Febbuabx 6, 1913. 



The Florists' Review 



THE ART OF FLOWER 

 a^ ARRANGEMENT s^ 



By FRED C V. BROWN 



ART AS APPLIED TO BASKETS. 



How to Fill Them. 



We shall pass now from the arrange- 

 ment of funeral designs and just make 

 a few suggestions on the arrangement 

 of baskets and bouquets. The same 

 principles are apparent here as in all 

 our work, and simplicity, always sim- 

 plicity, is the keynote of our efforts. 



We are not limited by the confines of 

 the conventional designs, but we are in 

 basket arrangements restricted by the 

 receptacle we have chosen to fill. The 

 most common errors in arranging flowers 

 in baskets are: First, a failure to ap- 

 preciate proportion; second, a failure to 

 select the right style of basket. Fre- 

 <juently a basket totally 

 unsuitable to the ma- 

 terial is used and then 

 the attempt to conform 

 the material to the re- 

 ceptacle takes away the 

 natural beauty of the 

 flowers, leaving us an 

 arrangement that is in- 

 capable of being under 

 stood. 



Let us, first of all, try 

 to find out what our ob- 

 ject is, what it is that 

 we are attempting to do. 

 And let us be reason- 

 able, as we should be in 

 all our work — as we 

 must be, in fact, if we 

 would be artistic. Let 

 us use our powers of 

 reason, so that our 

 efforts may produce re- 

 sults that will be pleas- 

 ing because they are 

 artistic. 



We have a dual sub- 

 ject, basket and flowers. 

 The basket is our 

 foundation, and on our 

 foundation depends 

 greatly the success of 

 the finished article. See 

 to it, therefore, that you 

 ■do not use a wood 

 foundation to build a 

 stone house on. See 

 that your basket is suit- 

 able; your supply house can make any- 

 thing you require and will thank you for 

 suggestions. 



Next in order is the material for fill- 

 ing; let it be suitable; or, if for any 

 reason you are limited in your choice of 

 flowers, then use care in the selection of 

 5'our basket. 



In the filling of a basket, remember 

 that if you are limited in the quantity of 

 flowers you should choose a basket that 

 is not too large, for there is nothing else 

 quite so ridiculous as a big basket with 

 a handful of blooms that seem to say, 

 "We are doing our best to make a pre- 

 sentable showing, but the gatherer be- 

 came tired before his work was done." 



If your flowers are fine and small, use 



Mr. Brown will be pleased to answer, ai this 

 series of articles progresses, any criticisma or 

 questions that may occur to his readers. The 

 first article of the series was printed in the issue 

 of October 10. The next installment will appear 

 in an early issue. 



a fine, dainty basket; if the flowers are 

 coarse and large, use a basket of gener- 

 ous lines and proportions. 



You need not confine yourself to one, 

 two, or three different sorts of blooms, 

 but if you do use a variety of flowers, 

 group them. Do not arrange them with- 

 out object. Keason a minute and you 

 will readily see that, if you used natural 

 ways, which are artistic ways, you would 

 gather your distinct varieties of flowers 



A Fine Simplicity. 



in separate groups, for under natural 

 conditions — artistic conditions — flowers 

 grow in groups, not in meaningless mix- 

 tures, though you may find an indi- 

 vidual variety poking its head from 

 some unexpected place. Therefore, in 

 your basket arrangements group your 

 material, and while you must not over- 

 balance your basket, always convey the 

 idea of plenty. To break the monotony 

 of equal or balanced quantities of ma- 

 terial, choose carefully your point of 

 greatest opposition and enrich it by 

 your choicest material, placed in an op- 

 posite direction, so that it may act as 

 your high light or character-giving fac- 



tor, but never wander so far from the 

 confines of your basket that your blooms 

 overbalance your basket' foundation. 



In arranging plants in a basket we 

 should be careful that our basket has 

 the appearance of sufficient stability or 

 strength to hold the plants. As much 

 depends on the appropriateness of the 

 basket as on what is in it. 



Three examples of baskets are illus- 

 trated in connection with ttis article 

 and we would particularly draw your at- 

 tention to the receptacles themselves. 



The basket shown in the illustration 

 at the top of page 11 has a mixed ar- 

 rangement, but the kinds are grouped 

 and are not of too great variety. The 

 erect -growing rose plant is softened by 

 the spiraea. We particu- 

 larly want you to note 

 the substantial look of 

 the basket; it has the 

 appearance of strength 

 to sustain what is con- 

 tained in it. True, there 

 may be the appearance 

 of crowding, but that is 

 a natural consequence. 



The basket shown on 

 page 10 contains a gen- 

 ista. Care has been 

 taken both in the selec- 

 tion of the plant and 

 the selection of the 

 basket, and there is what 

 may be termed a smypa- 

 thetic harmony between 

 the two. The generous, 

 circular form of the 

 plant, just sufficiently 

 broken to avoid the ap- 

 pearance of artificial 

 training, is encompassed 

 within the lines of the 

 basket, which has suffi- 

 cient base to support 

 without trouble the 

 weight of the plant. 



In the basket of cut 

 flowers, shown in the 

 illustration on this 

 page, we have a basket 

 with fine lines for our 

 fine material, orchids and 

 lily of the valley. There 

 is a graceful careless- 

 ness about the Farleyense fern, suggest- 

 ing abandon and plenty. 



In our work with baskets, ribbon is 

 almost an essential and has reason on 

 its side against any argument that 

 might be raised in objection to its use, 

 for what is more natural than that a 

 tie of some kind should be used to se- 

 cure our material within the confines 

 of our basket? However, just a little 

 word of warning: Don't overdecorate 

 with ribbon; you are dealing in flowers. 

 The arranging of a basket of flowers 

 leaves the florist almost fancy-free to 

 create new and dainty ideas, and the 

 artist will show his ability to far 

 greater advantage than where he is 

 confined to the wire frame of some con- 



