Dogwood blooms cut to grace a pure white mantle conjure up images of spring come to the South. The tonal scheme, all in coolest shades of bluish whites and grays are reflected in the mirror of the silver vessel. It is all balance and light: the elegant turn of the handles, the perfect symmetry of the quadruple bracts of the dogwood. Even the tight little flowers at the blooms’ centers are still closed, still green, still fresh. White may well be the signature color of the Old South. The white mantle rests against the white wall inside the large white plantation home. Dogwoods bloom white as the heralds of spring. Soon, the countryside will explode into floral extravagance. But for now, it is cool, it is spring, it is pure, it is white.