AMATEUR FLORAL DECORATIONS. 



Fig. 1625. — Amateur Mantel Decoration. 



The professional florist has material 

 and skill for decorations of a superior 

 order, but because amateurs cannot 

 equal professionals is no reason why we 

 should not encourage the former. In- 

 deed it is the general cultivation of taste 

 in these matters which we most aim to 

 develop, and we welcome every contri- 

 bution in photography a writing which 

 helps toward this end. The engraving 

 shows one of three mantels decor- 

 ated for a wedding by some young 

 lady friends of a bridal pair at a recent 

 wedding. The projecting canopy was of 

 dwarf evergreen box, fastened on a wire 

 frame above the mantel, and was inter- 

 woven with apple blossoms. The other 

 trimmings are largely made up of double 

 white cherry blossoms, apple bloom, 

 white roses and white carnations. The 

 Double White cherry is one of the pret- 

 tiest ornamental trees of its season, every 

 blossom as full as a rose and pure white. 



THE ROCK GARDEN. 



The rock garden should never be 

 near walls ; never very near house ; 

 never, if possible, within view of formal 

 surroundings of any kind. It should 

 generally be in an open situation. No 

 efforts should be spared to make all the 

 surroundings, and every point visible 

 from the rockwork, as graceful and 

 natural as they can be made. The part 

 of the gardens around the rock work 

 should be picturesque, and, in any case, 

 display a careless wildness resulting 

 from the naturalization of beautiful 

 hardy herbaceous plants, and the 

 absence of formal walks, beds, etc. 



No tree should occur in or very near 

 the rock garden ; hence a site should 

 not not be selected where it would be 

 necessary to remove valuable or favorite 

 specimens. The roots of trees would 

 be almost sure to find their way into the 

 masses of good soil provided for the 

 choicer alpines, and thoroughly exhaust 

 them. Besides, as the choicest alpine 

 flowers are usually found on treeless and 

 even bushless wastes, it is certainly 

 wrong to place them under trees or in 

 shaded positions. — Gardening Illus- 

 trated. 



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