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Flower Decorating

Just as each room in the home serves adifferent function, so different floraldisplays in appropriate styles willenhance their environment.

The dining room has a high profile inflower-arranging terms, as it becomesthe centre stage whenever the familygathers for a leisurely meal - at Sundaylunchtime, perhaps - or whenentertaining friends. If you have morethan one arrangement in the room, it isa good idea to compose them with alinking theme. You could choosesimilar flowers, but in different colours:deep-pink Peruvian lilies, for example,in one case and the palest of pinks inanother. A tall pitcher of white iris onthe sideboard could he interpreted byfloating similar flowers in a glass bowlon the dining table, by placing a singleflower in a specimen vase at each placesetting, or by blending white iris in anarrangement with anemones or roses.

In the living room, the well of thefireplace forms a dramatic arch for aflamboyant arrangement of seasonalplant materials chosen according to thecolour and texture of the fireplacesurround: a large earthenware jug ofhorse-chestnut buds in spring, a coolblend of blues and greens in summer,and the fiery hues of red, orange andyellow as winter approaches.

In summer, fresh flowers - especiallyif placed on a sunny window sill - arevulnerable and will fade quickly. Inthese circumstances, achieve the best ofboth worlds and choose the brightestand boldest of containers to displaysun-bleached seedheads; fill a largewhite jug with a burst of fresh or driedgypsophila and strawflowers; pack abasket full of wild oats and decorativegrasses, and wrap it with a brightlycoloured paper-ribbon bow; or arrangesome arching stems of translucent,dramatically back-lit foliage.

Flower arrangements for a bedroomor guest room are unashamed tokensof indulgence, and should be both romantic and restful. Try filling a prettyjug with a handful of fully opened rosesor a nosegay of roses, lilies and larkspurin muted colours. Arrange a posy for adressing table with spray carnations anddaisy chrysanthemums in apricot and peach tints, or compose a miniaturegroup of moody blues with forget-me-nots and cornflowers tumbling over theside of a blue-glass pitcher.

In a bathroom, take account of thelikely temperature and humiditychanges, and select the sturdiest andmost long-lasting of blooms. Theseinclude chrysanthemums of all kinds,marigolds, carnations, spray carnations,lilies and tulips.

For a dried-flower bathroomarrangement, choose, again, from themost good-tempered examples, whichinclude all the everlastings - strawflowers, rhodanthe, andacroclinium - statice, honesty, Chineselanterns (winter cherry), and otherseedheads. Or protect more delicateflowers under glass: an arrangementcomposed in dry foam on a hoard andcovered with a glass dome - a modemcheese dish or an upturned containerfor preserves - satisfies both aestheticand practical considerations.

The kitchen is another room that issubject to rapid temperature changes,so many of the same ground rules applyas for the bathroom. A jug of marigoldson the kitchen table signals a cheeryearly-morning greeting; a pot of herbson the window sill has both decorativeand culinary properties; and a hangingbasket of foliage plants, or grains andgrasses, lifts floral decor to a high level.

PREPARING FLOWERS

If you are picking your own flowers,gather them in the morning, when thesun has caused the dew to evaporatebut before there is a danger of wilting.Ideally, have a container of water withyou to hold your harvest. Once back inthe house, re-cut the stems, remove allfoliage that will he below the waterline,then plunge the stems into a bucket ofdeep water to allow them to have agood, long drink. Stand the bucket in acool, draught-free room, in the dark ifyou wish to slow the development ofthe blooms, or in indirect light toaccelerate blossoming. During theconditioning time, which should be aminimum of 6 hours, check that theflowers are raking in water. Droopingfoliage and limp heads indicate anairlock - roses are particularly susceptible to this problem.

All stems must be cut again beforethe flowers are placed in the displaycontainer. Research has shown that asingle, diagonal cut provides the bestuptake of water. Fill the hollow stemsof flowers such as delphiniums withwater and plug the ends with cotton

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