MAY M, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



789 



Laurel Wreath. 



ing into favor; the Star or Cac- 

 tus varieties are lovely and useful. 

 Coxcomb and centaurea make up fine- 

 ly, but we have never seen them any- 

 where so perfect as in the public p irks 

 of Chicago. Where annuals are us?d. 

 'tis best to either have room tor suc- 

 cession, or else be dense enough to 

 equal effects in the masses of other 

 flowers. Acalyphas and abutilons, es- 

 pecially the new A. Savitzii, furnish 

 good high colors, and don't neglect 

 cosmos. 



There are many dirty ponds or 

 ditches that could be transformed into 

 beauty spots at very little expense. 

 A few aquatics, a cluster of eulalias, 

 Arundo Donax variegata will repay, 

 and you know there are many times 

 in summer when a sprig of forget-me- 

 not is wanted. M. palustris semper- 

 florens planted in a damp location will 

 furnish it. 



Combinations in colors can be as 

 varied as your list of plants. Scat- 

 tering or hotch-potch effects are sel- 

 dom satisfactory. Many plants, es- 

 pecially geraniums, will give better ul- 

 timate results if planted a little on 

 the slant, for they furnish up quicker 

 that way. More attention should 

 be given to hanging baskets, vases, 

 and boxes. We find trouble in procur- 

 ing good full vines for this class of 

 work. Variegated vincas should be 

 planted out now, raised in the fall 

 and grown in pots for next spring's 

 bedding. The vines on the market 

 are too light. Ivy-leaved geraniums 

 make a splendid hanging basket, so 

 do many of the fuchsias, and mixed 

 collections of plants. The average 

 hanging rustic basket offered on the 

 market is too heavy and expensive, 

 besides the wood makes the soil hot 

 and dry and few plants will succeed 



in them. Use the wire ones and 

 moss, or manufacture crate baskets 

 yourself. Aucuba japonica is a good 

 j)lant for tubs or vases; it needs plenty 

 ol' water to keep it in condition. Hy- 

 drangeas Otaksa and cyanoclara can- 

 not be too highly valued for outdoor 

 summer vase work. 



Whatever you have or whatever 

 you have to do, try to get your bed- 

 ding out done by Decoration Day. The 

 pi opie expect it of you and nature de- 

 mands it. And again we say, do your 

 work on the jirinciple of "More flow- 

 ers, less ci'imc." IVERA. 



DECORATION OF MONUMENTS. 



We have been asked for some sug- 

 gestions as to the decoration of the 

 soldiers' monument shown in the ac- 

 companying engraving. 



This is an exceedingly beautiful type 

 of monument, and very great care 

 should be used in decorating it. Many 

 there are who suggest twisting ropes 

 of hemlock or laurel around the pil- 

 lar. We consider that would Spoil its 

 beauty. We would not go higher than 

 the projection just above the heads of 

 the statues. There in the center we 

 would arrange our cluster of small 

 flags, fixing them so the sticks would 

 not show and connecting them to- 

 gether by loops of flowers or garlands 

 ot green. In front and at the feet of 

 each figure suspend a laurel wreath or 

 wreath of flowers, and just beneath the 

 tablets arrange heavy Roman garlands 

 of either flower or foliage, which will 

 contrast well with the wreaths. Oti 

 the steps could be placed a few loose 

 bunches of flowers, or scatter them 

 promiscuously all over. 



Most decorations, in order to make 

 them the more impressive, should be 

 connected, that is, one design should 

 be connected with the other. This can 

 be done in a delicate way by vines, but 

 on no account should wires, spring, 

 sticks, or other adjuncts be visible. 

 Then again the colors red, white, and 

 blue can easily be arranged on each 

 side of the monument like this: One 

 wreath of each color and the garland 

 the other; or all could be put in the 

 one design, though colors are a sec- 

 ondary consideration. The principle 

 in monumental decoration is either 

 extreme simplicity or concentrated 

 richness. Work should never look 

 slovenly or appear as if you wanted to 

 get rid of all your material and didn't 

 care how. 



Our idea of a laurel wreath is the 

 one illustrated here. We made it for 

 a soldier's grave nearly two years ago. 

 This alone would be sufficient in most 

 cases. Leave the crepe off. 



IVERA. 



PLANTING OF HOME GROUNDS. 



A paper upon the above subject was 

 read by Mr. Walter Retzer before the 

 Chicago Florists' Club at its meeting 

 last Friday evening. He said that the 

 subject was too broad for the time at 



