Evening star., 1902-08-23
RUSTIC FLOWER STANDS
EOMELY MATERIALS USED AND
GRACEFUL EFFECTS.
japanese Who Have the Most Artistic
Ideas Know How to Pot
Plants.
Written for The Evening Star.

| written Inc Evening star.
Rough-hewn wooden furniture Is so popu-
lar this season that it Is no wonder that it
is rather expensive. Rustic jardinieres for
garden and house plants are admirably con-
| structed, the objection to wooden flower
! boxes having been removed when zinc lin
irgs were adopted. The cost of an ordinary
cedar flower stand ranges from $3.50 TO SO,
according to workmanship and size The
simpler forms may be copied by any anna
| teur who has mechanical skill.
The present is a good time 10 collect ma
terials for rustic jardiniere making. After
| a storm the forests are full of fallen
! boughs. and any woman who spends an
afternoon of her sojourn in the country
| gathering bits of gnarled branches from the
! sylvan pathways will be able to amply sup
ply herself with wood for couple of flower
boxes.
| Those who live out Of town are particu-
| l2rly fortunate. for they are spared the eX-
! pense of expressing finds" to their homes
| Being in the country all the time, they have
also a better chance to make a valuable
selection of woods.
The wooden flower stands seen in the
shops are simple in construction. 4 school
boy should be sufficiently skillful to dup!i-
cate even the most complicated ones. Most
women have their command the services
of some obliging boy or man, or, If they
| have not, are themselves able to handle
hammer. saw and plane; so homemade
copies Of the expensive models may be
owned by any household.
The pattern which is the easiest for anna
teurs to initiate consists of a followed sec
tion Of the tree trunk supported by three
thick legs cut from stout branches These
latter are crossed to form a tripod. The
most difficult work is the following OF a
cavity in the piece of trunk which is to
form the plant holder With a piece of
charcoal circle is outlined on one of the
Alf 1f1e of tNl Cf In of
circle place some slow-burning fuel, and
when the fire consumes the wood to a suf-
ficient depth the Goals should be emptied
out and the charred wood removed with a
chisel. The inside of the trunk must be
smoothed with a sharp instrument and
lined with sheet zinc. The latter metal may
be shaped into pieces of the right size with
a stout pair of shears. When zinc protects
the wood it will not rot even when filled
with damp. soft mold. A rustic jardniere
of this kind costs at a florists 81 or 81, but
anybody who can collect the materials need
not expend for one anything more than the
price of the nails used in fastening to-
gether the different parts.
Easy for an Amateur.
Another style of flower holder supported
by rustic tripod, although sold in the
shops for from $3.50 to 81, may be success
fully manufactured by an amateur for a
mere trifie. The tripod should be first built
of three moderately heavy specimens of
wood upon which the bark still remains.
An upright piece of saplng is set upon the
center of these to give additional support
to the top. A handleless wooden pail or
f1rkin covered with rustic work forms the
plant holder. Several holes must be bored
in the bottom of the pan: then when the !
flowers are watered the Superf1uOuS moiS-
ture will run out of the jardiniere instead
of standing about the roots of the plants
To cover the sides of the pail a selection
of short but thick pieces of boughs should
hfa 10 urfl aTa hon l,raa
inches longer than the slaves will do for
the purpose. The sticks must be divided
longitudinally and smoothed to fit snugly.
The wider ends should be trimmed and
rounded to make an ornamental finish for
the upper part of the stand. They are then
ready to be tackled into place on the out
side Of the pail. When the stand is COM
pleted and filled with plants it is as pretty
piece of furniture any could desire
and is suitable either for the porch or for
a dining room window garden
.Twig Covered Tubs
A small tub entirely covered with twigs
makes a handsome flower stand If three
twisted limbs are cut short and used to
form a stout column for its support. Bits of |
thick branches are sometimes tackled over |
the rustic feet of the jardiniere to enhance |
it's beauty. Geraniums, yerbenas, mgnon- |
cite, heliotrope-any low Towering plants |
look well in the tubs, while dracaenas and |
ferns suit the taller holders. Square or |
0Dtong. W1nQOW D0XeS Win q rustic nnlSh /
are the easiest for the home jardiniere |
maker to construct. They require plan |
ming in the adjustment of supports because |
four small blocks glued or nailed to the box |
corners are the only ones needed. Often be- |
cause of the irregularity of their shape |
rough tree limbs are very hard to adjust to /
stands.
barrel cut In half and covered with |
bark or bits of branches is a roomy re- |
ceptacie for the choice flowers of the /
home plant grower Some time before |
autumn the plants lifted from the |
ground and placed in their new home. Not |
only Towering plants, but vines flourish in /
these rustic gardens. The way to prepare /
barrel garden is to select a stout we'll
hooped specimen, which should be well 1
cleaned. Holes three inches in diameter /
and about six inches apart should be bored /
all over the sides and in the bottom of the /
barrel. As much of the top of the slaves |
as can besdispensed with should be sawed l
away, leaving hoop about the upper part |
Into the inside of the barrel may be laid /
bits of broken flower pots or stones for a Il