Kebkuary 23, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



i 



i THE RETAIL 



1 



FLORIST 



I 



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THE ROMAN FORUM. 



Every lover of classic architecture 

 admires the ruins of the Forum, in 

 iioine. Their noble proportions, their 

 strong lines, suggestive of strength and 

 beauty, are perfect even in ruin. They 

 are copied the world oven'. When 

 <yhar]es Henry Fox saw tlie Forum 

 while on his tour abroad three years 

 ago, he had the columns photographed 

 without any definite idea of exactly 

 what use he would make of the pic 

 tures. After Mr. Fox returned to 

 Philadelphia he had models made from 

 the j)hotographs. reproducing the col- 

 umns to iierfection in miniature. These 

 columns, j)eriiaps two feet in heiglit, 

 were beautif'.) in themselves. To meet 

 tlie popular taste foi- novelty in How 

 <>rs and floral ariangement, Mr. Fox ex- 

 jieriniented vitii Jiis inodfl. The stoiir 

 surmounting the columns was liollowed 

 to hold flowers; the loost; stones at tin- 

 base were likewise hollowed, convert 

 ing them into vases. Later Mr. Fox im 

 proved his model by making the re 

 ••eptacles at the bast? larger and tilling 

 them at times with plants, the idea be 

 ing that the classic beauty of the col- 

 umns would be strengthened rather 

 than hidden by a freer use of foliage 

 .and flower. Mr. Fox believes that 

 the flowers surmounting the columns 

 should never liidi- them; in othei' 

 words, that the use of ferns or droop- 

 ing s])rays i.t' tlowfi- or foliage is not 

 perniissiblr' here; at the base, on the 

 <-(mtrary, such arrangement adds to 

 the beauty of the whole. Ardisias may 

 here l)e used efl'ectively at Christmas, 

 1 lie ;i)iange;nent l)eing varidl to suit 

 the season of tlie year and the taste of 

 those interested. The Forum. ]\Ir. Fox 

 said, has been much admired by peo- 

 ])le whose taste enabled them to ap 

 ])reciate sucii work. When used as a 

 trift. the columns can be easily re 

 tilled "IS desired and ke]U as a table 

 <irn;nnent. [""hil. 



PLANTS IN DESIGN WORK. 



A Base of Blooming Plants. 



There can be no more graceful and 

 thoroughly .'orrect base for a standing 

 design than one composed of blooming 

 plants alone, and of one kind at that. 

 The f;irtlier we get from miscellaneuus 

 eolleet ions, the more refined h;is our 

 taste been shown to lie. Select, ratlier 

 than collect, the kinds of material to 

 lie used in any piece of design work. 

 Scores of designs at a funeral, sent 

 from one pl;iee. will be found to be 

 each made of the same motley f)f odds 

 and ends, wiiile if these same odds and 

 ends had been classified before the 

 work was begiin. each ]iiece might have 

 been a classic as to color and union of 

 similar forms of flowers and foliage. It 

 is wonderfid what a distinctive air may 

 be given to cie piece among many, by 

 .*! i'af(div or striking I>it of c<dof or 

 I'reak in the lines. 



.Mthougli unable to analyze the 

 ejiarm about a growing plant, or too 

 heedless to study or rejiroduce its fas 

 cinating lin,s in tliat creative work 

 i-alled arrangement, a florist can at 

 least trans[il;vnt bodily a plant or a 

 group of plants into a design and be 

 fairly well assured that there is some 

 correct designing .about if, anyhow. It 

 must be careless habits rather than a 

 real inability to see — a seeing without 

 perceiving — with which so many allow 

 themselves to slouch along. Study to 

 understand the plan, architecturally 

 speaking, u]>on which a jilaiit is bnilf, 

 and then, in using its flowers and 



s(dl, as many primulas of the obconica 

 variety as will till the base wlu'u the 

 loots arc? firmly pa( ked between the 

 wires with damp sphagnum. Cover any 

 exjiosed places with green moss or fern 

 leaves and you hav(^ a base which is 

 artistic, cheap, and (piickly done. It 

 is neither too showy to detract from 

 the more important parts of the design, 

 as we have planned if. nor too modest 

 to develop tliem projierly. 



For the coloring of the piece it will 

 be best to s< lecf the more delicately 

 tinted primulas, but iim the white ones. 

 Wrap the standaril wire with green 

 foil or thin sniilax. I'ill the crescent 

 freely, as to arrangement, with white 

 flowers. Cov( r the star solidly with 

 violets, and you ha\e a <listinct design, 

 well cohired and well set. 



In Centerpieces. 



In using jdants in this way, one finds 

 o[)portunities for that much wanted in- 

 e.\p(Misive tal)le centerjiiece. IIow many 

 customers have remarktMl that the>' 

 would never (Mitertain without center 

 pieces, but they are so expensive! Here 

 is yoni ch;nice. A centerpiece of sev 



The Roman Forum. 



Idliage III designing. re|iroilucc the :^eii 

 eial t'orin .'in I grou[iiiii; ot' liiie^ 



A Base for a Star and Crescent. 



Suppo'^e \ou liave an older to cmi- 

 struct a star and crescent on a base, 

 .and you woidd like a new wa,\' to make 

 it with the same kind ol' lloweis on 

 hand as is usual at this time of the year. 

 If the base has already been ino<^ed, re- 

 nio\o file bulk of the moss. leaving a 

 thi<k layer on the bottiun. b'emove 

 from the pots, shaking out most of the 



eial obcoiiic.i )ilaiit>. ■inerai las. small 

 a/aleas or cychanieii- i-; as <liowy as 

 need ]io and inexpensi\e enough for 

 .iiiybiidy. Treat the plants the same 

 as in the base for the ^t.-ir .'iiicl crescent, 

 already described. liavt^ the bottom 

 of the center]>iece well piotected and 

 all the vacant patches .uxered. In the 

 case of azaleas, wlo'ie the foliage is 

 all well above the gioiiiKl, cover the 

 soil or moss witli ;i green .and scatter 

 a few pansies or \iolels if the correct 

 coloring can In- li.ad. considering the 



