Some of the holders for flowers are very pretty ; they have a saucer
at the bottom and a slender single vase in the center; the lower one
can be arranged as a flat bouquet, and with a single lily and fern sprigs
or grasses in the vase, what can be lovelier ! The white day lilies, with
FOR VASES AND HAND BOUQUETS. 17
their yellow centers, are very beautiful, and a single one will perfume
the whole room with its fragrance.
Colors should be chosen wisely ; pinks and scarlets should not be
included in the same arrangement, and large flowers should not be
mixed with very small ones. Yellow can be used sparingly, and white
to blend the colors. Green should be used to separate the colors, as a
bouquet not softened by grasses or vines is very glaring in its effects.
Button-hole bouquets should always be small — conspicuous for their
beauty, not size. A single geranium leaf, with a rosebud, a tuberose,
or two or three small flowers put together with a leaf of green, is very
pretty for these, as almost any flower is beautiful.
FOR VASES AND HAND BOUQUETS
In selecting vases for flowers get those of a light or neutral color;
cut glass, of delicate shape and color, are prettiest. Never put flowers
in heavy vases, unless large sprays of flowers are selected, and then a
tiny, delicate bouquet and vase is much prettier than these large,
massed bouquets in heavy vases. A spray of ferns with a single rose
or bud, or a saucer of ferns and pansies is much prettier than a large
bouquet even if composed of beautiful flowers.
For small vases a very good way is to clip the flowers off and put
them in carelessly as they come, then they will look natural; too much
arrangement often spoils the looks of a vase of flowers. For either
hand or vase bouquets do not put too many colors together.
For vases and bouquets of any sort there should be plenty of white
for the foundation. Where stemless flowers are used, like a tuberose
or a single geranium, stems can be made by putting the ends inside of
straws and then wiring them in ; when arranged in the bouquet the straw
cannot be seen, but the flowers can be kept fresh by absorbing the
water. A pretty arrangement is to take a spike of scarlet gladiolus,
with its brilliant coloring ; arrange it with feathery grasses and gleams
of white feverfew here and there and you will have a lovely spot of
coloring for some dark corner. Again, petunias and morning glories
are difficult to combine with any flower, but give them a wide-mouthed
vase and a few leaves and they are positively graceful. All lilies are
prettiest if no other flowers are mixed with them.
It is generally understood that perfect whiteness is indispensable in
all flowers used for bridal purposes, rendering jessamine, orange blos-
soms, gardenias, white carnations, white azaleas, amongst the flowers
in most general use. And although white should predominate in the
wedding bouquet, a few flowers of delicate tint may be sparingly used.
Amongst exotics, the orchid class of plants, those tinted with pale
mauve and blush rose, are most useful for such bouquets, The style
of flowers should have some analogy to the age of the bride. Thus a
2
18 BOUQUETS.
bouquet composed of nothing but orange buds is appropriate for a
young bride in her teens, whilst full-blown flowers are equally well
fitted for a wearer of more mature age. > \
Page 21
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Some of the holders for flowers are very pretty ; they have a saucer at the bottom and a slender single vase in the center; the lower one can be arranged as a flat bouquet, and with a single lily and fern sprigs or grasses in the vase, what can be lovelier ! The white day lilies, with
FOR VASES AND HAND BOUQUETS. 17
their yellow centers, are very beautiful, and a single one will perfume the whole room with its fragrance.
Colors should be chosen wisely ; pinks and scarlets should not be included in the same arrangement, and large flowers should not be mixed with very small ones. Yellow can be used sparingly, and white to blend the colors. Green should be used to separate the colors, as a bouquet not softened by grasses or vines is very glaring in its effects. Button-hole bouquets should always be small — conspicuous for their beauty, not size. A single geranium leaf, with a rosebud, a tuberose, or two or three small flowers put together with a leaf of green, is very pretty for these, as almost any flower is beautiful.
FOR VASES AND HAND BOUQUETS
In selecting vases for flowers get those of a light or neutral color; cut glass, of delicate shape and color, are prettiest. Never put flowers in heavy vases, unless large sprays of flowers are selected, and then a tiny, delicate bouquet and vase is much prettier than these large, massed bouquets in heavy vases. A spray of ferns with a single rose or bud, or a saucer of ferns and pansies is much prettier than a large bouquet even if composed of beautiful flowers.
For small vases a very good way is to clip the flowers off and put them in carelessly as they come, then they will look natural; too much arrangement often spoils the looks of a vase of flowers. For either hand or vase bouquets do not put too many colors together.
For vases and bouquets of any sort there should be plenty of white for the foundation. Where stemless flowers are used, like a tuberose or a single geranium, stems can be made by putting the ends inside of straws and then wiring them in ; when arranged in the bouquet the straw cannot be seen, but the flowers can be kept fresh by absorbing the water. A pretty arrangement is to take a spike of scarlet gladiolus, with its brilliant coloring ; arrange it with feathery grasses and gleams of white feverfew here and there and you will have a lovely spot of coloring for some dark corner. Again, petunias and morning glories are difficult to combine with any flower, but give them a wide-mouthed vase and a few leaves and they are positively graceful. All lilies are prettiest if no other flowers are mixed with them.
It is generally understood that perfect whiteness is indispensable in all flowers used for bridal purposes, rendering jessamine, orange blossoms, gardenias, white carnations, white azaleas, amongst the flowers in most general use. And although white should predominate in the wedding bouquet, a few flowers of delicate tint may be sparingly used. Amongst exotics, the orchid class of plants, those tinted with pale mauve and blush rose, are most useful for such bouquets, The style of flowers should have some analogy to the age of the bride. Thus a
18 BOUQUETS.
bouquet composed of nothing but orange buds is appropriate for a young bride in her teens, whilst full-blown flowers are equally well fitted for a wearer of more mature age. > \