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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5258, 30 January 1878, Page 3

Arrangement of Flowers.—Of all decorations which a house can have, flowers are the most beiutiful; hut much of their effect depends upon the manner of their arrangement, The color of the vase in which they are placed is of the first importance. Gandy reds and blues should never be chosen, for they conflict with the delicate hues of the floxvexs. Bronze or black vases, dark green, pure white, or silver, always produce a good effect, and so does a straw basket, while clear glass, which shows the graceful clasping of the stems, is perhaps prettiest of all. Delicate flowers, such as lilies of the valley and sweet peas, should be placed by themselves in slender, tapering glasses ; violets should nestle their fragrant purple in some tiny cup, and pansies should he set in groups, with no gayer flowers to contradict their soft velvet hues. Flowers should never be overcrowded ; a monstrous bouquet made up of all the flowers that grow, cannot fail to he ugly. If you venture to mix them be careful not to put side by side colors which clash. Scarlets and pinks spoil each other ; so do bines and purples, and yellows and mauves. If your vase or dish is a very large one, to hold a great number of flowers, it is a good plan to divide it into thirds or quarters, making each division perfectly harmonious within itself, and then blend the whole with lines of green and white, and soft neutral tints. Every group of mixed flowers requires one little touch of yellow to make it vivid ; hut this must be skilfully applied. It is good practice to experiment with this effect. For instance arrange a group of maroon, scarlet, and white geraniums with green leaves, and add a single blossom of gold-colored calceolaria, you will see at once tliat the whole bouquet seems to flash out and become more brilliant. And now, after these practical suggestions, there comes a little sentiment ; love your flowers, for the sympathy of a flower is worth winning, as you will find out when you grow older,'and realise that there are such things as dull days which need cheering.