Evening star., 1934-09-08
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES Z. TRAcEWELL.

| opera, or flowers, Is the necessary
ingredient.
Common sense makes one see easily
enough why zinnias. glorious old zin-
Mas, look better against white than
against any shade Of red or related
tone.
Perhaps one is not much Of an art
ist, after all, to believe this way, but
simply an exponent Of really looking
at things as they exist.
It Is q surprising fact that many
persons look at things as they would
like to see them, or even without see
ing them at all, just as many persons
look at words without bothering to
pronounce them.
The latter makes for erroneous
pronunciation; the expectation that
flowers must be lovely, no matter
where found, leads to error In judg-
ment In the matter Of planting.
The householder who must pay the
bill for a complete paint job on q
frame house should keep in mind that
in the benefits comes an excellent
background for all sorts Of flowers.
One can see this, in very elemen-
tary way, against any white garage. II
row Of iris is blooming there, no
matter what the color, the total pic
ture is beautiful.
We will never forget a white garage
with q row of old-fashioned light law
ender iris growing against it. This
was years ago on Thirty eighth street.
Perhaps the same set-up Is still there.
If 50, no doubt it still Is beautiful.
The house painted white or cream
and this would include painted brick,
now so popular about Washington
offers wonderfully fine background
for all types Of flowers and shrubs.
Against the dark brick house some
discrimination must be used in the
selection of flowers. White and blue
go very well. Most Of the dark green
evergreens are excellent. There Is per-
haps nothing that combines better
with a deep red brick than the COM
monty planted narrow-leaved ever
greens.
Most Of the popular zinnias and
petunias, even bright marigoldS, look
better away from the dark brick wall,
although one might make an excep-
| ton for certain of the last named.
Blue and white are what are known
as binding colors," in gardening-that
is, they set of other flowers and tend
to tone them down at the same time,
thereby effecting harmony on a large
scale.
One may think that this use OF
white and blue is sometimes overdone,
but nevertheless it leads to many
pleasing floral pictures.
The casual observer will never stop
to realize that there is any forethought
in this. He may attain the same re-
suit himself without taking thought,
but that does not take a jot away
from the principle Of flower harmony.
Whether one secures a picture by
deep thought or by good fortune is not
so important. There can be little doubt
that many splendid small garden
effects come about by chance.
Most persons interested in garden
flowers have seen it happen with bou-
quetS In vases. One person will study
many large and expensive books on
flower arrangement, and be able to
make some mighty nice arrangements.
Another will never have read a word,
but still be able to gather carelessly
just the right flowers and indifferently
arrange them in a vase so that the
result is even more pleasing than that
secured by the student. Such things
will happen, fortunately for every one.
The question of color harmony and
artistic arrangement are not solved
solely by books, but depend a great
deal upon inner taste. With this, book
learning is not so important. Just
common sense, as we have stated, will
fill the bill very well.