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As a busy young mother and homemaker Mrs. Creighton had no time for a real hobby. Her hours were full of sharing the interests of her three growing children. But as the children grew up she had more time on her hands to devote to flowers, which she had always loved. When the boys went off to war, it helped to have an interest to keep hands busy while she waited. So in addition to raising flowers, she began to study magazine articles and books on flower arrangements. When young Robert W. Creighton of the Air Force was reported missing in action over Germany in 1945, she plunged deeper into her study and practice with flower arranging in order to fill her hands and mind. This shortened the long days of waiting and wondering. After five long months the war department confirmed her fears that he was dead. But one can not know beauty and study plants without feeling God's nearness. So even her grief was lightened by her new found hobby.

Each new bit of knowledge led her to further study. She registered at the University of Chattanooga for courses in art in order to study color, design and related subjects. She made such an outstanding pupil that she was later invited back to teach some classes.

To get more specific information on flower arranging, Mrs. Creighton attended lectures in near-by cities. Hearing of flower show judging schools in Texas and Oklahoma, she went even farther from home to satisfy her thirst for knowledge.

Once a question on arrangements related to different periods of history led her into an extensive research into history. She says that through this she acquired the feeling of the various periods. An understanding of other countries and peoples developed, that broadened her whole outlook.

WITH ALL of this new found knowledge, Mrs. Creighton's flower arrangements grew more and more perfect. They were real works of art. They attracted the attention of guests in her home. When she decorated churches, they were the subject of much admiration. One day a neighbor asked her if she would speak on flower arrangements at the next garden club meeting. Mrs. Creighton was shocked by the idea. She complained that she could not talk in public. "Why, even at the women's meetings at church, I always take a back seat for fear that they will call on me to say something," she said. "I have to work with my hands." She finally agreed to go to the meeting and make some arrangements, just to show the women how to do it. As she arranged, she just naturally found herself explaining what she was doing. The group sat spellbound. Her "lecture" was such a success that she was called by numerous other clubs to speak on her favorite hobby. Other women were as hungry for knowledge of the art of flower arranging as she had been.

In the gracious manner that is so like her, she accepted these calls to speak at more and more places. So many that it grew quite a burden for her. And an expense, too, in transportation, flowers, etc. So, to discourage groups from imposing on her good nature, she announced that in order to defray expenses she would have to charge a fee. However, this did not have the desired effect. Since people were paying for the service, they felt no hesitancy about calling on her. Her engagements began to come from neighboring towns and cities as well as local groups. So she gained fame as a teacher and lecturer.

"A FLOWER arrangement is a plan of organization that determines the way in which the elements must be combined to accomplish a pictorial effect," says Mrs. Creighton in discussing the principles of her hobby. "In beginning to plan your arrangement, have in mind some geometric form such as a triangle, circle, square or some part thereof, such as an L from a square or a curve from a circle, etc. The outer extremities of plant material follow this pattern. Carry the lines in spikes such as delphinium, stocks, gladioli or foliage from iris or yucca. Then complete the design with a background of foliage or flowers that fill in. Finally bring all the lines together with a target flower. The rose, chrysanthemum and dahlia are typical of this class of flower.

"Follow the principles of design, proportion, balance, scale, dominance, contrast, and rhythm in making a flower arrangement. Plan your design so that the plant material is one and one-half times as high or as wide as the visible part of the container, measuring from the top of the container. In a low container work from the width, in a high one the height, whichever measurement is the larger. This is proportion, the relationship of plant material to container.

"Balance is rest or repose. This is usually achieved by placing lighter flowers such as buds or light colored flowers at the outer edge and putting darker, heavier flowers close to axis, or near the container. Also keep brightest flowers such as strong yellows close to the axis.

"Scale is the interrelationship of flowers or the elements to each other. That is, no one flower should be too large for the container. A good proportion to adhere to is to have no one flower larger than one-third the size of the visible portion of the container.

"Dominance is achieved by using more of one shade, shape, line or texture. Make one element your theme and arrange the others to harmonize with it. The design must also have contrast. To use all one material would make for monotony, so introduce different colors, shapes, textures or stages of development to add contrast.

"Rhythm is achieved by continuous line movement and progressing smoothly from one size to another. You can carry this out with a full blown rose, a half open one and then a tight bud. Or it could be done through color in its tints and shades, dark to medium to light."

THE ACCOMPANYING photographs of flower arrangements done by Mrs. Creighton illustrate many of these principles. This arrangement titled "Aspiration" was inspired by the line, "She lifts her leafy arms to pray," from Joyce Kilmer's poem "Trees." This is a fine example of the use of dried plant materials. Note the use of a stand under the arrangement to add balance. When using such an accessory, it may be considered a part of the container for calculating proportion and scale.

Mrs. Creighton is shown arranging a piece that she titles "Jungle Fire". This is a combination of dried and fresh plant materials with emphasis on texture and color harmony. The wood which gives it the strong angle is manzanita from Mexico: The stretliza, popularly called Bird of Paradise, furnishes a blaze of color with its orange and blue. There is a fill in of treated magnolia leaves in rich brown. It is placed on a mahogany taboret.

"Ecstasy" is in the French manner. Its basic design is a triangle. The container is a white alabaster urn. The flowers are held in place by crushed chicken wire. This is placed in the vase so that some of the cut ends extend beyond the top of the vase. These can be used to support flowers and help hold them more securely in place. Twistems tie flowers securely to chicken wire. The spikes are white stocks, and the background filled in with Lester Hibbard roses, which are a blush-cream color. The target flowers are Fuji mums which are a delicate lavender.

"Shadows" has circular movement in flowers, foliage and container. It is held in place by Daisy needlepoint holders anchored to the bowl with floral clay. The spikes are eucalyptus; loquat leaves and carnations make up the fill in, with ball type chrysanthemums as target flowers. They are placed in an eighteenth century crackleware Chinese container on a stand of carved teak wood.

THE INTEREST in Mrs. Creighton's lectures grew so high that she began to organize flower show judging schools. These were patterned after the ones that she had attended in Texas and Oklahoma. They were the first judging schools in the Southeast. The National Council of State Garden Clubs has a prescribed course of study for these schools. They are composed of three subjects: horticulture, flower show practice, and flower arranging. In order to become an accredited judge one must have attended five such schools, have won at least three blue ribbons in standard flower shows, and have completed a reading course as prescribed by the National Council of State Garden Clubs. This reading is selected according to various sections of the country, since the growing conditions differ. Mrs. Creighton is the only accredited teacher in Tennessee.

The judging schools appealed to many women, but many more said: "We aren't ready to judge other people's work, we want a beginner's course," Or, "I'm not interested in flower shows, I just want to make pleasing arrangements for my own home," So Mrs. Creighton has developed an all around introductory course in five lessons. She teaches this course many times a month. It has become a perennial favorite.

The school is usually sponsored by a garden club or some other woman's organization. The group furnishes the meeting place. Sometimes it is a clubroom, church basement, large home, or whatever meets their convenience. They may meet mornings, afternoons or some of both. Each lesson lasts about two hours. The fee for the course is $50 per group. Mrs. Creighton will take only ten or fifteen women in the classes. She wants them to practice making arrangements, and she feels that she can not give sufficient attention to each individual if there are more than fifteen in the class.

The course is varied to meet the needs of the group, but it usually goes by about this schedule:

Lesson I. Acquaint the group with materials, mechanics, methods, etc., used in making flower arrangements.

Lesson II: Study containers, analyzing them as to color, texture, size, shape, character, elements of design and harmony of materials.

Lesson III. Principles of design.

Lesson IV. Color harmonies.

Lesson V. Flower arrangement clinic. The students make arrangements with critical help from Mrs. Creighton.

MRS. CREIGHTON'S teaching is just one phase of her profitable hobby. She enters many local, state and national flower shows. Her arrangements consistently take top awards in these shows. The ribbons and cash prizes are gladly accepted, but she says that her greatest reward comes from the many fan letters that she receives after the shows are over and the flowers have faded. After the national show in Washington, D.C., last year, a California woman wrote her, "The richness of texture and tonal quality of your arrangement stirred something in me that I did not know I had." Mrs. Creighton says that when she can arouse in others a drive to take up such a pleasant, creative art, to free their minds from worries and petty thoughts, then she feels richly rewarded.

In addition to conducting her classes for local clubs, Mrs. Creighton is much in demand as a speaker at state garden club meetings, various art groups, and women's clubs. For these out-of-town engagements, she gets $50 per day. A further reward from her hobby has been the travel that she has enjoyed in filling these engagements. She has exhibited, lectured or taught in Alabama, Arkansas, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. She has been entertained royally in many lovely homes. She meets many interesting, famous and lovable people.

In addition to her classes, Mrs. Creighton has private pupils who come to her for special study. They bring their own containers and materials to her airy studio and work under her direction. She suggests possible arrangements to suit the containers that they own; they make sketches and take notes as well as doing actual arrangements with her help. These students may come for a single lesson or take a series of lessons. Each lesson period is about two hours.

She frequently gets calls for one-day refresher courses from clubs that have already sponsored her live-day course. In the fall she teaches many of these, helping garden clubs prepare for the Inter State Fair competition, or for their own club fall flower show. During the early winter she gets frequent calls for lectures on holiday decorations and Christmas green arranging. These one-day sessions meet for three hours; her fee for them is $10.

ANOTHER OUTLET and source of profit for Mrs. Creighton's hobby, are the calls she gets to decorate homes for formal or important entertainment occasions. Her work was especially popular during the visit of the Garden Club of America to Chattanooga last year. A typical service consists of selecting materials suitable to occasion and place. She uses containers at the home or may supply some of her own on loan. She charges according to the number of arrangements, but usually about $5 per arrangement. The usual call requires about two living room arrangements, one or two for the library, one for dining table and one in the entrance hall. On one recent assignment she made and placed twenty-one arrangements throughout a house. She does not advertise this service, but she gets many calls from people who have admired her work at some tea, dinner party or reception. This is a favorite phase of the hobby with her because it is so creative. Recently she has been called on to consult on interior decoration. The same art principles apply, and she could very easily branch out into that related field.

Another unplanned profit from Mrs. Creighton's hobby has been the demand that she handle materials for flower arranging. The women in her classes began to say, "I haven't the right type containers, help us select some." Or, "Where in the world did you get that quaint bit of driftwood in the dried arrangement? I must have some!" So she handles containers, dried plant materials, etc., on consignment for various concerns. Naturally she makes a small profit on these. Once while giving free advice on growing roses and planning rose gardens, she sold 2,247 rose bushes in Tennessee alone. For this and organizing test rose gardens, she received a national award from the National Council of State Garden Clubs.

Mrs. Creighton's hobby has not only been profitable for her, but she has led others in making their hobbies profitable too. While lecturing in Louisiana some months ago, she met a woman who collected cypress knees as a hobby. Mrs. Creighton immediately saw their possibilities in flower arrangements. The woman insisted that it was just a hobby and that she had never thought of selling them. However, she let Mrs. Creighton have some. They were an instant success in the Chattanooga mountain section where the swamp roots are a novelty. So another hobbyist was launched on a profitable venture.

One of the Creighton boys was stationed for some time in Europe at the close of World War II. When his mother began to detect notes of boredom and unrest in his letters, she suggested some horticultural subjects that she thought he might enjoy doing research on at the famous European libraries. She also pointed out some gardens that he might have an opportunity to visit while he was on leave. He became so interested in the subject that he went into the florist business when he was released by the army. He now has a flourishing flower shop in Rossville, Georgia.

MRS. CREIGHTON is still a busy homemaker. Her first interest is in seeing that her husband and home are well looked after. There is always a well filled home freezer with produce from the home garden ready for visits from the children and grandchildren. With all her lectures and classes, she still finds time to continue her studies. The morning that I called to interview her, I found her working in her delightful studio trying to work out something new and exciting to do with the very commonplace marigold. Still her happy, profitable hobby ripples on. She says that she would not consider flower arranging a successful hobby if it were something that you enjoyed for a time and then laid aside to turn to other interests. It has held her ever increasing interest for many years and has been a growing source of joy. Others come under her influence and go on to join her in enjoying this very beautiful hobby of flower arranging.

Here is a partial bibliography of source materials which Mrs. Creighton would recommend to those interested in learning to enjoy their flower arranging more fully:

Averill, Mary, "Japanese Flower Arrangement," New York, John Lane Co., 1913.

Biddle, Dorthy and Dorthea Blom, "Flower Arrangement for Everyone," New York, Barrows and Co., Inc., 1947.

Conway, John Gregory and Elinor Wallace Hiatt, "Flowers: Their Arrangement," New York, A.A. Knopf, 1940.

Hine, Anabell Whitney, "New Flower Arrangements," New York, Charles Scribners Sons, 1936.

McClinton, Katharine, "Flower Arrangements in the Church," New York, Morehouse Gorham Co., 1944.

Oshikawa, Josui and Hazel H. Gorham, "Manual of Japanese Flower Arrangements," Tokyo, Japan, Cosmo Publishing Co., 1947.

Rockwell, Frederick Fry and Esther C. Grayson, "The Complete Book of Flower Arrangements for Home Decoration, for Show Competition," New York, American Garden Guild, 1947.