JAPANESE FLOWER ARRANGEMENT
low the natural growth of the plant from which your flowers have been gathered. If the flowers have been given you and you are ignorant of their natural tendency, bear in mind that variety is one of your chief aims. If you have only three flowers, do not put the bud at the top, the half-open one for Man, and the full-blown for Earth; but if you start with a bud, mix up the flower forms in some way. As has been already explained, there are two styles in one or the other of which every arrangement of flowers must be made. These styles are also distinguished by the names of in and yo. The colors of flowers are given this same distinction. Purple, red, pink, and variegated colors are classified as masculine, whereas yellow, white, and blue are feminine. This guides one in arranging flowers of different colors in the same vase, the masculine colors always taking the most important and highest position in the group. The one exception to this rule is white flowers. White flowers of every variety hold the highest rank.
