Askov American., 1943-08-05
Gardeners Nook
BY GARDEN CLUB EDITOR
Variety is Spice in August
BY Dorothy Biddle and Dorothea
Blom in Flower Grower.


Blom in Flower Grower.
In a season of many flowers (and
therefore many arrangements) the
expert at flower arrangement may
seem to have an advantage over the
novice in having large selection of
containers with which to vary her
pictures. Actually, this is no sub
stantial advantage, even when we
have several arrangements in the
house at time and wish variation
from week to week.
There are two ways to increase and
enhance the spice of variety for your
August abundance of wild and culti-
waited flowers. First, you may adapt
many sorts of household articles to
the role of flower containers. Sec
ond, you may vary your use of given
container to such an extent that you
are not aware that you are using an
old familiar vase or bowl. The latter
method includes the use of tinted
water in glass containers.
1t is amazing how many potential
containers for arrangements there are
in the average household. Flower
shows in some communities stimulate
local imagination by including classes
for flower arrangements made in
kitchen utensils. Baskets, ignored in
many circles for so long, are striding
into favor. It is not the traditional
flower basket with swooping handle
which is summing itself in the favored
position, but all sorts of utilitarian
baskets including the sewing and
bread basket Many of these are
handleless. This does not mean that
we are ruling out the traditional
over-used and misused flower bas-
ket that has made itself so scarce
in flower shows. If you feel chal-
lenged Cor if you even feel the i'm
pulse) to use such a basket, do so
by all means. However, make sure
that you use it originally and Gre
atively-as if you never saw one
before-if you want to say off the
hackneyed path. Remember that the
handle of the basket is part of your
design.
When you use baskets, use glass
jars in them to hold water. For a
basket of average size (perhaps a
sewing basket) you may wish to use
as many as three or even five glass
jars to hold and distribute your flow
ers. If the jars tend to topple, use
some flower clay on the bottoms to
anchor the jars to the basket. Set
a flower holder in each jar if this
is helpful. Sometimes you will want
all the jars the same height; again
you may want them of different
heights. If you are going to work
much with baskets, have good
selection of jelly and pickle jars in
your vase closet.
In these days when many foods
arrive in glass containers, we can
now and again find semi-precious
gem among them-really choice flow
er vases in their own right, graceful
and well proportioned. Like pearls
in oysters, these are not many, but
recognize the pearl when you see it!
Now that sugar rationing has cur
tailed your cake making, look into
the pantry for potential containers.
An angel cake ring painted soft,
smoky green, blue or rose, Or per-
raps gray, will make container
for your dinner table which is a
happy change. You may wish to use
in the center some appropriate acces-
sorry or a grouping of fruit, or you
may simply have a ring shaped ar
rangement with no central feature.
Fill the ring nearly full of sand to
hold your flowers. If you find a
bread pan you are not using, paint
it for your mantel. We do not rec
ommend that you arrange orchids in
your iron skillet, as did one writer
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