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OCTOBKB 1, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



The green fern exhibit needs some kind 

 of a brilliant color to bring out the color- 

 ing and form of the plants. Any one 

 of the clear scarlet pinks, light lavenders, 

 or yellows, or even a rich red, would be 

 especially good, and it would be diffi- 

 cult to find a background material in 

 the colors outside of fabrics. Cheese- 

 cloth with a veil of chiffon, as suggested 

 in a former chapter, is inexpensive and 

 appropriate. In laying the background, 

 put on several layers of newspaper or 

 coarse, heavy paper and make it thick 

 enough so that the plants;, will sink when 

 set upon it. In laying the fabric back- 

 ground avoid the jewelers' and depart- 

 ment store style of choppy puffs. Make 

 a large wave or lay on plain. If the 

 fabric background is not practical, use 

 the moss and scatter a few full-blown 

 and otherwise useless pink or red roses 

 on the moss and you will be surprised 

 how the little touches of color will de- 

 velop the green of the foliage. 



Avoid Discordant Colors. 



Just what background colors, shades 

 and tints to use harmoniously with both 

 the predominating color and also the 

 subordinate colors of tlie special design 

 plan is sometimes puzzling. In a window 

 there must be not only a desire to avoid 

 discord in the coloring, but to make every 

 scrap of color contribute its full share 

 to the setting of the design. To accom- 

 plish this, a little review of the prin- 

 ciples laid down previously will help. 

 First, in getting up a color scheme, do 

 not use two equally strong colors to- 

 gether; for example, brilliant red and a 

 lively orange. You may have American 

 Beauty phlox on hand and you may have 

 African marigolds. Either one of these 

 colors is an excellent basis or starter for 

 a color plan, but it must rule supreme 

 during its time. Any color used in con- 

 junction with it must not only be infe- 

 rior in quantity but also in color 

 strength; that is, weaker, not brilliant, 

 like the principal color. Very dark shades 

 or very light tints n^ust be used, except 

 where a graded shading is intended. 



I will pause a minute to remark on 

 this latter exception. "When so doing, 

 procure the next lighter and then the 

 next lighter, and so on down to white, 

 and beginning from the center up — that 

 is, the origrinal color — grade up to the 

 next darker, as far as the variety will 

 admit. In this kind of an arrangement 

 the colors should be placed to show the 

 gradation, and not mixed indiscrimin- 

 ately. 



Choice is Ofiered. 



Returning to the first selection of a 

 color scheme, that of employing one pre- 

 dominant color, for instance, the mari- 

 gold, here are a number of color tints 

 which might be used in combination: 

 white phlox, white hydrangea, forgetme- 

 nots, white roses, white carnations, Ught 

 lemon-colored marigolds, lavender, white, 

 cream, or light salmon pink sweet peas, 

 auratum lilies, double white centaurea, 

 alyssum, white candytuft and others of 

 these colors and tints on a background 

 of green.^ With the American Beauty 

 phlox plan you can use American Beauty 

 roses, dark rich crimson phlox, speciosum 

 lilies of any variety, lighter tints of the 

 crimson pinks in the phlox, avoiding the 

 salmon pinks, any of which should be 

 employed in much smaller quantities than 

 the basic color. 



Use the flowers of which you have the 

 largest quantity for the piincipal fea- 

 ture, and you can work in a number of 



Spray of Orchids. 



scraps of other things as helpers to com- 

 plete the plan. This not only shows off 

 the principal color and flower, but also 

 helps to sell off the left-overs. "Withal, 

 it is excellent practice in coloring, and 

 if well arranged will proclaim that the 

 decorator is an authority on color, a 

 good reputation to bear among the 

 cultured people who form our principal 

 patronage. 



In using the American Beauty color 

 plan, a background of green, not too 

 light, would probably be the most wide- 

 ly practical. "With violets try a warm 

 yellow with a suspicion of red. Amer- 

 ican Beauties and violets are frequently 

 combined, but not by those with the 

 most discriminating taste. Occasionally 

 a crimson pink is to be found which har- 



monizes with the American Beauty at its 

 best and darkest red. 



Gertrude Blair. 



FALL PLANTING. 



Pretty nearly every florist who does 

 outdoor work has all he can do in the 

 brief spring season, but in autumn is 

 able to take good care of many more 

 orders than he receives. This is largely 

 due to a lack of knowledge on the part 

 of the public, for no great proportion 

 of the people appreciate that a great 

 deal of planting is better done in fall 

 than in spring. There also is to be over- 

 come the general disposition to put off 

 until tomorrow those things which do 

 not require to be done today. Ordering 

 plants is one of the things that can wait. 



Every man who plants owes it to the 



