Gardening Notes

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 18, 25 September 1930, Page 9

Gardening Notes

£ ARTISTIC FLORAL WORK

"The spec eh of flowers exceeds all flowers of speech." Tthese quaint lines are to be found inscribed on pillar in & notable garden of England, and -will appeal to all true lovers of flowers. The love of flowers is found all the world' over, and, as far back as 534 8.C., we read of a garden of Roses, Lilies and Poppies adjoining" the.'palace of a Roman Emperor. Though most nations love flowers,- nearly all have one particular flower «s a national oinblenij still, all do not agree as to what constitutes artistic arrangemont, either in the garden or house.- For instance, the Japanese look on flowers and their arrangement from quite a different aspect to the English.. To them the plants exist for the garden, not the garden for t&e plants. Their,g&rdoois ariMnade in. imitation of a landscape, no plant or flower bei^ag allowed in which iaterfeires with the .perspective. The Rose and' the Lily, which we all love, they regard as unrefined flowers, and, if growai at all, are not allowed in the garden proper. Their preference is for^ flowers which obey their canonical rules 6f • .curve and colour,' such as the Iris, Ckerxy, Peach, Bamboo amd Wistaria. Often their garden will consist of y a tray., aooly

few inches square, on which, by an arjiangoment of plants and rack, they •will represent some: Japanese landscape in miniature, or a scene, from a play, composed of growing flowers, twisted and bent whilst growing; to represent the «ue*Oirs of mot-able, people' .of fhe day. Their gardens are composed of maimed and tortured plants, and; though very wonderful, arc totally different to the beauty of Australian or English gardens •whore nature holds sway.

The Jaipanese in the arrangement of flowers, -have quite different-.'aims, and ideas to the .English. By their system called "Ikcbana," they have many ■minute ami occult 'tulgs governing the

•correct arrangement of every floiwer .-and'leaf in a vase, -blowers a-nd plants tfor decorative purposes must almost mtrcesfwirily be those"'treated'in .accord-:a-wee..with fhe -rules .of Ike-bana, as, by vfhese rules, guests at once know the •ftegroe of welcome, accorded to them. 'There are several schools ' where 'this ircmnant of old -Japan is taught. Often •at a banquet,, where all ,else is in Western style, the 'flowers will be treated :according to t«he .rules of Iketoana.

Though we do not express otir sentinnents to one another by the arrangernient of flowers, as the Japanese do, •still the love of flowers and their iiajppy ::blending is one of the refinements of • our life. We are all largely influenced by out ■'surroundings..'."'■•' Some rooms .seem to possess the power of setting one's teeth on edge>^whilst others,. by .. their happy arrangement of colours, ihave at once a restful and soothing influence. With regard to the arrangement of flowers, it is most important ttha-t the blending of' colour ; should be considered if success is to be attained. Some colours, such as blue, purple and mauve, lose their brilliancy by ar.tifi•cial light, whilst pinks, reds amd yellow :appear more "brilliant. Some colour*, rsuch as red and orange, insensibly make .one feel wainutlij, and therefore should be used on cold, grey days; whilst* blue,1 white and mauve, with soft greens, Nare cooling in effect. For decorative p>r3pos6s, light and single flowers are more •effective than -dark and doulbl'e ones. Very large flowers should not" be used In small .T-ooms or fin. small dining tables. Small vases, or even a single .small "bowl., is more effective on a dining taible, especially if used on; a round or oval one.

When competing in a flower show, the competitor should first read the «cihedule and roles careftdly. It is the yQxab thing a judge will do, and he judges accordingly. Many prizes are losft through exhibits not complying with the roles, and keen disappointment results. I'irat mote the thne «when exhibits are to/be staged. A competitor will often appear Witt floral •work an hour after others have theirs staged. The baskets, bouquets, buttonholes/ etc., which -have been staged at the proper time, of course, have /the stems oat of water, and the flowers appear quite drooping if waiting an hour to be judged, whilst those freshly brought in, and set up against the earlier, staged ones, have a decided ad-

vantage

Many buttonholes and sprays come up for judgment that no one could possibly wear, as, by their size, they t'.ro more lit to be termed bouquets. She dining - tables also are often so overcrowded tthat they are more .-;ui üble for floral displays tban dining r-ab-es. Then, with the baskets, a basket; arranged for effect is one suitable for presentation, artistically arrangedl, uot one containing all the varieties of flowers you have iv your garden. Mfioy baskets, filled with beautiful flawers of all sorts, are often seen amongst this class, and competitors wo vlfr way the prize was riot awarded to rnoir has-, kets of miscellaneous flowers, insttf.d of the one containing, perhaps, r» tow inferior flowers of cue variety, .ightly arranged. Some baskets at a re-jjnt show were more noticeable for the d;splay of -glass- bottlbs holding th. i stems than anything else. Of eourso., these were disqualified, as were some->*nMwijt&' more florist's" wire than stems. ; If wire is Hsod (and it or, some other support is 6i?ten "necessa-ry), it should not b^ in I'vidonco. The Japanese use thin st.-3ps of loud, und these, when procurable, are preferable to wire. Often, with ;u<? ' baskets and bowls, one side wil! bo beautifully arranged^ and only wire and space visible on the other, th) oxlubitm- forgetting that the exhibits are % lifiterl and judged on all sides. Age ;:d' plan when arranging a bowl is to. tafee <a piece- of wire lietting, and ~.-j pr-ss ' it into a ball t»ae shagae requir id. 'Fit this .tightly into the bowl, and <:Joe J stems of the flowers, when passed thremgh the wire netting wilj itunrl firmly: in the reqiiired position. -v^iid. tho use. of gibbons in floral work, iiti ]<\ss harmonising perfectly with tn<! colours of the flowers. ...

A.-specimen glass was originally a small vase of glass used for showing a single bloom or. specimen.' Now we have larger vases, termed specimen glasses, but-the original use when arranging should not be forgotten. Each flower and bud should bo plainly visible. It is a good. vulo, to obtain..an artistic effect, to arrange the larger flowers in.:the form of a triangle, with the lightest and smallest flowers. o<i top. ■■'■." *" • ' •

.When a floral design it? attempted, it phoulfl b<* an emblem coiniposed of flowtrs, not an article deeonitml■ v.itli flow; t>rs, such as a .wooden boatj uinib'r'ella, ■or; Kat. . Th^se are 'd ocprated articles, not floral designs. ■■;'•'''Of course, if!'-'a; Afr corated boat or other article appears on .the schedule, that is a different [mattes rIn competitions for floral work, artistic ai'rangenierits anil successful blending of colour should aKvays .be,.first; con-/ sideredi Oompion and field ilcvyers. aro of equal artistic merit as rar^ blooms;

At many of. the. flower shows 'held lately the dininig tablei. decorations' have, created much: •■•'interest... At a counttry show recently, nbfxjwer than eleven: tables; rtippearod forvjudgment; and in almost every instance >yore most artistic, though many of the (campejtitors were 'handicapped by having small tables to arrange wlien pre^i-ations had been made for larger ones. It would be advisalble for all Schedules to ■•plainly' sta>te, the size of tables availaTile. "When^^ arranjging ia.. ttfble, take nature as your guide, and you cannot then.-go far wrong. Study the plants, and aTrange tike flowers as miwsh as p possible to show their growth. For instance, tall-growing and long-&tem-drne flowers in tall vases, and shbrtstalkod and creeping blooms in shallow vessels. Almost always it is abvisabto to use the foliage of a plant with/sh« KatuTe never gave a Fern loaf to a Carnation or a Gkrranitun leaf to « Bom. There are very tew exceptions to the rule tKat the foliage of a plant suits the flawers of that: plant better than any other. Ainother role that has tew exceptions is to keep iiothom<o sn^ common flowers separate. Ono «vii|U>tl imagine a vase of Oattleyas amfl Oa»----natioms blending. A va»« or bowl 4Bm> posed of. one variety of floorers' is Always more artistic than one of many sorts of bl6oms. Do not use unnaturr a))f developed flowers for floral work. Tli 3 natural-sized flowers possess a dignity and Tefinemerit that one fails to find in the aggressively large ones. WLen arranging Sweet Peas, the flowers l-shtiuid be used with long steins, and a faw pieces of the plant,, with the flowfi.s on the stems, arranged wifch these |to show the growth and to add lightness. Tftie Nasturtium is another lowler that looks well treated* this

The fashion of vas6s and stands foT

dining tables varies. A few years ago the centrepiece used was so large that it was almost impossible to see across the table. If a high vase is used now, it should contain very few flowers, lightly" arranged. Tt is well to have the vases of different sizes, as a very flat effect will result if all are of the same size. The smallest vases should be on the outside of tin; iabl<\ For a dining stable nothing equals clear and transparent glass vases. It harmonises with the flowers, and reflects .-ill the. innTunerwble colours ami lights. The flowers, when fresh, p'ossoi? *<> much ibeauty of their.own that they, require no aid from either silver or old china. Avoid overcrowding on a dining taible, both in.the number of vaso.s and flow-' ers. At a show last year a boautifiul liable from an artistic point of view: nad pust a single, bowl of American Pillar in the centre, and two smaller; vases, arranged with the same flowers' and their own foliage. The colour of the flowers, blended so well with the-

uimv brown shoots of the foliage

W'hon ferns are used—and almost always some fern or grass is needed to "^break up lines—they should; be vbry fresh. Adianturns should be quite matured before cutting, or otherwise they cfa,de very quickly. Do not use old or dark fern —*he lighter and softer the, green the bette-r the effect. Adiantuan OraieilliauuTn. or Nebulosuim is 'best for the puanpose. When grass is used, it, should be used sparingly, as too ."much waving grass has the same irritating effect on the eye as a constant small noise -has on the ear. A very useful flower to add lightness is the common Meadow Sweet ot Bishoipsweed, which grows so well in our gardens. Arranged in bowls of Sweet Peas, Stock, or [•Larkspur, the effect is very beautiful. Another beautiful flower to a,dd grace and ligjlLtness- is the Gypsopbila, in particuiar G-. elegans, the tiny white flower ed perennial. Arranged with oiiher flowers, it has the effect of waving veils of innumei-aijle ,tiny white flowers.

I I would say to all who have gardens, ■cut flowers every day. Many plants will go on .bearing-flowers-for t^i«e, and even thrice, the. length of. time if I all open blooms are picked. If the ' florvvers are allowed Vto go to seed, the | plants almost . airways, stoip flowering. The popular and bea<u/tiful Ranunculi will go on flowering for weeks if the stems are--cut abovtvt'hc: first joint when the ■fl&Teers'iire startiiiig; to seed. Two other buds, will start.from this; joint. and in this way the ; plant can be kept in flower for months. If the first flower is allowed to seejl,- iio other flower will come on "'tih.e sanie stem. All flowers should be cut either early in the morning or after the sun has go-ne down. Many people immeTse the stems in not water before arranging. A better plan is to hold the stems over a lighted gas jet. By this means Poppies, Bamnßcu^ his, Adiantuiins, Mignxmette, etc will j last fresh for many days. If held in hot water the stems become soft, and are then very difficult to arracnge. Flowers are associated with all great events in life—in times of rejoicing, and in times of sorrow. In tihe dreadful times of war, they made many a silent appeal for aid for our wounded and sick. in coiidtisKm, . The kiss of the Sun for pardon, Tho song of the birds for mirth; One i? nearer Cjbod^s^^,heart ia> g^rdea. Thsln anywhere else on this earth.