it is well to
choose the single varieties with moderate-sized blossoms; the big flabby
ones soon become spoilt by rain, and are not produced so freely, nor is
their habit of growth so good.

=For hot situations= the double geraniums are splendid, but they should
not be mixed with lobelias, as they look infinitely better when grouped by
themselves, the shades ranging from dark crimson to the palest
salmon-pink.

=PRETTY TRAILERS.= The quick-growing _tradescantia_ with its many-jointed
stems and glossy bright green leaves, softens =the somewhat formal
appearance of the geraniums=, and will cover all the bare soil in a
marvellously short space of time, and droop over the edges in long
streamers; it is quite distinct from the tall _tradescantias_ mentioned in
a former chapter, and is the easiest thing in the world to propagate, as
any little bits saved over from a bouquet will make roots in a bowl of
water, or they can be "struck" in the ordinary way in a pot under glass.
The variegated _tradescantia_ is =a very choice trailer=, but a little
more tender than the other, and requires a sunny position, while the plain
green variety will do anywhere outside in the summer, even growing well
under trees.

=For autumn= there are the =hardy chrysanthemums=, and if dwarf varieties
with fibrous roots are chosen, a very good show can be made with these
till the middle or end of November. The protection afforded them by the
house keeps them in good condition longer than when they are in the open,
especially when a thin veiling, such as tiffany, is afforded them on cold
nights. Even newspapers will keep out several degrees of frost, and form a
very cheap method of protection.

CHAPTER XV

Table Decoration and Flowers in Season

_Graceful arrangement--How to manage thick-skinned
stems--Colour-schemes--Bad colours for artificial light--Preserving
and resuscitating--Table of flowers in season._

The fashion of decorating tables to the extent now done is of
comparatively recent date. When the duties were taken off the importation
of foreign flowers, they became so much lower in price that the great
middle-class could afford to buy some even in mid-winter. In the British
Isles themselves, too, the carriage of flowers is much cheaper and more
expeditious, though there is plenty of room for improvement still in that
respect. =The manner of arranging= them has much altered, for, instead of
cramming a clumsy vase