The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-02-12
Fresh Flowers Bring Decorative
Charm and r Romance to Valentine Table

New, York = Buffet tables for
Valentines Day parties win be de-
corated with fresh flowers in In
teresting containers. Snow and wind
may be whirling and blowing OUT
side, but inside the floral decora-
tons viii serve as q pleasant re-
minder Of spring to come.
II you have q low crystal CENTER
piece, try filing it with lilies-of-
the-valley and dark red roses. A
slightly higher container might be
filed with white carnations and
red gladioli. A mixture Of red mari
Colds and white daisies also carries
out the traditional red and white
Valentines Day color scheme.
A tall vase in the living room
where the buffet supper guests will
eat after having served themselves
from the array of food on the din
ing room table might hold two or
three snowy white snap dragons
and q couple Of tall red gladioh
Or or low bowl Of purple heather
Git lasts and lasts and lasts) with a
sprinkling Of. red sweet peas.
CAN BUY SMALL
QUANTITIES
incidentally, you can wire any
hostess you know flowers for her
Valentine table-at any price you
want to pay.
Nowadays, the smart woman Is
in fact getting rid of any notion
that she can't have fresh flowers
in her home simply because she
can't afford to order them by the
dozen or even the half dozen. She
is cultivating the habit of brows-
ing around in the florist shop just
as she does in the book department
or any other department Of her
favorite store.
She doesn't hesitate to buy two
or three stalks of iris and half of
a bunch of yellow daisies for a
centerpiece which will last four or
five days. Or a few sprays Of
heather and half a dozen dark
orange marigolds. Or two white
snapdragons and three peach glad
ioli for the living room.
Taking a tip from the arrange
ments done by florists themselves,
she seldom combines greens with
flowers. She fills centerpiece COM
pletely with flowers or completely
with greens. Incidentally, she has
discovered that large punches of
huckleberry or laurel green's cost
very little, last a long time and
make her home a brighter place in
which to live.
Taking advice also from the ex-
pertS, she remembers that the great
est mistake in flower arrangement
comes from overcrowding. She never
allows stems to be crossed. 2 She
never stuffs too many stems into
one container. She cuts the stems
to varying lengths. She has supply
of flower holders of various types,
as well as tall vases, squat bowls
and some of medium height. She
appreciates that a single rose bud
in a lovely slender vase in the guest
room can do a great deal for her
reputation as thoughtful hostess.
She remembers to cut a half-inch
from each stem the moment she
gets the flowers home and to stand
them in water up to their heads for
at least an hour before arranging
them In vases. This long, cool drink
in deep water compensates for the
shock the flowers received while out
of water between florist shop and
home and will lengthen their lives
considerably.
The same treatment is recon-
mended for blooms which are be-
ginning to wilt. Cut the stems a
bit, then stand them in water up
to where the blossoms begin. Leave
for an hour or two. Stems should
be cut every day, anyway, and the
water in all containers changed.