102 



IRISH GARDENING 



have the petals just parted at the top, whilst 

 those of Macrantha and Jersey Beauty are 

 cupped-shape. If cut in this stage on Friday 

 morning they will be in perfection on Saturday 

 morning by the time the judges come round. 

 In selecting the sprays of Cluster Roses choose 

 in preference those with as long stalks as 

 possible. It will facilitate bunching up. But 

 do not be tempted, for the sake of getting a long 

 stem, to cut old hard wood. Roses on old wood 

 stems will not get enough water ; they will 

 wither. We need not take any water to the 

 bed or pillar. Lay the sprays in a flat basket 

 or tray and convey them to the staging shed. 

 Get them there as quickly as possible, cut the 

 stems, and plunge them into pails or jars of 

 water, where they can remain until all the 

 varieties are gathered. 



IV. Preparing for Exhibition. 



Before putting the sprays into bunches they 

 must be thinned. Again let Blush Rambler be 

 our example ; cut out every flower that is open 

 wide (the stamens will be black to-morrow). 

 After thinning out all bad or past flowers, the 

 sprays will have to be wired, so that we can the 

 more readily adjust them to the bunch. Use 

 florists' wire of sufficient strength to support the 

 heavier blooms, especially those like Gruss an 

 Teplitz, that hang their heads, but use the wire 

 sparingly, and only when absolutely required. 

 When all the sprays are ready make up the 

 bunch. Do not crowd the bunch. Bear in mind 

 that every bloom to-morrow should stand clear 

 of the other. Keep the bunch from being stiff ; 

 preserve the natural beauty of the spray ; avoid 

 the tennis racquet style — we are not staging 

 bunches of Dahlias or Pansies. Tbe charm of a 

 bunch of Roses lies in its natural gracefulness. 

 It is not the size of the bunch, but tbe elegance 

 of its arrangement, at which we have to aim. 

 When the bunching is finished, cut the stalks 

 again, and put the bunch in plenty of water. 

 Leave it there until the time for packing arrives. 

 It is most essential thai decorative Roses, 

 especially Clusters, should have a good drink 

 before they travel. 



V. Packing. 



It is unnecessary to carry decorative Hoses to 

 the show in water. Suppose we are travelling 

 overnight by train. After removing the bunch 

 from the water, pack sonic wet moss round tbe 

 base of the stems : wrap the moss up in butter 

 paper to keep it moist, and tie it. Lay the 

 bunches flat and close together in shallow boxes. 

 When thus packed they will reach the show 

 next morning quite fresh. 



VI. Staging at the Show. 



On reaching the show, which should be before 

 seven o'clock in the morning, we shall find that 

 most of the tight buds of yesterday morning 

 have come out on the journey, and others are 

 on the point of bursting. It is a charming sight, 

 on removing the box lid. to see that compara- 

 tively dull green bunch that we made up 

 yesterday so glorious in colour to-day. The 

 first thing to do is to get the flowers in water 

 with as little delay as possible. Be careful to 

 cut every stem before putting them in water. 

 Neglect of this frequently results in withered 

 flowers by mid-day. Go over the bunch and 

 cut out all blooms that are bruised or have black 

 stamens. As the flowers have developed since 

 they were first bunched up, there may be over- 

 crowding ; thin out where necessary. 



With regard to the stands and vases there is 

 no regulation pattern. Consult a trade ex- 

 hibitor of decorative Roses. 



Floral Arrangement. 



To the making of a beautiful group of cut 

 flowers, pleasant and satisfying to the aesthetic 

 eye, many things are needful. Not merely 

 lovely blooms and a bowl of water, as the un- 

 initiated might suppose, but personal qualities 

 which are nearly always things born and not 

 made. An eye for form and for colour, a light 

 touch, and a deft hand, and above all the real 

 love of flowers which ensures delicacy and 

 understanding in their treament ; these things 

 are free gifts of the gods, and the lucky pos- 

 sessor of them is in no need of tuition in floral 

 arrangement. But, alas ! not everyone can 

 boast of such natural talent, and we are, many 

 of us, only too thankful for a hint or two to 

 help us in our attempts at decoration in our 

 sitt ingrooms and on our dinner tables. Let us 

 learn a little in the first place from the Japanese, 

 whose floral arrangements are always so beautiful 

 and so artistic. The principal thing that strikes 

 one is the extreme lightness of treatment — no 

 heavy masses of flowers or foliage, no clumsy 

 amalgamations of colour — a few sprigs of 

 peach blossom set in a little tubular vase two 

 or three Irises with a few of their own broad 

 leaves, appearing almost as if they grew in their 

 square porcelain jar. I am afraid one of these 

 little Eastern artists would be very much 

 horrified at some of the floral arrangements in 

 our Western draw ingrooms. Let us try to 

 remember that more decorations are spoilt by 

 too many flowers than by too few — neither is it 

 necessary to have rare and expensive blooms. 

 I have seen a beautiful fable decoration entirely 

 composed of common Nasturtiums with their 

 own foliage arranged in low glass bowls and 



