FLORAL DECORATIONS. 



651 



Fig. 776.— Button-hole Bouquet-tubes. 



quite full. Bouquets packed in this way are 

 daily sent many hundreds of miles, and arrive 

 safely and fit for use two days afterwards. 

 This is found to be 

 the most practical 

 mode of transit. The 

 handle of each bou- 

 quet should be se- 

 cured to the box. 



Button - hole Bou- 

 quets. — These consist 

 of such flowers as a 

 Rosebud, Gardenia, 

 Picotee, or any other 

 single flower, ar- 

 ranged with its own 

 foliage or with Fern 

 fronds. A combina- 

 tion of several kinds 

 of flowers is rarely used. For keeping them 

 fresh whilst they are being worn the best plan 

 is to put them into a glass or metal tube sus- 

 pended from the button-hole behind the fold of 

 the coat; these are supplied by florists for the 

 purpose. (See fig. 776.) 



Floral Head-dresses. — These consist of 

 either wreaths, coronets, sprays, or single 

 flowers. A wreath goes all round the 

 head; a coronet is worn on the top of the 

 head in front; a spray is worn on the side 

 of the head; and if it is long enough to 

 hang down below the ear, the spray is 

 called a droop. Single flowers, or a raceme, 

 such as a spike of Odontoglossum, may 

 be put into a small tube of water, the 

 tube being concealed in the hair. All 

 such floral decorations should be made up 

 as expeditiously as possible, sprinkled by 

 means of a vaporizer, and after being 

 shaken gently, should be put away in a 

 cool, moist place until they are required 

 for use. 



Head-wreaths look best when made of 

 flowers of uniform medium size. For 

 coronets it is usual to place the largest 

 flower in or near the middle, and smaller 

 flowers towards each end. For a spray the 

 largest flower should be at the front, with 

 smaller flowers farther back; if it is to ter- 

 minate in a droop, that should be made of some 

 light dependent flower, or of foliage only, such 

 as Asparagus. Flowers to be worn upon the 

 dress are known as shoulder and breast sprays, 

 the former having the larger flowers at one end, 

 and the latter in the middle. When flowers are 

 to be worn upon the dress as a drapery only, 



light ones should be chosen. With these, some 

 light sprays of Asparagus or Myrsiphyllum will 

 be appropriate. 



In selecting flowers for the hair, preference 

 should be given to those with petals of good 

 substance, which usually retain their freshness 

 for at least six hours. Such are Camellias, 

 Roses, Stephanotis, Orchids generally, Kalo- 

 santhes, Hyacinths, double Pelargoniums, Lilies, 

 Lapageria, Malayan Rhododendrons, Eucharis, 

 Narcissus, Lily of the Valley, Agapanthus, &c. 



Fronds of such Ferns as Gleichenia, Davallia, 

 and Adiantum may be used for foliage, selecting 

 only those fronds that are matured. Equally 

 serviceable and in every way suitable are the 

 several species of Asparagus. 



Domestic Decorations. 



Vases. — If vases are intended to be decor- 

 ative when they have no flowers in them, there 

 is endless variety to choose from. Generally, 

 however, flowers look better in glass than in 

 vases made of any other material. 



Kg. 777.— Cazenove Flower Back. 



A useful aid to keeping flowers loose in 

 arrangement and in a natural position is the 

 Cazenove Flower Rack (fig. 777). 



When vases are required for special purposes, 

 the subject of proportion becomes important. 

 By this is intended, not only proportion in the 

 different parts of the vase, so that its outline 

 may be pleasing to the eye when not furnished 

 with flowers, but also proportion in reference 

 to the size of the table upon which it is to be 



