Evening star., 1951-02-19
By Betty Miles

There is nothing, ! think, that
brings us into such close intimacy
with the past as flowers" writes
Louise B.. Fisher, flower specialist
for Colonial Williamsburg, moth
ing. that bridges the years in quite
the same way. Words change their
meaning and, like music, can be
interpreted in many ways. The
colors of a picture fade, but plants
have much the same significance
in every age the world over.
"Pick a bud of sweet shrub
and crush it in your hand or fold
it in your handkerchief. The
fragrance is as fresh as it was the
day John Bartram first found the
flower more than 200 years ago.
The flower arrangements OF
that period can be recreated with
equal effectiveness by today's
homemaker, Mrs. Fisher believes.
In her new book. "An Eighteenth
Century Garland: The Flower and
Fruit Arrangements of Colonial
Williamsburg she explains the
way the wealth of the four seasons
can be used to handsome and
vivid advantage in the home.
CMrs. Fishers book will be re-
viewed in The Stars garden page
columnS.)
Winter flower arrangements
that last three months instead of
three days are dear to her heart.
In preparing dried plant material
for winter decoration a proper
drying room is an absolute neces-
sity, Mrs. Fisher advises. 1t is to
the winter decorator as tools are
to the gardener. The drying room
should be a shade warmer, than
outside and never the least bit
damp. It must be bone dry. The
room should also be as dark as
possible, since the plants retain
their original colors far better if
allowed to mature in darkness.
In Williamsburg the upper
story of the Palace Kitchen serves
as the drying room Wires are
strung from wall to wall and each
bunch of flowers is tied and hung
up as soon as gathered. The win
dows are small and are blacked
out, either with cloth or with
paper. Once the flowers haze dried
completely and their colors are
"set." they will not fade even If
they are placed in a sunny win
dow.
Harvesting materials at the
proper time is as important as
proper drying, Mrs. Fisher ex-
plains. In general, plants should
be gathered at their prime, in the
first flush of their bloom just as
they reach their full color.
Not only garden plants, but wild
flowers, ferns, grasses, seed pods,
ears Of wheat, corn tassels, COM
mon weeds and autumn leaves
have been used in Mrs. Fishers
winter arrangements.
The all-important leaves should
be gathered at the height of their
color, yet when still full of sap.
In gathering these leaves care
must be taken to select only
those branches that are per-
fectly fiat, Mrs. Fisher cau-
tions. They should be put i'm
mediately into vessel of water to
keep them from whiting and
brought thus into the drying room.
There they are placed on the
floor for trimming and, this done,
placed between papers where they
should lie fiat, with no two leaves
overlapping. AS many layers of
leaves may be piled one on the
other as required. but it is essen
tial that paper separate each
layer. Finally a fiat frame of
heavy wood is put on top, and
additional weights added. In
about three weeks the leaves will
be ready to use. but unless they
are absolutely dry. they will curl.
Dried material should be ar
ranged in the drying room, Mrs.
Fisher cautions, since making a
dried arrangement is rather a
messy" affair.
Sand, today as in the 18th
century, is still the ideal material
with which to hold the leaves and
flowers in the containers. "Buxom
bouquets" favorites of the earlier
period, are created by first select