRANGE FLOWERS
Choice Of the Vase is an Important Con-
sideration.
A Few Fine Blossoms Make Often.
times the Best Efect-Finger
Bowls Best for Pansies
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star
| The season for flowers being again here,
| it is a question interesting many house.
| holds to know just what can be done with
| them. The average American does not
know how to make the best of them. Guam
| tity and cost more than beauty of arrange
ment count most with the person of uncul
tivated taste. Now, uncultivated taste does
not mean uncultivated in regard to any
thing but flowers. Many people of the most
thorough education have the crudest and
| most primary ideas of art where flowers
are concerned. A dab of color in a vase is
the everyday idea of the use of cut flowers,
while for special occasions it Is anything
that the florist may choose to supply.
Now, use flowers in our houses for
two reasons-to display the beauties of the
flowers and to decorate the apartment
single blossom, absolutely perfect, placed in
vessel suited to its special charm is far
more beautiful than a dozen costly yet i'm
perfect flowers set together haphazard
A cluster of pink almond blossoms wild
cherry blackthorn seemingly as nature
left 1t and placed with apparent careless
ness in a large blue bowl, will seem to
bring bit of spring into the room When
broken up into portions and placed about
the room in small receptacles, much of the
character Of the flowers is lost
very important consideration in using
| flowers for household decorations Is the
| choice of the vases. Tall, slender flowers
like daffodils, narcissi and gladioli should
| have holders haif as tail again as their
own length. Tulips and flowers of their
type should rise from broad. low base
In the case Of snowdrops, violets lilies of
the valley and similar frail flowers a low
bowl not more than three inches high is
the proper holder. Shallow Delft bowls
make excellent receptacles for these
flowers, and damp moss is a good thing in
which to imbed their STEMS
Treatment of Roses.
Roses may be treated in different ways
according to their variety. The tall, stiff
ones, like the American beauty roses, lend
| themselves we'll to tall designs, while tea
roses and the dropping ones are better &C.
commodated in bowls and clusters Old
fashioned silver bowls filled with roses and
placed IN a room are as artistic use as
these flowers can be put to.
| 1t should never be forgotten that the
color OF the vases must be kept s,lrbor-
dinate to that of the flower, brilliantly
tinted china and glass for that reason be-
| ing less desirable than neutral tones The
liberty vases inexpensive yet graceful in
form and quiet in colors, are in good taste
| For roses nothing could be prettier than
some of the dark green art vases simple
pottery ware they are
a very useful receptacle for those who
are fond of cut flowers is a shallow round
basket with straight sides--a miniature gro
| GERS basket. This should be four or five
inches deep and tin lined If liked, the has
ket may be of fancy straw or of birch bark
and may be with without a handle FIJI
ed with damp moss, the basket may be dec
GRATED with very little trouble for the CEN
Ter OF the dinner table. Tulips, pink red
or white; lilies of the valley, primroses and
| hyaclnths, with bits of smilax fern or vine
by way of contrast, fill the basket prettily
II 1t has handle it, too, should be
wreathed with moss or vines and NAV be
| tied with a largo of yib
Suitable Backgrounds.
The walls of an apartment should be
studied in placing flowers within it. For
| instance, a red background would look bad
| against some reds of roses. An effective
background for all sorts of flowers is
plain, coarse, common brown paper. In
the spring golden headed daffodils against
such background in warm hued, red pots
are a dream in coior for one to remember.
Nothing will add such daintiness to din
ner table as single regal rose set in tall,
slender vase of cut or iridescent glass. The
vase may cost a good deal at the beginning,
but as it lasts a lifetime, if cared for, it is
cheaper than unsatisfactory, ugly, but low
! priced vases. In using such q vase care
must be taken to cut the stem a proper
length, as the effect is spoiled if it is so
! long to overbalance the length Of the
holder.
Two or three roses in a vase four or five
inches high ire satisfying to the eyes of the
| most fastdious If the vase is well chosen.
| 1t should not be forgotten that the vase
must be highly artistic, for with one or
| two flowers it is a case in which the vase
| is the decorat ton.
| Pansies should be placed in a shallow
| bowl. Nothing is more slovenly than to put
| flowers in their holder in such a way that
| they float about loosely, face downward. A
glass finger bowl is a good holder for pam
| sizes or violets Nature never intended
pansies to float water, and ii they are
III. aEh
| head cheeriy and happily toward the sun.
Selecting the Vase.
| For one or two lilacs, snowballs, hydran-
geas, chrysanthemums or flowers of that
| class a tall, straight cylindrical vase will
! be the best. fern or two should be added
| in case the foliage about the stems of the
| flowers is scanty. They always look better
| when stem and foliage have plenty of room
| in the vase When there are number OF
these flowers, they Will look best II the
stems are long-have been cut OF near the
| root.
| Water lilies are seen to best advantage
| on the surface of a plate of water, the
| plate being as dainty one is in the
housewives possession. For ordinary lilies
| choose TALL slender vase having large,
round base and tail, cylindrical top.
With such vase about three stalks, with
| their clusters of flowers and foliage, will
| make handsome decoration. These
stalks must, of course follow nature in be-
| ing of various lengths.
In arranging flowers either for the gen.
ersu decora ton of living rooms, for the din
| ner table or to brighten the invalid's bed
side nature should be the model Geomet-
| rical designs should be avoided. Long,
slender. graceful clusters of flowers tied
with bow of ribbon are prettier gifts than
boxes of flowers filled heller SHELTER with
| blossoms or than stiff. closely arranged
bouquet of blooms and foliage
Generally the Way.