72 



THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



pillars, covering ceilings, or on the out 

 lines of arches, it is grand and becom 

 ing. 



There is usually a stage in the hall 

 and there is a place to make a palm dis 

 play of the finest kind. If flowering 

 plants are used they are usually colored 

 azaleas and poinsettias. The latter is 

 now a standard decorative plant in many 

 cities, and always wanted in decorations 

 around the holidays. It is associated 

 with Christmas as much as the holly 

 berries, and with us is known as the 

 Christmas flower. 



Church Decorations. 



Church decorations are sometimes 

 very elaborate, palms being of the 

 greatest service, and many times the 

 flowers used must be only white. There 

 is where our Lilium Harrisii and L. 

 longiflorum are of so great a value, and 

 early white chrysanthemums in the fall. 



to their sacred ideas they have also 

 secular notions, and among them is one 

 that it is a waste of money for the con 

 gregation to donate a hundred dollars, 

 more or less, for flowers; they believe 

 it would be better added to their salary 

 or given to the poor, as if the florist 

 was not poor enough. So many a church 

 decoration no longer exists among our 

 regular orders, but there are just as 

 many plants sold which are sent as 

 offerings to the church, and &quot;the ladies 

 of the congregation, assisted by the 

 deacons, arrange the donations, and 

 then the Monday morning paper says: 

 &quot;The interior of beautiful St. William s 

 was a bower of beauty, blending its in 

 cense with the heavenly music so ably 

 rendered by the efficient choir under the 

 direction of Prof. Flat.&quot; 



Some churches still give you a fixed 

 sum and ask you to make as good a 

 show as you can for the money. And 

 as no flowering plants should ever be 



Work with Wild Smikx. 



In addition to the palms, some perfectly 

 fresh, clean, handsome bay trees, both 

 the standard and pyramidal, can be used 

 with great effect; their formal shape, 

 that might look stiff and awkward in a 

 drawing-room, is in keeping with the 

 solemn tone and architecture of a 

 church. 



Easter decorations have undergone a 

 great change, and it has been largely 

 by the will of the pastors. In addition 



loaned they ask that the plants be those 

 that can be given to the poor and sick 

 of the parish after the festival is over. 

 It is a beautiful practice. You have 

 given joy to the poor who received them 

 and helped the poor who grew them. 



jJesigns as memorials to those who 

 have gone before are now entirely out 

 of fashion. Even the Easter cross, once 

 so universally used on this occasion, is 

 now not asked for, as the altar is 



furnished with a gold or silver cross 

 presented by some wealthy member of 

 the congregation. With all this our 

 churches are beautiful with flowers sent 

 by members of the church, and what is 

 good and sensible about it is that it is 

 not confined to any one or two denomina 

 tions, but Episcopal and Methodist, 

 Presbyterian and Unitarian, celebrate 

 with flowers and music. This is right. 

 If it is a glad day for one sect it 

 must be for all. 



Other Decorations. 



I have made mention of the leading 

 events at which the florist and his ma 

 terial are called for to make the home, 

 the hall or the church radiant with 

 flowers and foliage. Any little social 

 event, from a progressive euchre party 

 to a grand reception, wants some little 

 decoration, even if it is only a bunch 

 of flowers. The use of palms, however, 

 is getting to be almost overdone. At 

 the most commonplace dance they want 

 palms for the stage. That is all right. 

 And in the house of mourning or the 

 room where the departed rests a few 

 palms stood around cannot be bad taste, 

 but for every grammar school commence 

 ment, every political meeting, a few 

 palms are wanted, and the first thing 

 you know there will be a group of palms 

 in Britt s and Nelson s corners. Even 

 this would be good taste above that of 

 giving a half dead six day bicycle rider 

 a basket of flowers, or presenting Mike 

 McSluggum with a bouquet when he goes 

 to bat. When that occurs and I am in 

 the grandstand I am ashamed of my 

 calling and wish I were a walking dele 

 gate. 



The basket of flowers for Miller and 

 the bouquet for Mike are always paid 

 for, and generally at a good price, but 

 there are scores of times when our 

 dozens of palms are not paid for. The 

 public seems to think they cost nothing, 

 nor the carting either. We must close 

 down on it. If they paid $3 or $4 for 

 the loan of a dozen palms it would stop 

 them, and it would be just as well if it 

 did. The common use of these orna 

 mental plants will turn our wealthier 

 people against them. 



Since the above was written some 

 decisive action has been taken in some 

 cities against this gratuitous loaning of 

 plants for all sorts of occasions. Our 

 florists have agreed and signed an agree 

 ment to donate neither plants nor flow 

 ers to anyone. When approached for a 

 donation we can point to a little docu 

 ment hanging in our store and signed 

 by every florist in town. It has most 

 effectually cured the evil and offended 

 no one. 



Decorations of any kind, plants or 

 flowers, great or little, when well done, 

 add to the beauty of the home, the 

 church, the hall, and to the enjoyment 

 of all, but when shabby and shoddy 

 they are an abomination. There is noth 

 ing so beautiful as a flower, and it is 

 more beautiful on the plant than any 

 where else. A faded flower can *jae 

 cherished only for some sentiment and 

 is kept in the leaves of the book you 



