Evening star., 1936-07-04
Cut flowers do not need fresh water

Cut flowers do not need fresh water
daily.
We are sorry to run in the face of so
many advisors, on this matter, but ex-
perimentation for the past two years
leads us to this definite conclusion.
In the past the general advice has
been to cut of the stems each morning
with slanting stroke of the knife, pour
the old water out of the vase and I'LL
with fresh water.
| Such persistent pestering OF cut fow-
ers really adds nothing to their longevity.
Every one interested in flowers knows
how much thought has been given to
the matter Of keeping them fresh as long
as possible after cutting
Everything from an aspirin tablet to
copper solution has been tried, as addi-
tionS to the vase of water, with what
results may be left to the imagination.
Mostly it was found that pure fresh
water, with as cool an air temperature
as possible, would do about all that
could be done in keeping ones favorite
cut flowers at their prime as long as
possible.
IL 40 scHcI duFlSeu, IfOWcftI, tiidb
the flower lover should cut the flowers
in the early morning. preferably when
the dew is on them, and best when the
buds were just opening. This Is good
advice
Then they should be brought into the
house as quickly as possible, their stems
cut with slanting knife, to give the
largest possible surface to absorb water,
and their arrangement begun.
Flower arrangement, as separate
art in itself, has had tremendous vogue
in the past five years.
This is as it should be.
Flowers are too beautiful, even the
most modest. to risk cramming them
into vase without thought.
The best Of the flower Arrangement
books have been written by women, as
might have been expected Many strik-
ing groupings have been devised by
them, based not only on the eternal
principles of art, the same in all nations,
but particularly with reference to the
artistic instincts of nations.
Thus the Japanese flower arrange
ment is thing in itself, marked by
great simplicity, and a general air OF
frugality, or sparseness, as it seems to
many Occidental eyes.
To a japanese, we understand, one
morning glory blossom in a vase is
enough.
Now one morning glory blossom is
enough. if the beholder has beauty in his
eyes and heart, to begin with But
surely to most of us few more of the
same will not be amiSs; we like TO see
many pretty flowers in our vases.
This multiplicity may be achieved with
wonderful results, if restraint is kept in
mind The national trait of OVERRIDING
has no place in a vase Of cut flowers.
1t is wonderful what an artistic
minded person, with the knack, can do
with few simply daisylike blooms.
Instead of jamming them helter-skel-
ter into a vase or bowl, she takes
stalk here, and a stalk there, deftly
touches them bit, after they are in
the water
And 10! the result is something be-
yond the simple flowers. something be-
yond the simple vase--she always used
a simple one, in order not to detraet
from the blossoms-Something which is
better than the elements which went into
the composition. 1t is art.
No doubt there are many gifted women
who can get this fine result without
reading books on flower arrangement,
but it is safe TO say that even they
would gain something by peruSal OF