December S, 18S5. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



457 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



PLANTS FOR PINNER-TABLE DECORATION. 



HERE is nothing, perhaps, 

 in which the proscnt age 

 stands out in sucli bokl re- 

 lief from those preceding it, 

 as in the attention which 

 is bestowed on the comforts 

 and Inxm-ies of life, and on the combmation of these with i 

 ornament. In fact, appearances ■ in many instances take 

 precedence of utility, and tlie legitimate object that ought ; 

 to be studied only obtains a secondary place. Thus, tlie 

 outer poli.^h of an ordinary pencil is put forth as a com- j 

 pensation for the very imlitferent quality of the black lead 

 it is. or ought to be, made of ; and other things have in , 

 like manner changed their character. New wants have 

 arisen : and as the}', like those which preceded them, re- 

 quire attention, tlie field of operation is continually widen- 

 ing. In the gardening world advances have been made in 

 certam channels for some years with more or less rapidity, 

 and with now and then a divergence to take in a fresh 

 subject, like the progressive gi'owth of a tree. On the 

 great usurping position held by tlie bedding system it is 

 not my intention to enter : suffice it to say that it has not 

 absorbed the whole attention of those who preside over tho 

 ornamental department. Plant-growing still receives its 

 meed of attention, and the cut-flower department is perhaps 

 more patronised than ever, especially in its relationship to 

 ladies' bouquets. Good taste is. perhaps, in no instance 

 so completely ignored as in these ugly bundles ; l)ut I fear 

 that in touching on this subject I am treatluig on dangerous 

 ground, and I will therefore leave it for one not less fasliion- 

 able at the present <lay, but which has certainly more of 

 the merit of appearance with infinitel}' less of the incon- 

 venience of the other. A few hasty notes on (Unner-table 

 decoi'ation in so far as gardening is concerned, maj' be of 

 some service to tliose who are called on for the first time 

 to undertake the duty of providing the necessary materials. 

 The decoration of the dinner table with plants or cut 

 flowers has of late years come to be considered indispens- 

 able, and when well done perhaps notliing adds more to 

 the general ert'ect of the table. The an-angement of such 

 decorations has been more than once discussed hi the 

 columns of this .Tournal, and the prizes given for tho pur- 

 pose at the Royal Hcniicultural and other shows have 

 done much to direct the public taste. There has been 

 seme diversity in the appliances used : but in gemn-al tlio 

 design first of all exhibited b}- the Misses INIarch has, witli 

 some little variation, been approved of, other designs fol- 

 lowing m much the same track. Now, with all deference 

 to the opinions of those who are justly regarded as public 

 jurists, I yet hojic to see tho views wliicli I put forth at the 

 time this class of table ornament first attracted attention 

 No. 245.— Vol. IX., New Seeies 



become more generally adopted. "What I contended was, 

 tliat all objects of this'kind placed on a table should stand 

 either below the line of vision between the countenances 

 of persons sitting on opposite sides of the table, or tliat 

 they should be above that line— in other words, that a 

 clear space of from 14 to 24 inches upwards, nicasiiring. 

 from tlie tablecloth, he left free of all impediments. As- 

 suredly there is sufiicient scope for the decorative art 

 below "the one limit and above the other, without intro- 

 ducing the floral screen. On this point, however, I wiU 

 not at present say more ; and as the character of the 

 frameworic of the flower-stands in most cases detei-mines 

 the height, I will suppose the stands to be either of glass 

 or china, or a combination of the two ; or, probably, a 

 silver stand or frame with appendages may bo appointed 

 for the pui-pose. The hints here given for then- dressing 

 with flowers can onlv be few, as it is not easy to describe 

 how it should be done, although a few notes of the class of 

 flowers and foliage best suited to the piu-pose may be of 

 service. 



The flowers for furnishmg such a stand may consist of 

 two classes, upright and pendant, the latter beuig for 

 the outer rim of a dish or stand; of this class Fuchsias- 

 present one of the best examples, while Roses represent 

 the other, and perhaps there can be nothing better than 

 these two. As, however, both camiot always be had, such 

 flowers as Pinks. Clirysanthemums, Verbenas, Calceolarias, 

 and a host of others 'answer very well the purpose of sup- 

 plying the bulk of tliose wanted to fill a cup, dish, or bowl, 

 aiid they can easily be made to stand well if some damp 

 sand be put therein. There is. perhaps, no objection to 

 these flowers presenting a sort of regular flattened appear- 

 ance, as that will be sufliciently broken by the projecting 

 dressings, winch in most cases I would recommend to be 

 of foliage. Assuming, therefore, that a cu'cular pan or 

 bowi has to be filled with flowers, these may present a 

 sort of semi-globular or mushroom-headed appearance, 

 with pendant ones hanging round the sides, the whole 

 not by any means crowded, and with foliage intervening. 

 Some more foliage of a graceful character may be intro- 

 duced to break the outline, and, as it were, throw a tliin. 

 veil over the beauty below. Such sprigs, however, ought 

 to be very light, aiid not by any means stifl'. Maiden-hair 

 Fern is one of the loveliest of plants for this purpose, but 

 some ornamental Grasses are likewise very siutahle. not 

 the least usefnl beuig the old Ribbon Grass. One or two 

 leaves of the Bambusa are also good, as well as Cjiierus 

 alternifolins and its variegated variety. Some other Ferns 

 may also occasicmally be introduced, but in general the 

 Adiantums are the best. "Whatever is used should have a 

 Light, graceful, easy character, and be placed in the same 

 position as when growing. Of course, great variety may 

 be obtained in this way, and it would not be desu-able on 

 any accoimt to have the decorations alike on two conse- 

 cutive occasions. For a change flowers terminating in a 

 spike, such as Ddphuiiums, &c., may be used, but they are 

 less effective than others, such as those described above ; 

 but where gi-eat height has to be obtained they may be 

 indispensable. 



No. 8S7.— Vol. XiXIV, Old Sbbies. 



