THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



7J 



A move in the wrong direction will soon 

 die out, for upward and onward and 

 progress are as sure to come as that we 

 have progressed from the savage, and 

 have lots of room for improvement yet. 



The last twenty years have given us 

 material that was not dreamed of in the 

 early days. We had smilax, but we did 

 not have Asparagus plumosus. We had, 

 but did not then avail ourselves of, the 

 Magnolia grandiflora sprays, the moun 

 tain laurel (kalmia). Holly was scarce 

 ly ever seen. Lycopodium (ground pine) 

 was little used. Leucothoe sprays were 

 unknown; also the southern wild smilax. 

 Adiantum cuneatum was used, but in no 

 such quantities as now. And in cut 

 flowers we did not have our long- 

 stemmed carnations, or our magnificent 

 American Beauty rose. And the glo 

 rious buds of Bridesmaid or Bride and 

 other beautiful roses were not to be had 

 thirty years ago. We had to be content 

 with Safrano, Isabella Sprunt and Bon 

 Silene. As for palms, the use of them 

 with the majority of florists began about 

 twenty years ago and has yearly in 

 creased till it would be safe to say that 

 compared with twenty-five years ago 

 palms are bought up and sold or used up 

 at the rate of at least a thousand to one. 



Some houses and rooms lend them 

 selves to our decorations. Where the 

 permanent decorations of a room are 

 elaborate it needs but little of the 

 florist s assistance and that only of the 

 very choicest material. Where the rooms 

 are little embellished, more of our plants 

 and vines will be appreciated. It is 

 quality and good taste rather than quan 

 tity that are looked for in a handsome 

 room. 



Wedding Decorations. 



At a wedding decoration there is often 

 some particular color that we have to 

 follow, and while in details we must use 

 our taste and skill, in the general plan 

 we must follow the wishes of our patrons, 

 if they command. At a home wedding 

 there is usually an opportunity for the 

 florist to show his skill in arranging a 

 fine bank of palms as a background to 

 the happy pair. This should be high and 

 broad and light and graceful, not thick 

 and dense. If the chandeliers and mir 

 rors are ornamented with greenery, as 

 paragus should always be used and no 

 attempt be made to follow the outlines 

 of the chandelier, but thrown on very 

 loosely. Instead of clearing off all the 

 costly and beautiful ornaments from the 

 mantelpiece, as we used to, and putting 

 on a slab of flowers, it is now deco 

 rated with two or three vases of the 

 finest, long-stemmed flowers, such as 

 roses, carnations or chrysanthemums. All 

 flowers are wanted on long stems, and 

 all can be so supplied w T ith one impor 

 tant exception, i. e., orchids; and orchids 

 will be asked for in increased quantities, 

 depend upon it, and if you can t supply 

 them your customers will go to some one 

 who can. 



Orchids are so desirable when cut, and 

 it being impossible to cut any stem with 

 some of them, cattleyas particularly, that 

 wherever there is an arrangement of 

 them they are used in baskets or some 



low arrangement, and nothing accom 

 panies them better than maidenhair 

 ferns. 



Instead of banks of palms, except 

 when occasion demands such, the plant 

 decorations are made by standing singly 

 in every available spot a perfect speci 

 men of palm or dracaena or croton, or 

 that splendid plant, a specimen Boston 

 fern. No such thing as a flower pot, 

 however clean, should be exposed. The 

 florist should have on hand handsome 



have your fun; all you want; but don t 

 disturb my easy chair. I will pay the 

 bills, but be careful, my dear wife and 

 daughter. 



At these events the florist has a great 

 chance to display his skill and taste, and 

 his work shows to . the greatest advan 

 tage, as the halls are generally bare of 

 any permanent decoration and well repay 

 the florist s work. Here is where your 

 wreathing of laurel the best of all comes 

 in. Pillars and balconies are draped 



Church Decoration for a Wedding. 



jars in which the single specimens should 

 stand. And in the groups, if the pots 

 are not hidden by the smaller plants, 

 then small plants of the Boston fern, or 

 better still, Asparagus Sprengeri, must 

 finish the bottom edge of the bank. 



In regard to the vases of flowers. You 

 are often asked to furnish vases, and 

 you should always be able to supply 

 them. 



None will differ with me when I assert 

 that nothing embellishes a flower like its 

 own foliage. Eoses should have nothing 

 more, nor lily of the valley, tulips or any 

 of the bulbous stuff, or chrysanthemums. 

 If your chrysanthemum foliage is not 

 good cut some that is. Anything else 

 would be ridiculous. But carnations are 

 weak in foliage and sprays of Asparagus 

 Sprengeri go well with them. 



Christmas Decorations. 



Christmas decorations are of many 

 kinds. Many good society people prefer 

 to rent a public hall or assembly room 

 when they are going to give a dance to 

 500 people, rather than turn their home 

 upside down for a week. Perhaps the 

 &quot;old man&quot; kicks. I don t blame him. 

 If well heeled I should say, &quot;Go and 



with wild smilax, chandeliers and gas 

 jets are adorned with holly branches, the 

 mistletoe bough hangs in some conven 

 ient nook, and the evening has all the 

 features of old England (except the 

 accent of the people) a hundred years 

 ago. Christmas, once so coolly kept in 

 this country, is now the great festival 

 of the year with Jew and Gentile alike. 

 We often hear from our patrons when 

 we are taking an order: &quot;We want it 

 to look and feel real Christmassy, you 

 know.&quot; They hardly know themselves 

 what that is, but the feeling runs in 

 song and legend, and that Christmas is 

 associated with holly and red berries. 

 The mistletoe hung in the castle hall, 

 the holly branch hung on the castle 

 wall. 



Laurel and Ieucotho3 are always used 

 in wreathing and are very effective, look 

 ing much richer than wreathing of 

 ground pine. The magnolia sprays are 

 fine on panels or walls and should not 

 &quot;be crowded, but should show their fine 

 outlines. 



Holly is prettiest in branches and 

 sprays, and there are lots of places to 

 use it. 



The wild smilax is the greatest ac 

 quisition of all. Just wound around 



