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926 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



SBPT>fiMBBR 14, 1905. 



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era remain fresh longer when they are 

 in partly shaded places. 



When they are exposed to the full sun, 

 they can be covered with a light cloth; 

 the flowers thus protected acquire a 

 really remarkable, fine color, and the 

 flowering lasts much longer. 



Peonies are not delicate plants; how- 

 ever, you must avoid to plant them too 

 near voracious shrubs, the roots of which 

 exhaust the soil. But you may plant by 

 the ]geonies plants of a not cumbrous 

 nature, the roots of which do not ex- 

 haust the soil, such as standard roses, 

 gladioli, etc. 



Peonies do not require frequent wa- 

 tering, but during the seasons of extreme 

 drought, and on light soils, copious 

 draughts of water or licjuid manure once 

 or twice a week will assist in the forma- 

 tion of good stout buds for the follow- 

 ing season. 



In spring when the buds are well 

 formed, little side buds should be taken 

 off when the largest blooms are desired, 

 but where peonies are planted for the 

 ornament of the gardens, I should ad- 



vise to leave i^iem, because these second- 

 ary flowers (which are still generally 

 very fine) prolong the duration of flower- 

 ing for some time. 



It is useful to surround the stems of 

 herbaceous peonies with a few light ties, 

 such as rafha, fixed to a little prop to 

 protect them from a gust of wind. 



Each fall after the first hoar-frosts 

 the tops of the peonies should be cut 

 off on a level with the soil. 



The best time for planting peonies is 

 September and October, as soon as the 

 temperature is cool enough for the plants 

 to be sent without damage. However, 

 peonies may be planted safely at any 

 time that the ground is in good condi- 

 tion from September to March. 



Peonies carefully packed in boxes with 

 moss are never damaged during the long- 

 est journeys, even if they are overtaken 

 on the way by the hardest frosts. It is 

 sufficient to put them, when arrived, in 

 a cellar or other place of moderate tem- 

 perature, during two or three days, be- 

 fore getting the plants out of the boxes. 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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PANSY FANCIES. 



Not infrequently the soft summer 

 flowers are wanted, both in sprays and 

 design work. When as short-stemmed as 

 pansies, they are none too easily ar- 

 ranged, especially in sprays. To get 

 around this difficulty make use of some 

 tough, wiry green, like asparagus, for a 

 foundation. Bend in any desired shape 

 and wire the pansies on with the finest 

 wire obtainable. Many different posi- 

 tions, both full front, side and back 

 views of the pansy faces, make the best 

 piece. Slip the pansy stems in line 

 with the stem of the asparagus, and keep j 

 them there, as though growing out from j 

 the asparagus stem. Wrap under the [ 

 asparagus leaves so that the wire can- i 

 not show. I 



Have some definite plan as to the j 

 placing of the colors. In the first pic- ; 

 ture dark pansies are massed on the 

 heavy part of the supposed crescent 

 wreath. Gradually work in next the 

 lighter shades and tints, according to the 

 amount of color, and bring the very 

 lightest around the narrow part. . 



The principal value of the simple de- 

 sign under discussion consists, not so 

 much in its present worth in money, as 

 what it indicates in ready inventive 

 ability in two directions, namely, what 

 can be done with a few pansies and a 

 spray of asparagus can be done with 

 fine roses, violets and orchids, with a 

 great saving of time and fully as good 

 an effect as a design frame would af- 

 ford and much better for delicate flow- 

 ers. 



It might be well to suggest here that 

 no very small percentage of the retail j 

 value of the flowers in a piece like this j 

 should be added for the "knowing 

 how. ' ' Circumstances and surroundings 

 must determine the amount for indi- j 

 vidual cases. 



The second value in the design is that 

 it shows the growing tendency to substi- 

 tute loose arrangements which will soon- 

 er or later displace set design work. 

 Why not make a cross of loose roses 

 attached to a heavy wire, in half the 

 time, with a larger piece to finish with, 

 than use the same number of flowers 



crowded into h,alf the space with more 

 labor? 



The second and larger illustration is 

 a casket wreath of yellow and purple 

 pansies with pink and yellow snap- 

 dragons. The easel shown does not be- 

 long to the wreath, as the wreath is un- 

 mounted, the easel being merely to dis- 

 play the piece for photographing. 



The principal feature about this 

 wreath is the coloring, the light, sum- 

 merish air which the coloring produces 

 being a different look from that of the 

 all-winter combination of roses and car- 

 nations. 



The wreath frame is prepared in the 

 usual way, with a green background. A 

 second background is then set in; of yel- 

 low and purple pansies, stemmed long 

 and inserted in the moss not too closely 

 together, but with a definite plan as to 

 coloring. Many more mixed flowers than 

 solid colors are found in a pansy bed. 

 Choose the solid yellow, solid purple 

 and those mixed ones that combine these 

 two colors. While stemming keep the 

 colors sorted as just mentioned. When 

 ready to flU in the wreath, select the 

 darkest purple and fill in a section of 

 the wreath as far as the amount of' ma- 

 terial will cover. Next insert those of 

 slightly lighter purple, and so on until 

 the solid purples are exhausted. 



Then pick out those flowers which show 

 the smallest addition of yellow with the 

 purple and grade in the coloring as was 

 done with the solid purples. Continue 

 the process till the patch of coloring 

 gradually loses the purple and ap- 

 proaches solid yellow. 



Lay in the solid yellow pansies and 

 complete and space about two-thirds of 

 the distance around the frame. Glance 

 over the work so far completed and you 

 will see an easy transition from dark to 

 light which could never be accomplished 

 by an indiscriminate mixing of these 

 same colors. 



Lastly make a loose spray of pink 



Crescent Wreath of Pansies and Asparas^us. 



