Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10
Love Of Flowers Is World Wide
By BETSY CALLIsTER,

Y SUPPOSE 1t could be said Of every
country in the world that its peo-
pie love flowers, because this
i fondnesS for flowers is a natural
human attribute and depends on
no special variety of culture. The way
people express their fondness for flowers
does, however, var somewhat in differ
emit countries, and globe-trotter might
find interesting subject for observation
and reflection In making mental note
Of the way this flower love is mani
tested In different sections of the globe.
In Germany and Holland you might
notice that much energy and patience
and time are spent developing and per-
fecting flowers of a SNOWY, colorful sort.
to bloom in gardens or In flower pots
indoors. Many of the finest strains Of
profusely blooming garden flowers have
been developed In those countries. But
one does not 60 to Germany to study
the arrangement Of cut flowers In vases.
English people, / would say, are espe-
cially fond Of wild flowers. The Eng
the woodland violet, the hawthorne and
the wild daffodil, the columbine and a
dozen other flowers that characterize
English woods and meadows.
Certain Oriental folk find pleasure In
the mystical contemplation of a single
beautiful flower or spray of f1owers-a
lotus flower or a branch of plum BIOS
SONS.
So one might conclude that the Ger
mans like their flowers best In gardens,
the English in the uncultivated open
fields and woods. But the French peo-
pie I have known have a peculiar fond
ness for flowers in their homes; flowers
made an intimate part Of their every.
day life. They are past masters In the
making Of bouquets; in fact, the word
we use for this collection of cut flowers
is French word still.
The Japanese are also masters Of the
art of arranging cut flowers, and In
that country young women frequently
take a course of study in the arrange
| ment Of flowers in vases and Jars.
Geisha girls consider this accomplish
ment as valuable as that of dancing or
singing. Japanese women spend hours
a day learning how to group flowers so
that their utmost beauty Is shown. They
learn just what sort Of holders to use
for each sort of flower, how to bend a
stem here, to twist leaf there, in such
a way that the greatest harmony can
be achieved. To a great extent It is a
matter Of rules and precepts. They do
not depend on special knack or indi-
vidual good taste in the matter.
| MuSt u uS CuiIlG ny WIlAC kOOWleQ8e
we have of floral arrangement in a
rather haphazard way, depending on
innate good taste rather than conyen-
tons and rules. We speak of a natural
knack for flower arrangement because 1t
is so seldom acquired. It is true that
some women can arrange two panSieS
and a rose so that they will dominate
and give beauty to an entire room.
whereas some other women can place a
dozen roses SO that half the people who
enter the room containing them viii not
notice them until their fragrance at
tracts attention.
One does not need expensive vases.
But one should have a variety of vases
of different sizes, shapes and colors. If
you have but one vase that you like to
use, you should decide what sort of
flowers best become it and then limit
your selection to flowers of that sort.
Many decorators say that one should
never display an empty vase, and that
having f1owerless vases about the room
lis as bad as the old trick Of having
teacups and other tea things laid out
on the tea table merely to catch dust
and add clutter.
Your collection Of vases should in
clude q bowl Of fish-globe shape for
fairly short-stemmed roses. These
bowls may be bought for as little as as
cents. For strong -stemmed, snowy gar
den flowers, like lilacs and peonies, you
j should have strong, tall vase. Such
vases. made Of coarse, slightly glazed