CKristnvas Flow^crs in the Home 



I 



MANY and varied are the efforts 

 made in the majority of homes to 

 secure a festive appearance at the 

 Christmas season. Nothings assists to at- 

 tain this effect more than well-grown 

 plants or cut flowers if their size and col- 

 or is chosen with the knowledge that they 

 will harmonize with the interior decora- 

 tions and the furniture used in the vari- 

 ous rooms of the home. 



Use palms for the front hall. If the 

 ceilings are lofty use Kentia or Areca ; 

 if they are rather low, with heavy trim- 

 mings, use Phoenix Roebelenii in good, 

 rich-looking earthenware jardinieres in 

 preference to brass. Around these may be 

 grouped two or three pairs of poinset- 

 tias, the rich, red buds producing a 

 beautiful effect with the green foliage. 

 This portion of the home may be fur- 

 ther embellished by the addition of a good 

 specimen of aspidistra, or large ferns of 

 the Nephrolepis type. The old Boston- 

 iensis fern is grand, or some of the other 

 \arieties, such as Whitmani, Amerpholii, 

 or Dreerii. To these may be added one 

 or two well-berried plants of Solanum, 

 which if used for mantel or plate rail 

 decoration, in conjunction with plenty of 

 well-berried holly, will produce a fine ef- 

 fect. 



Decorating the home library is often 

 a problem of the housewife. The severe 

 lines of the bookcases and usually heavy 

 furniture call for strong colors, rather 

 than any delicate shade. Palms may be 

 used here also, as well as good sized 

 plants of Pandanus Veitchii, the light 

 green and white foliage of which pro- 

 duces a most beautiful eifect. Dracaena, 

 Lindeni, Victoria, Terminalia, Godseffi- 

 ana, or Cooperii in plants may be used 

 and add to this well-berried holly made 

 up into wreaths of various sizes and 

 draped over the 

 white statuary and 

 hung from the book- 

 shelves in suitable 

 positions. 



Should the table 

 Ije a fair sized one, 

 place a vase of three 

 dozen crimson car- 

 nations or two dozen 

 Richmond roses on 

 it, while nearer the 

 window, and per- 

 haps a little to one 

 side on a pedestal, 

 place a vase of while 

 Killarney roses ; if 

 the window curtains 

 are white, use a 

 well-flowered plant 

 of crimson cyclamen 

 or poinsettias. 



E. F. Collins, Toronto, Ont. 



Much care must be used to produce a 

 refined, rich, and yet delicate effect in the 

 drawing-room, with its various colors in 

 upholstered furniture and bric-a-brac, 

 china or ivory ornaments, and gilded 

 mantels and picture frames. Commenc- 

 ing at the mantel, the edges may be drap- 

 ed with good strips of smilax or As- 

 paragus Plumosus, letting a few ends 

 trail over the glass to be reflected into 

 the room. Add to this some orchid 

 blooms, say Cucidius Varicarkis or Tig- 

 rinius, now group over one corner of 

 your mantel shelf a nice plant of Whitt- 

 manii fern, which would droop over the 

 edges so as to hide the pot. Finish this 

 by placing in among the fern fronds 

 about a dozen Cypripedium Sanderii, or 

 any of the pale yellow types, and a very- 

 fine effect is produced. Should the grate 

 or fireplace be an electric one, or not in 

 use, so much the better, as you may 

 continue the floral decorations to the 

 floor by using good sized ferns or palms 

 with poinsettias and white azaleas, or 

 well-berried Solanum. 



Plants for the various window sills or 

 recesses may consist of white or pink 

 cyclamen, azaleas, begonia, Gloire de 

 Lorraine, miniature hyacinths, lily of the 

 valley, and the white or pink shade of 

 well grown primulas. All these plants 

 look best when placed in china vases, de- 

 corated in very light or delicate shades : 

 The less color, the better effect will be 

 derived from the flowers. The French 

 Ivory rose is perfect for the home de- 

 corations, and will be much used when 

 it becomes better known. 



USE OP CUT FIjOWERS 



Cut flowers may consist of American 

 Beauty roses, in large vases; Cattleya 

 Labiata and Pcrcivilleana with Valley for 

 low glass bowls, or white and pink car- 



nations, with asparagus or smilax trail- 

 ing around the stems of the vases. It 

 would not be nice to try and use holly 

 in with any of the pink shades, if cut 

 flowers or plants, but should there be an 

 alcove or doorway with dark colored col- 

 umns, or white enamel, holly wreathing 

 may be used to good effect by twining it 

 loosely around them and suspending a 

 holly wreath above the doorway, with a 

 spray of mistletoe in the centre. 



The dining-room at Christmas — what 

 memories of days that are past do these 

 words bring to our minds, and who can 

 help but feel that he or she must asso- 

 ciate the holly in the pudding, with holly 

 on the walls, holly wreaths in the win- 

 dows, bright red colors and green foli- 

 age everywhere: Add to this Richmond 

 roses and lily of the vally for tables and 

 buffet, with the window recesses group- 

 ed with ferns, poinsettias, and white 

 azaleas, mistletoe hanging from the 

 electrolier, with holly wreathing droop- 

 ing gracefully from the ceiling, and it 

 will create a most beautiful effect. 



THE BEDROOMS 



Cut flowers only should be used in the 

 bed chambers, or dressing-rooms, and 

 not too many of these, probably one vase 

 of carnations or roses for the bed cham- 

 bers and either violets or valley for the 

 dressing-rooms. 



Made-up baskets and hampers of 

 various designs and colors are now made 

 up by the retail florist, but only a small 

 percentage of them are filled with any- 

 thing like good taste as regards color 

 effect. When they are well done, no- 

 thing gives so much pleasure to your 

 friends as a present of one of them. 



While many grades and qualities of 

 plants and cut flowers are offered, it is 



Some of the High Class Chrysanthemums and Decorative Displays Made at the Recent Ontario Horticultural Exhibition 



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