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many rinv flowers curving trom a stalk in the cenlre. This ii. on3y one example ot an unlikely pressing flower which consists of liny florets or corollas grouped tightly together, each one forming an ideał piece of miniaturę materiał when used indieidually.

On a regular ruutine walk thrnugh a built-up district it i? easy for us tooverlook lite plant iife which dwells in brick and stone crevices. Yel near to gulter pipes and gargoylcs there are ofien clusters o: ferns and moss mounds and often, slightly above eye-level, there are trails of Ivy and dumpsof Ivy-leaved Toadflax with coil-ing stetnsand pale violet flowers. Afcground level Ked Deadnettles sprout between paving cracks; and it you pick one of these stTeet weeds and examine it, you will find soft pink trumpet flowers concealed between downy, heart-shaped leaves.

Weaving through railings and fences are many strąg-glitig strands of Cleavers or Goosegrass which divide into di5tinctive dark stars and the varieiy of grasses which form elegant sprays when bieached by the sun. By looking with a frush, enquiring eye at plants or weeds which are usually dismissed as commonplacc, the minialurist will discover a wealth of unusua! materia! to be colleded and. in return for a smal! amount of tinie taken in exploring an alternative route or walking through an unfamiliar area, there is the prospect of being repaid with the occasional rarity.

While modern development i; responsible for ieveii-ing large areas of urban land which were oikc occupied by tenants who took pride in their smali back garćens and courtyard flower beds, tracę? of these buried gar* dens often survive and can be scen fordng their way through the surface of car parks regardles? of the heavy trampling and traffic. In compensation, the motorist often conlributes to collcctions by carrying seeds -caught in clorhes. hair, and soles of shnes and the stri-ation>of tyres over considerable distances. Eventua!ły shaken free, these seeds can take ront in districts far remoeed trom their original habitat. In dockside and railway areas in fact, it is possible to find plants which havc travclled trom foreign iands.

From my persona! point of view, it is this fascinating search for natur dl materiał that thrivcs amidst indif-ference dnd neglert, and the continua! promise of unex-pected disco veries, which turns the miniaturę inlo the most rewarding form of flora! art.

Bccause of the smali scalę. :he collector will find a wide selection of materia! morę useful Ihan large quan-tities, and this can be gathered d u ring the year whenever drclimstances are suitable. For the arranger with limited leisure, the miniaturę will prove to te a particulariy comenient form of presentatio.n because only a few pieccs are required to assemble a simple arrangement and this can be completed within a eorn-paratively short space of Bme.

This book is designed to introduce the beginner to plant pressing and its potential uses, bu: I hope it will also persuade dnv disheartened student to return to an absorbing cccupation with a renewed enthusiasm. Hor the expert, who already has a sound knowledge of pressed materiał, miniaturę work might wel! prnve to be a refreslung change from the usual presentations. while some of the small-scale suggeslions can be adapted to suit other scalcs and make use of materiał which is alreadv in storę.

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