1882.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



again. Every day during the rest of the week a 

 little water may be given the plants, and some- 

 thing put under to catch the drip. Some baskets 

 have no provision for the escape of moisture. 

 These are dangerous. Still some people manage 

 to watch closely, and do well with them. Fern 

 cases do best when given a little sun; for, 

 though ferns are supposed to grow naturally in 

 shady spots, it is because there is generally a 

 more humid atmosphere there. If they can get 

 this moisture, they rather like light. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



THE SCIENCE OF ARRANGING CUT 

 FLOWERS. 



BY MR. CHAS. H. MILLER, LANDSCAPE GARDEKER OF 

 FAIRMOrXT PARK, PHILADELPHIA. 



The subject of cut flowers concerns us all, and 

 a few hints as to the arrangement of them may 

 not be out of place. Much of the beauty of 

 these lovely gems is often lost through a want of 

 taste in this respect, as for instance when stiffly 

 arranged in a bouquet, ring after ring with little 

 intervening foliage, and no graceful form of ten- 

 dril, leaf or bud allowed to break the monotonous 

 circle. It is not by size, but by expression of 

 color and shade that we have to measure, and 

 thus the effect of a group of flowers prettily and 

 harmoniously arranged may be completely 

 spoiled by being multiplied in number or in- 

 creased in size ; that is, by repeating the same 

 flower or adding to the same group. 



A safe general rule for guidance in the arrange- 

 ment of flowers is, if there are many flowers use 

 delicate shades ; but it" the flowers are few and 

 the foliage among which they are laid is dark, 

 use shades of much deeper tones. In the ar- 

 rangement of cut flowers for the parlor, side- 

 board, or dining table, much depends on the 

 shape and color of the vessel in which {hey 

 are placed. The white of glass or of Dresden 

 china vases is so intense when placed in artificial 

 light that the pure white flowers would scarcely 

 look their whitest in them. Very light flowers 

 are also likely to look darker by the striking 

 contrast. A quantity of green is therefore the 

 best fringe for such dishes, and ferns and smilax 

 are the most suitable. In all floral arrange- 

 ments, whether for vases, bouquets or designs, it 

 is better to put in the green first and gradually 

 working them up to the required brightness, 

 always remembering that the collection had bet- 



ter lack a flower than have one too many, the 

 object being to form a graceful, refreshing and 

 I suggestive picture. 



The art of constructing bouquets, and the 



1 classification and arrangement of flowers for the 



I table, cannot be communicated in writing. It 



requires as much taste, skill and practice to be- 



; come a good artist in the making-up of flowers 



as it does experience to become a good gardener. 



j But to proceed with the subject of the arrange- 



I ment of flowers in general, the main feature 



; being to show each flower separately and not a 



quantity crowded together, forming a mass of 



petals, but that each flower may be seen reposing 



I quietly among the green, giving to each bloom 



, an individual character. A few colors in a bou- 



j quet have a much prettier effect that a mixture 



of many colors. Red, white and buff go well 



I together with green between. A few rosebuds 



with their own leaves, and a little green smilax, 



make a bouquet much more handsome than one 



composed of many kinds of inferior flowers. 



These remarks hold good in the arrangement of 



designs for the table. 



One of the most beautiful table designs I ever 

 saw was a large open dish of lycopodium, a few- 

 white and pink rosebuds, with a handsome 

 dracsena in the centre. The eflfect produced by 

 the fresh green moss with the gay leaves of the 

 dracfena was simply beautiful. 



It is to be hoped that a better taste will soon 

 supersede the enormities in so-called floral de- 

 signs. The monstrosities often seen at our hor- 

 ticultural exhibitions are something to be 

 avoided. They are unpleasant to look at and 

 cannot be appreciated by persons of good taste. 

 I have very little sympathy for the fashion 

 which arranges flowers in the forms of broken 

 wheels, vacant chairs and the like. At one of 

 the horticultural exhibitions held recently in 

 New York there were liberal and extra premiums 

 offered for works of this kind, which brought 

 forth some very beautiful designs, but the major- 

 ity of them were ugly in the extreme. There 

 were clocks and mantelpieces— at least so said 

 the cards attached. There was a camp-fire with 

 a tripod, the fire being represented by red flow- 

 ers. There was a pair of shoes on a cushion ; 

 the shoes were made of white flowers outside, 

 v/ith scarlet flowers for lining. 



At the floral exhibition of the Pennsylvania 

 State Fair, held at the Centennial Building in 

 September, 1881, there were also many absurd 

 designs. Among the most noticeable there was 



