JUNE 8, 1899. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



27 



Wreath of Palm and Cycas Leaves. 



[Reproduced from Die Bindekunst.] 



next season. Although we at all times 

 advocate variety, nevertheless we con- 

 sider it unwise for the small florist 

 with limited space to go in for infe- 

 rior flowers; only the best should be 

 grown and they are generally those 

 which are largest and of great sub- 

 stance. We seldom have time to 

 bother with small flowers on a large 

 job, and even if we had they do not 

 repay the labor of arranging. Fill your 

 grounds with flowers of the right sort, 

 you can never know when you wi!l 

 want tbem, but when the time does 

 come they are there for you. 



Paeonies are by far the best decora- 

 tive flowers we have in the market 

 today. They are extra fine for almost 

 any kind of work — church, house or 

 funeral work — there is nothing to 

 equal them. Put a cluster or vase of 

 them anywhere and they speak for 

 themselves. Wisterias are elegant, 

 they are grand for fringe work or sus- 

 pended over-head where their graceful 

 racemes will show; they should have 

 a background that will best show off 

 the color and charm of the flowers. 



Double Pyrethrum, especially the old 

 white variety, Mont Blanc, is a good 

 flower and keeps well. Many think it 

 a chrysanthemum, and few flowers 

 compare with it when arranged in 

 large clusters. Climbing roses, such 

 as Baltimore Belle, Queen of the Prai- 

 ries, Crimson Rambler, or any of the 

 free flowering and lasting kinds, are 

 splendid material. You can make of 

 their long vines of beauty the prettiest 

 arbors, curtains and festoons. Twina 

 a natural growth of Crimson Rambler 

 or Queen of the Prairies round a 

 white pillar, or loop it along a white 

 panel or frieze; nothing can be finer. 

 The best way to keep them fresh till 

 you need them is to put them in a 

 damp cellar or box. Persian lilac is 

 good, inasmuch as it comes when the 

 other is over and keeps better; 'tis 

 fine too for decorating and should be 

 put high up where they will not be 

 disappointed by its lack of fragrance. 

 Clematis, especially coccinea, flammu- 

 la and Jackmanii, which are the ear- 

 liest, give us grand flowering vines 

 for mirrors or trellis work. If we 



have them in pots we need not cut 

 them, but what if we do occasionally 

 have to cut such vines? If we put 

 them to the best advantage they cer- 

 tainly repay us. The brilliant Orien- 

 tal poppies give us the color we often 

 need, and even if we merely put them 

 in our window they are worth more 

 attention than they get. 



Many of the herbaceous spiraeas, 

 such as S. filipendula fl. pi., S. Arun- 

 cus and S. palmata are good for vases 

 or funeral work. Rhododendrons can 

 be used in various effective forms; 

 you need not cut the wood and spoil 

 future growths, just break off the 

 truss, wire them as they are on privet 

 stems, or on wires and make garlands 

 or wreaths of them. If you keep the 

 colors in sections you can do fine work 

 with them. Digitalis gloxinoides, both 

 white and violet, are unexcelled as 

 vase flowers. Coreopsis and Anthemis 

 tinctoria, the hardy Golden Margue- 

 rite, are useful flowers, for yellow is 

 either always fashionable or effect- 

 ive. We are still using Iris germani- 

 ca to great advantage and instead of 

 their own foliage we use Eulalia gra- 

 eillima. 



It is always advisable to have some 

 variegation round us. Golden leaved 

 syringa is good whilst young, Cornus 

 Spathii and the variegated weigela, 

 with the stock mentioned in last 

 week's notes, are charming when used 

 as described therein. 



When you are making baskets of 

 hardy garden flowers don't forget high 

 handle effects are best. Garden flow- 

 ers show tbeir beauty to advantage 

 when loosely arranged and the han- 

 dle is half the basket. Of course with 

 small flowers the handle is not so im- 

 portant. 



Pretty table decorations can now 

 be made with climbing roses, one color 

 to a table. There should be no arti- 3 

 ficial fixings discernible, and slender, 

 graceful arranging only is permissi- 

 ble. If there be a low gas fixture or 

 candelabra over or on the table you 

 can fix some briars to it; if there 

 be none, then get a very tall, slender 

 or a small vase filled with water (we 

 advise either so long as they do not 

 obstruct the view), arrange the 

 branches to four corners if the table 

 be square, if it be round two ways 

 will do; the ends of the branches 

 should uniformly loop and taper off 

 on the cloth. Another effective de- 

 sign can be made like a semi-flat bas- 

 ket having two branches form the 

 handle. When we use climbing rose 

 branches for the table they are those 

 most laden with flowers. Crimson 

 Rambler is grand for this work, and 

 where these roses are used no other 

 flowers or greens are needed. The 

 same can be used for corsage and coat 

 flower. IVERA. 



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