Boys and girls who live in the country will find it a pleasant winter
evening pastime to make a bouquet of vegetable flowers.
First gather from the woods laurel leaves and other evergreens. Then by
the exercise of taste, ingenuity, and a skilful use of the penknife,
really beautiful bouquets can be compiled of these flowers, with the
addition of sprigs of evergreen. White turnips, yellow turnips, beets,
carrots, pumpkins, and portions of cabbages, can be used for the
flowers.
Take a white turnip, neatly peeled, notched exactly down in leaf shape
all round. Then fasten to a stem whittled from wood. Surround it with
green leaves, and behold either an exquisite white camellia or a rose!
Moss rose buds can be made by cutting turnips or beets into the proper
shape, and placing real moss around them. Red roses, camellias, or
dahlias can be made in the same way from beets. Yellow flowers from
carrots and pumpkins. White or red flowers from white and red cabbages.
Beautify your houses, however poor or humble your lot; a bare,
comfortless room does not excite home love.