JfLY 1"), 1009. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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VALUE OF STEMS AND FOLIAGE. 



The Flowers' Natural Setting. 



No small .'sliare uf Iho beauty of a 

 llower is due to the luuuiitiug ami poise 

 supplied by the stem ami foliage. Who 

 c-arcs I'or a rose detached from the stem 

 and leaves? The public is fast learnin* 

 t hat a llower arrangement of any conse- 

 quence must, in the scheme of the decora- 

 tion, display the Jlowcrs with a reason- 

 able amount of their natural stem. A 

 spray at its best will show a stem long 

 enougli to balance its size, in about the 

 ]iroportion found in the choicest specimen 

 llowers usoil in it. 



IIow often a casket bunch is not con- 

 sidered finished until after the stems have 

 been bobtailed and evened otf neatly! 

 Not only should the st(Mn of the spray 

 be left long, but it should consist of a 

 niunlA'r of stems of unequal length. Even 

 it no other ]>urpose is served, every spray 

 siiould hav(' a few long-stemmed speci- 

 mens to give it the desirable style. If 

 siiort stemmed stock must be used, give 

 the stem of the spray artificial length by 

 fastening leftover stems in the tie, and 

 placing them so as to give them the ap- 

 l)earaiice of belonging to the flowers. 



The fiveiage length of stem for a spray 

 seems in general to be about onethirtl 

 below the tie. Different flowers and dif- 

 feri'ut styles of sprays can be judged 

 according to requirenunits, and 'stems of 

 a good proportion kept or added. 



Stem and Foltage in the Tie. 



Stems and foliage can be employeil oc- 

 casion;^Uy as a tie, with fine elfect — • 

 siimetimes actually tied, when their tex- 

 ture is tough enough; at other times in 

 imitation of a bow tie, as with wheat; 

 tiien, again, like a wisp. At other times 

 an unusually fine spray of foliage may 

 be caught in with the fabric tie and al- 

 lowed its liberty to stand up, out or to 

 une side. 



Do not try to cover thorny rose stems, 

 utdess the foliage be poor. The spines 

 and stetns, with their fine touches of 

 color, scr\-e to blend the colors of the 

 llower witii tli(> color of the foliage, ami 

 are also iiappy mcMlium.s of decorative 

 form as well as color. Add touch(>s of 

 foreign foliage sparingly in the spray, 

 but be still nuirc stingy with it over the 

 stem of tiie s[iray. 



Like tallness and sleiiderness in the 

 human race, long stems add style and 

 grace. They are never perfectly rigid and 

 straight, even a calla or a gladiolus .stem 

 having perceptible curves. A spray or 

 piece Avhich has as much character and 

 design as a gladi(dus stalk may be cou- 

 siijered a high grade of Avork. 



The Gladiolus as a Model. 



A little analysis of the lines com|iosiiig 

 the schenm of design in the gladiolus 

 .stalk is fascinating and profitable. Take 

 one and sketch it from nature. There is 

 a main stalk, with th(> leaves branching 

 out oil eiliier side and above, the flowers 

 with their outline conforming to the gen- 



eral plan and all finding their source 

 from the ])arent stem. All the lines form- 

 ing the outline of the foliage and flowers 

 are gracefully curved into the more dig- 

 nified, long sweep of the main stalk. The 

 whole forms a fine design for a spray. 

 After sketching the outline, take an ob- 

 servation trip around the coast line of 

 the sketch and see the deep indentations 



decorative value of stems on formal 

 pieces, the same principles apply, and the 

 violation of such princijjles here will ac- 

 count largely for the objection made to 

 these designs by intelligent amateurs and 

 buyers. There is no reason why this 

 ciiticism sliouId not be mad(> tiie most of. 

 Ila\e s(inie stem ornamentation on pieces. 



Mere is an opiMi ficdd for ambitious de- 

 .signers. Not oidy may such pleasing use 

 be made ot' the part of the stem which 

 is above tiie point of insertion into the 

 moss, but other parts of tli(> stem may bo 

 inserted below in any style that fancy 

 may suggest, as a tie, or ;is extra length, 

 (lood use may be made, also, of shoots of 

 new growth, buds, unfurled fern fronds, 

 se(>d jiods, ^ind all such ornamental 

 schemes which accompany the flowers as 

 their natural setting. Ivose stalks from 

 which the petals ha\'(! fallen, leaving the 

 stamens ex[)osed, are very decorative and 



Broken Wreath Made by Mrs. Dietschy, Alton, III. 



and sharp points which tlic tips of leaves 

 and flowers form. I.iearn from this some- 

 thing about the lines to follow in plan- 

 ning a spray. Let there be deep cuts 

 into the body of the spray and there will 

 be no danger of the [»iec(; being a solid 

 oval. 



A Justifiable Criticism. 



When it comes to the question of the 



iiiaki 



cliarming addition to anv ar- 



rangeinent <if roses. 



When Stems Are Too Long. 



When the stems of the llowers ar(> too 

 long for the design to be used, ])iii tluMU 

 down near the center of the steins, train 

 the tiowcr ends to follow the design lines 

 and keej) within its outlines, and allow 

 the lower ends of the stems to flare out 



