Evening star., 1943-04-18
Know Your Easter Flowers!
The Gentlemen WI Find BeIo Some Hints Guide Choice

An open letter to the gentle
men:
Whether you're a hard-fighting
serviceman, a hard-working civil
ian or a hard-headed husband,
there's a little matter you'd better
take care of before next Sunday.
That's right-it's the business of
Easter flowers for the wife, best
girl, mother or whoever it is that
rates your floral token of affec-
ton.
Whether this gentle reminder
reaches you in Washington or in
some other portion of the country,
you can still keep up the feminine
morale, for florists are delighted
to fill orders by wire" and they'll
even write "mushy" card to in
close. However, if you are near a
flower shop, drop in and press
your nose against the doors of
the refrigerated case. You may
discover a number of posies that
you'd forgotten about in all these
years of ordering the more prosaic
gardenia or rose corsages. You
will also discover, likely as not, a
few that you didn't know about,
such as cymbidium orchids, those
tiny, fragile blooms that come
several on a stem in the most
delicate colors. Incidentally,
these are among the longest last
ing flowers you can select. With
proper care they'll remain in
good shape for 10 days to two
weeks.
In selecting corsages this year,
give careful thought not only to
the color scheme of your ladys
Easter ensemble, but also to the
sort of personality she is. If
she likes dramatic, simple clothes,
she should be enchanted by your
choice of a single Gala lily care
fully wrapped and sparingly be-
ribboned. Think of it on a So
phisticated black ensemble. If
she's the very chic type there's
nothing like orchids, either the
tiny ones we mentioned or the
splashy purple ones, or perhaps
q snow-White one with deep
purple tongue.
If she likes things that are
different" and feminine, and II
you have imagination about such
things, the florist can whip you
up beautiful corsages using spring
flowers. Don't expect these to last
for more than one wearing-but
they are beautiful while they do.
For example, florists may raise a
questioning eyebrow if you order
tulip corsage, but they're quite
lovely and very unusual. We adore
bright yellow daffodils with white
freesia or blue-purple iris; there
are divine corsages made from
gladioluses and fetching bouquets
OF pansies in all colors. Violets
have had a tremendous revival
and If the weather doesn't grow
too torrid this next week there
will be plenty available. They're
eHectlve just in a big bunch;
slightly more dressy with a rose
or gardenia in the center and a
few white freesia tossed in.
Carnations make up into a most
interesting corsage, and so do
those huge white or yellow daisies.
Rosebuds are always good,
though, in our personal opinion,
a trifle stiff for wearing purposes.
Sweet peas are charming, but
much more likely to have
"oomph" if combined with an
other flower.
And finally, here are some tips
which you might suggest to the
florist. Try slightly different ar
rangements, such as a two-wav
corsage with some of the flowers
pointing up, others down. and the
bow in the center. On certain
arrangements, such as violets and
sweetheart roses, the florist can
add paper frill that makes it as
feminine and demure as grand
mas wedding photograph. And
do go easy on the ribbon. You'd
be surprised how many girls
quietly remove the ribbons from
corsages and how often these
same ribbons take away from the
beauty of the flowers themselves.