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Mat 27, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



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J 



THE RETAIL 



FLORIST I 



THE ARISTOCRAT OF BOUQUETS. 



The season of spring weddings is at 

 hand, and soon the leading retail florists 

 will be busily engaged in catering to this 

 class of desirable business. To all florists 

 who serve the brides, the accompanying 

 illustration of a shower bouquet will be 

 of interest. It is one of the set made 

 by W. J. Palmer, Buffalo, which were il- 

 lustrated in the Ladies' Home Journal 

 for April, so that a large number of the 

 public will recognize it. It even is quite 

 likely that there will be calls for just 

 such a bunch because of its having been 

 shown in that widely circulated ladies' 

 magazine. 



This is an aristocrat among brides' 

 bouquets. No choicer material could be 

 found. Gardenias and cattleyas are used 

 with the valley, and Farleyense, the 

 choicest green, was employed. A lace 

 bouquet scarf is partly obscured in the 

 picture because the shower hangs in 

 front of it. It will be noted that the 

 cattleyas and gardenias were placed so 

 as to stand above the valley just enough 

 to bring them into the prominence de- 

 sired. 



SPRAYS OF SMALL FLOWERS. 



Such Tiny Flowers as the Pansy. 



Small flowers, if decided enough in 

 color and well arranged, make charming 

 sprays. Since the stems cannot be wired 

 separately, as in the case of roses or car- 

 nations, they may sometimes be wired in 

 small, slender bunches, with different 

 lengths of stems in each, and the spray 

 made on a deep though not thick founda- 

 tion of green. Flat green, like Aspara- 

 gus plumosus or adiantum, is not so use- 

 ful for the foundation work of this style 

 of spray as Sprengeri, which has strong 

 foliage, able to hold itself up and some 

 additional weight also. 



Suppose it is a pansy spray that is to 

 be made. If the supply at hand contains 

 all colors of these velvet beauties, choose 

 a color scheme if possible. Take the yel- 

 lows, bronze and browns, shading into the 

 reds. Tip the ends of the spray with the 

 lightest and gradually work into the 

 <larker yellow, into the browns, and then 

 the darkest of all under the tie. Or take 

 the clearest white and blend with the 

 blue and white, and thence into the dark 

 blues, ending with the bluish black. 



After deciding upon the color arrange- 

 ment and the number of flowers which 

 can be afforded for the price, select some 

 graceful sprays of Sprengeri and rib 

 them with pansies, or, in other words, 

 wire on the flowers along the middle of 

 the spray lengthwise, setting the flowers 

 up as far as possible. No. 36 wire is the 

 best for this, being strong enough to 

 hold the stems in place and yet almost in- 

 visible in the completed work. Rib a 

 number of the sprays of Sprengeri with 

 the flowers and finally tie all together at 

 the heavy ends of the sprays. Put 

 plenty of green under the flowered sprays 



and raise the spray six or eight inches 

 above the casket as it is placed there. 



With a large spray, the most conven- 

 ient method would be to tie in the center 



should be a cluster of narrow ribbon 

 loops of a harmonious color. For exam- 

 ple, with the yellow and bronze scheme 

 use a corn colored tie, lighter than the 

 yellow pansies. With the white and blue 

 scheme, use a knot of white or light blue 

 baby ribbon. Broad ribbon is scarcely 

 suitable for small flowers. 



Sweet Peas or Marguerites. 



Sweet peas can be used similarly. Wire 

 the separate bunches on No. 24 in 12-inch 

 lengths. Fasten these upright along the 

 rib of the Sprengeri spray, like bristles 

 on an angry porker. Fasten the sections 

 together as with the pansies, with a but- 

 terfly bow of narrow chiffon, training 



The Aristocrat Among: Brides' Bouquets. 



of the spray and let the branches of 

 asparagus, with the pansies on them, ex- 

 tend in all directions like a shower. Add 

 .1 little adiantum with the tie, which 



the ends and bows straight up. When 

 completed, the spray will have the ap- 

 pearance of a number of radii extending 

 carelessly from the bow tie, as the center. 



