132 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



The centre stand of tlie long table was arranged as follows : — 

 ilound the edge of the lower tazza were fronds of Pteris serrulata, 

 which were so placed as to overlap each other, and formed a lattice- 

 work of green, which had a ver}^ light and elegant effect on the 

 white damask cloth. The tazza was then filled in with deep pink 

 and pure white azaleas, shrouded in maidenhair fern, with a few 

 spikes of spirrea here and there through them. I had no creeper 

 up the stem, but in its place two handsome sprays of Solomon's seal, 

 which waved out towards the head and foot of the table with excellent 

 effect. In the upper tazza were pink azaleas of a lighter shade than 

 those below, with a good deal of spiraea mixed through them, and a 

 fringe of maidenhair drooped round the edge. The trumpet con- 

 tained two sprays of Solomon's seal and three of dielytra, with a 

 few fronds of maidenhair interspersed through them. The dielytra 

 being of a lighter shade than the azaleas in the upper tazza, shaded 

 the whole thing off harmoniously. The zinc trays in which the palm 

 pots stood were filled with moss, which was well washed, but though 

 the water had been pressed from it, was still wet enough to keep the 

 stems of the flowers placed in it fresh. The surface of the moss was 

 then covered over with sprays of Lady Plymouth pelargonium (the 

 foliage only), which formed the ground-work, and through these 

 were placed white azaleas and sprays of dielytra ; the edges of the 

 pans were finished off' by a wreath of maidenhair, and up the stems 

 of the palms were twined long sprays of the pretty climbing fern 

 Lygodium scandens. The button-hole and dress bouquets were 

 composed of three or more different flowers in each, with a little 

 fern interspersed througli them, and of colours which blended well 

 with those in the centre stand, and which were arranged round the 

 base of the palms. Having fully and clearly, I hope, described the 

 decorations of the above table, I shall now turn to the circular one. 

 In the centre was a stand similar to that above described, and 

 placed round it were the four tazzas, with trumpets rising out of 

 each. The centre stand was decorated as follows : — Ilound the edge 

 of the lower tier were different varieties of ferns, several of them 

 being gymnogrammas, richly clothed with golden meal, which of 

 course were so placed as to show their colours. In the tazza were 

 four flowers of Calla ethiopica, or trumpet lilies, deep purple cine- 

 rarias, white azaleas, deutzias, and maidenhair. Up the stem was 

 twined a spray of creeping ficus. The flowers in the upper tazza 

 were white azaleas, spiraea, and cineraria, the same shade as that 

 below, the only difference being that those in the upper tazza had a 

 large white centre. The trumpet contained spiraea and cyclamen, a 

 shade paler, or more mauve, than the cinerarias, with a little maiden- 

 hair mixed through the whole. The four other stands were grouped 

 round the centre at some little distance ; round the edges of each 

 were mixed ferns, with some silver varieties through them. Two of 

 the tazzas were fitted in pairs, two having four white camellias in 

 each, and two having four blooms of Eucharis Amazonica; the 

 other parts of the tazzas were then filled in with the purple cine- 

 rarias with the white centre, white azaleas, white cyclamen with 

 purple tips, and ferns. The four trumpets matched, being filled 



