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October 5, 1911. 



- The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



I THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 





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KANSAS FAIR WEEATH. 



Cut flowers, and especially the made- 

 up work, are becoming an increasingly 

 attractive feature of the state fairs. 

 The designs seem to make a greater hit 

 than any other display of the florists ' 

 handicraft. At the Kansas state fair 

 this year, H. K. Fisher, of Marysville, 

 took all the blue ribbons for designs 

 and his wreath, lyre and cross were not 

 only a center of attraction for the 

 public equal, almost, to the prize bull, 

 the mammoth pumpkin and the elusive 

 pea, but they elicited the favorable 

 comnlent of the management, which 

 found the feature one to be encour- 

 aged. 



The accompanying illustration is re- 

 produced from a snapshot of Mr. Fisher 's 

 wreath, which was shown on an easel. 

 The body of the design was of the 

 magnolia leaves that have become 

 known of late as the first aid#of the 

 design-maker. The lasting qualities of 

 these leaves are such that they may be 

 carried in stock for an indefinite time, 

 and all the supply houses are doing a 

 big business in them, somewhat at the 

 expense of galax leaves. With a basket 

 of imperishable magnolia leaves and 

 some ribbon always on hand, the retail 

 florist is in position to make an at- 

 tractive design for any occasion, at 

 a moment's notice, almost regardless 

 of his supply of other material. 



Minus IN DESIGN WORK. 



while some low-growing plants of har- 

 monious color may be planted as a 

 ground, or autumn leaves may be 

 strewn as a groundwork. 



The Guiding Principle. 



In order to use any flowers intelli- 

 gently one must grasp some-thing of 

 the character of the flowers, for they 

 have characters in much the same way 

 as people have. The stem, the leaf 

 and the branches, with their outlines, 

 furnish the form; the manner in which 

 they come together, and their extent, 

 constitute the character. For illustra- 

 tion, take a chrysanthemum stalk of 

 average size, with the foliage. It is 

 comparatively straight, with no side 

 lines except the foliage and perhaps 

 a bud or two which has escaped the 

 disbudding process. This, with the 

 lines which expand into the leaf forms. 



key to the style of spray or other de- 

 sign which can most correctly be con- 

 structed from the grouping of these 

 particular flowers. 



Eeturning to the chrysanthemums — 

 the stems being long and fairly 

 straight, we have found the style of 

 spray which is best suited to the 

 chrysanthemum and will proceed to 

 build on that plan. In the finished 

 piece the lines of the stems should be 

 seen as they como together easily and 

 naturally to their source, or the point 

 where they are tied, without any fussi- 

 iiess or cross lines. 



The Making of a Mum Spray. 



As a rule the finished mum spray is 

 suffocatingly heavy, even for large, 

 heavy flowers. The backgrounds are 

 too solid. The mums require little more 

 than their own foliage. Let the flow- 

 ers stand out and up, well apart, well 

 ventilated, with their full length of 

 stem. This precaution — throwing the 

 flowers well out and up from the sup- 

 porting surface — is emphatically de- 

 manded for mums of the recurved type. 

 Their own weight on a hard surface 

 flattens the contour of the flowers. It 

 bruises the soft texture and neutralizes 

 the expression. 



Do not mix different sizes promiscu- 

 ously. Mixing the sizes is one of the 

 things which, when. well done, are stun- 

 ning, .but when carelessly done, are as 



For Windows and in Sprays. 



A chrysanthemum window may be 

 arranged to look like an orchard or 

 garden. Along the front of the win- 

 dow, close to the glass, make a hedge 

 of one kind of smaller-sized blooms or 

 blooming plants, perhaps pompons. If 

 cut flowers are used, a' number of jars 

 should be set close together and cov- 

 ered. The jars should be of about 

 equal capacity and height, so that the 

 hedge shall bo neat and trim. Bronze 

 would be a gf od volor for the hedge, 

 and yellow l<'i the exhibit flowers 

 proper. Ha; -isome specimens of yellow 

 mums, one to a tall vase, may be set 

 quite close together. They should be seen 

 quite a distance above. the hedge, in 

 ^uAcient numbers to make a stunning 

 display. 



For a break in this arrangement or 

 foi' a separate window, make a chrysan- 

 themum tree after the style of the 

 standard plants. Use large, long- 

 stemmed flowers in a high triampet 

 vase. Such flowers as are not strong, 

 but particularly long-stemmed, will - be 

 the ■ most serviceable. Wire them, if 

 nei^essary, to keep them in the form of 

 an , umbrella-shaped tree. The flowers 

 and their foliage will form the top of 

 the tree, and the vase will make a 

 goqd trunk, if wrapped with bark. If 

 this design is used as the sole window 

 display, the hedge descri-bed in the 

 first design will make a good finish, 



Prize Wreath at the Kansas State Fair. 



makes a simple and nearly straight set 

 of lines. 



As an extreme in the other direction, 

 make a little analysis of the forget-me- 

 nots. Nearly every stem takes a de- 

 cided curve at the, tip; side branches 

 are numerous and we have a rather 

 complicated set of lines before we get 

 through. Of what practical use is this 

 analysis? Just thig: It gives us the 



good as a mud pie. Let one size have 

 a definite relation to the other and let 

 the relation be clearly apparent, as in 

 the case of the small mums in the 

 hedge, with the larger ones of the 

 principal exhibit, for the window de- 

 sign mentioned at the beginning of 

 this article. /X. 



As a background for a mum spray 

 try some natural wheat. Support from 



