The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-10-15
On the Care of
Cut Flowers

Mrs. Rich possesses kind heart
as we'll as a full purse, so when she
heard that her neighbors, Mrs. A.
and Mrs. B. were both 'sick abed,'
she directed her gardener to carry to
each big boquet of her famous gladi-
)li and dahlias.
Three days later Mrs. Rich, hap
pening to pass the home of Mrs. A.
observed her offering, now wilted and
|slimy-stemmed, lying ON top of the
trash barrel, at the curb. The day
following, Mrs. Rich dropped in at
Mrs. BIS home and there beside the
invalid's chair, stood her gift of flow
ers almost as fresh and glowing as
when gathered.
81 do love flowers So" said the now
convalescent Mrs. B, land by a little
attention 1 make them last as long
as possible. Each morning l rinse
the stems, snip off half-inch of each,
wash the vase out, then fill it with
Ii coil, CO1d WdICl- vi lOl udyo uoC
ice water, so even slip in a little piece
of ice. / cut the faded blooms from
the lower end of gladiolus stalks so
hat the upper buds may open out fresh
and beautiful In this way one boquet
makes me happy for week or more"
Which explains why there arrived
next morning a second armful of
blooms more wonderful even than the
first!
Japanese Art
We cannot all Gull blossoms by the
armfui, but the Japanese have shown
us the artistic value of single spray
or bloom in suitable vase. One long
stemmed rose in narrow-necked vase
needs no companions to exploit it's
beauty. The foliage of many plants,
particularly of roses, is almost as
decorative as the flower itself. Flow
ers such as tulips daisies, butter
cups, ETC., should not be damned in a
solid mass, but loosely arranged to
show each individual head.
AS a rule, clear plain glass makes
the best flower holders. Avoid the
fanciful decorated pottery for this pur-
pose The gay coors distract the eye
from the flowers themselves, while the
stems and foliage which especially
with roses are attractive in the water,
are hidden from view. Change the
water daily, washing the stem-ends
thoroughly and slipping trif1e each
day Nothing is more repellent than
a glass jar filled with green stagnant
water, in which stand Shiny, unsightly
stems. When there is a. disagreeable
odor upon emptying a vase of flowers
your careless methods are the cause
Use receptacles of proper size, Sc
that the foliage may be retained.
once gathered from my garden a dozen
or more beautiful early tulips whose
foliage was still pearly with dew
GLOW lovely" cried the friend to whom
| carried them, and she left the room
to procure vase and water. She re
turned with a large, squat jar of iri
descent glass, with ample room at the
base, but so narrow-necked that thu
stems with their lusty foliage coult
mot be accommodated. Instead o
hunting a wide-mouthed vase Ga com
mon fruit jar would have answered
the lady deliberately stripped ever.
eaf from those poor tulips I shivere'
at every zip! 1t seemed almost lik
murder! She then thrust the long
denuded stalks into the vase, wher
they reminded me of the punches o
tall hatpins pointing in every direc
ltion from little pincushions at the dc
partment stores-and just about a
Iartistic!
Cut your blossoms in early morning
or the cool of the evening. Stand il
a pail of water up to their necks il
a cool, dark cellar for an hour o
more. They will then last in good con
dition for days.