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THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



Like all other floral arrangements, the best 

 bouquets are those which present the most 

 pleasing combinations of the smallest quantity 

 of materials, without carrying out the theory to 

 the extent of poverty. Some are under the 

 impression that the more flowers it contains 

 the better the quality of the bouquet. Whereas 

 the qualifications in a hand-bouquet are, that 

 it should be small to grasp, light to carry, 

 pleasing (and not glaring) to the eye, grateful 

 (and not sickly) to the nose, graceful and ele- 

 gant (not crowded) in its arrangement, and 

 composed of flowers and leaves that will keep 

 fresh for at least six hours when exposed to 

 the dry atmosphere of a hot room. 



Much time will be saved in bouquet-making, 

 as in most other branches of art, by thinking 

 beforehand. The size of the bouquet being 

 determined, the number and grouping of the 

 flowers must be thought of, and just that 

 number, with one or two over, of each kind 

 must be wired and mossed, and put into tall 

 jars of water. These jars should then be put 

 away in a cool cupboard until all other prepara- 

 tions are completed. In like manner the Fern 

 fronds or other foliage should be prepared and 

 put into water until wanted. 



When everything is read} 7 , take a stick a foot 

 long and bind about one end a pad of moss, 

 making it like a drum-stick. As many of the 

 wired-stalks as possible should be drawn through 

 this moss, which, when damp, serves to keep 

 the bouquet fresh. Should more moss be seen 

 between the flowers than is desirable, it can 

 easily be hidden by sticking in small fronds of 

 Fern that have been wired. Proceeding in this 

 way to add and bind together foliage and flowers 

 until the bouquet is of the intended size, a fringe 

 of delicate Fern fronds should form the edging. 

 To these used to be added lace, perforated paper, 

 satin bows and ends, &c, "at discretion". Now, 

 thanks to the greater taste of our floral decora- 

 tors, these accessories are rarely seen, except 

 ribbon, the colour of which should be in har- 

 mony with the prevailing tint of the flowers 

 used, and preferably lighter in colour. The 

 stem of the bouquet should be firmly fixed in 

 a wicker or metal holder, to prevent the glove 

 being soiled. A useful stand for a bouquet 

 when not in use is shown at fig. 775. 



The old-fashioned round -topped bouquets 

 have almost, if not quite, gone out of favour, 

 and we have what is familiarly known as the 

 "shower" bouquet and the "posy". Some 

 hesitate to adopt these forms, because they are 

 supposed to be difficult to construct; with a 



little practice, however, they will be found to 

 be easier, and they are great improvements 

 on the old shapes. It is now possible to 

 employ sprays of Orchids, and other flowers 

 too, in quite a natural manner and with far 

 less wiring than formerly. 



In order to make a show T er bouquet in the 

 easiest possible way, the long drooping foliage 

 and flowers for the front should be first ar- 

 ranged, the finest being at the back; so that the 

 bouquet, when finished, is more or less a one- 

 sided arrangement of flowers and leaves. A posy 

 is made the reverse way, bearing in mind, how- 

 ever, that in this instance the flowers are chosen 

 in the same order; for in a posy the spray-like 

 flowers are the farthest from the handle, whereas 

 in the shower bouquet they are the nearest to 

 it. For ordinary purposes the posy is better 

 than the shower bouquet, as it can be laid 

 down without damage. Small loose sprays of 

 flowers are now largely used by ladies at dinner- 

 parties in preference to bouquets. 



Bouquet-makers in London use square boxes 

 made of thin deal, in which they tightly pack 



Fig. 775.— Bouquet Stand. 



the lower part (or handle) of the bouquet with 

 paper shavings, obtained from the stationers. 

 The floral part is surrounded and thickly 

 covered with soft paper and sheets of cotton 

 wadding; and if this is not enough to fill the 

 box, more paper shavings are added until it is 



