Evening star., 1932-04-01
Flowers for Home Garden
Treatment and Arrangement of Cut Blossoms
Harmony of Colors Required-Old-
Fashioned Types

A MIRACULOUS accomplishment
~ Of the plant cultivator Is the
"A progressive reduction of the
4 4 time required to get flowers to
come into blossom after the
seed Is sown. The busy home gardener
must learn to conserve both time and
energy, and there are several things
which should be borne in mind. All the
plant materials used in the garden
should be chosen with special care and
only those selected which will give good
results when q minimum amount OF
time and labor is expended upon them
Today the wide-awake gardener can
achieve with ANIMALS. in a few weeks
from seed, such varied effects as would
have been possible few years ago only
with q well rounded collection Of choice
hardy perennials.
Pansies and Roses.
Have you been foregoing the pleasure
Of having pansies because you had no
frames In which to start them early
enough or to carry them through the
Winter? There is q new type which
may be sown outdoors in Spring, as 1t
blooms fully a month earlier than the
standard varieties.
! AS soon as warm weather arrives one
should keep close watch on roses Tor
pests, especially the leaf eaters, which
are most persistent and obnoxious IN
early Spring. They can be controlled
by spraying the bushes with lead ar
senate. Follow the manufacturers di-
rections. Cut roses may be revived lay
ing them upon newspapers soaked IN
cold water. Carefully adjust the droop-
ing petals and roll the flowers up in the
newspapers. Place them in a vase filled
with fresh water and support them ut
the sides, as the water makes the bum
die heavy. To preserve several roses,
arrange them In a bathtub with crushed
papers between. This idea was given
by o prominent florist and has been
used with good success.
It was not very long ago that the
blossoms of all the hardy climbing
roses were either single, like the COM
mon wild rose Of the roadside, or else
they were tiny crinkled flowers, familiar
to every one in the old crimson rambler,
but <,ow there are climbing American
very favorably with the great double
flowers Of the finest garden roses.
Cut Flowers.
Use a sharp knife to cut flowers, not
dull shears, because shears that are dull
viii pinch the stems and thus interfere
with the proper rise Of the water.
Change the water frequently. A few
drops Of formatn in the water will keep
it pure and prevent its becoming foul.
Cut of the ends Of the stems daily.
Bacteria collects on the ends of the
stems and cut off the supply of water.
When arranging flowers, remember
that the highest point of the principal
flower or branch should be directly over
the center Of the bowl. All others may
branch out at various angles, but must
be lower than this central one. When
q low bowl Is used, the highest point of
the flower mass should be one and one
half times the diameter Of the bowl.
When vase is used, the highest flower
or stem should be two and tone-half
times the height of the vase.
Tulips and other flowers with deshy
stems are inclined to droop when first
put into water. If they are left lying
horizontally In cold water overnight the
stems win stiffen and they will remain
firm and upright for some time. An
other way Is to wrap each head in
newspaper from which an inch or two
Of the end Of the stem and leave the
flowers standing in a vase all night.
Color, more than anything else, at
tracts the attention and holds it. Har-
mony of colors, or the lack of 1t, will
make or mar an otherwise perfect ar
rangement. Is 1t the flower or the
vase to which you wish to direct at
tention? Undoubtedly, the flowers,
Can you hope 10 achieve this end If a
large area Of orange, rose, bright blue
or purple vase innicts itself upon you,
diverting your attention from the flow-
er itself? Gray, gray-green and medi-
un brown are generally the most sat
isfactory colors for flower containers.
These are the colors in nature, out Of
which the plants and flowers naturally
grow. If foliage is used with the fiow-
ers, green container of little darker
shade Is likely to prove very satisfac-
tory.
Flower and Container.
There is a definite relation between
the flower and the container in which
it is placed. Simplicity is the first
consideration in choosing a container.
One may have elaborately decorated
eccentricaIly shaped vases that have
much charm within themselves, but
they should not be used for flowers.
A container may repeat the color of
ths flower or the foliage with almost
invariable success. The flowers should
be brighter than the vase or container,
but the vase should harmonic in col
or. Purple Nolets in an amethyst
bowl are charming Nasturtiums look
lovely in a blue-green bowl. Iris
blooms are attractive In a gray-violet
container. Calendulas look well in
black and gold. Delphiniums are love-
ly In shaded blue and green. Cosmos Is
interesting in violet and green contain
ers. Saliva is startling in dull green
or two-toned green bronze, or in black
with fire bronze. If you use bright
colored vases, do so only when they
repeat the color or are q shade dark
er than the flower
Wherever a bowl or vase Of flowers
may be finally placed, do not place
many other objects around it. It may
be the sole object on q table. If there
are other objects. there should be one
or two, unless the table is large. This
does not apply to a dining table, Of
course, where the bowl Of flowers, al
ways low, Is usually placed in the ex-