This section is from the book "The Gardener V1", by William Thomson. Also available from Amazon: The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener.
The prevailing colour of a bride's bouquet should be white, with just a pale shade of violet or blue, or a light shade of pink sparingly distributed over the surface. A little scarlet can be used in a bridesmaid's bouquet, but not enough to make it glaring. As a general rule, far too much of scarlet is placed in bouquets during the bright summer months; there appears to be such a prevailing affection for scarlet, that our flower-gardens and bouquets are often rendered unsightly by such a glare of it. In winter-time, when the skies are dull and leaden, some scarlet should be used by way of giving life by contrast; in hot bright sunny weather the colours should be dark, sombre, and soft.
 
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