208 



CASSELL'S POPULAR aARDENING. 



adapted for groups of Rose-blooms, with, a climbing 

 Rose around the handle, or a few sprays of the 

 variegated Honeysuckle. The Chiysanthemums, 

 too, will be easily adapted to these baskets, taking a 

 small form of Ivy, with bronzy-tinted foliage, in this 

 €ase, for the handle. During the spring-time the 

 Tulips will give another change, working into use for 

 the handle in this case a small spike or two of Solo- 

 mon's Seal, or the Daffodils with, their own foliage. 



Of baskets without handles attached to them, the 

 Tound form will be as good as any ; these afford us 

 the means of keeping the arrangements as low as 

 possible. By the use of Ornamental Grasses or 

 Fern- fronds in a free manner, the otherwise flat ap- 

 pearance will be in a measure reduced. This kind 

 ■of basket would be very pretty if filled with Snow- 

 drops and Crocuses in the early spring, or with 

 Primroses and Polyanthus a little later on. Those 

 lovers of floral decorations who reside in the pure air 

 of the country have a great advantage over such as 

 dwell in the vicinity of large towns and cities, in the 

 far greater choice of material at their command from 

 amongst om- British Wild Flowers and Mosses. Such 

 as these will be found to be appropriate subjects for 

 rustic baskets, as a change from the well-known plants 

 of our gardens and hot-houses. For all baskets we 

 would advise a tin receptacle to be fitted to them, for 

 the better preservation of the flowers placed therein, 

 and to avoid all needless risk of inj ury to the cloth. 



Epergnes. — In the arrangement of flowers in 

 epergnes of silver or other metal, there is a wide field 

 for improvement. Many epergnes are xmnecessarily 

 heavy and cumbrous in make and outline ; with such 

 it requires an exercise of judgment in the selection of 

 material wherewith to fill them. With such as are 

 of good height, an excellent opportunity is afforded 

 to make good use of fronds of Pohjpodimn subaii- 

 riculatum, sprays of Asjyaragus plumosus, and long 

 trailing shoots of Ficus repens, each of which may be 

 allowed to droop down, nearly or quite touching the 

 table-cloth. Moderate use only should be made of 

 these subjects, so that each individual frond or shoot 

 is seen to advantage ; they should not be allowed to 

 spread out too far and interfere with other sur- 

 roundings. Resting on this foliage some sprays of 

 flowers of pendulous habit could be well displayed. 

 Several Orchids that yield long drooping racemes of 

 their choice flowers are well adapted for this kind 

 of decoration. Some of the best are Dendrobium 

 thyrsijlorum, D. densifloriim, D. Wardianum, and D. 

 chrysanthicm. Odontoglossum Alexandres and the Onci- 

 diums, with long arching spikes, are also extremely 

 pretty for the same use. Phalcenopsis Schilleriana 

 could not well be surpassed, whilst many of the 

 brides would be most fit subjects. 



Of the stove plants when in season the following 

 could be used with good effect: — Thyrsaeanthus 

 rutilans, with its slender pendants ; Euphorbia jac- 

 quimejlora, with its showy sprays ; and Scxacentris 

 lutea, with its distinct panicles> and many other 

 things of similar habit. The long shoots of Beiitzia 

 gracilis, when forced and expanding their flowers, 

 can be worked in with good effect, Dielytra sjJectabiUs 

 being an excellent contrast thereto. Of plants from 

 the open border there are Spircca Lindleyana, and 

 iS'. aricefolia ; the feathery sprays of these two shrubby 

 species are very pretty for the purpose. In a some- 

 what large epergne the Clematis would afford us 

 shoots and flowers that could be effectively used. 

 Other examples from many genera could be named, 

 but these are sufficient to illustrate our method. 



When flowers are used in this drooping manner 

 around the glass dish or dishes of the epergne, it is 

 not necessary to arrange nearly so many in the dish 

 itself, and what are placed therein should be arranged 

 in a light and easy style. All symptoms of formality 

 of outline should be carefully avoided, and the flowers 

 in the t(^p of the dish should in a measure agree with 

 those that are suspended therefrom, as Orchids with 

 Orchids, stove and green-house flowers with stove 

 and green-house flowers, and so on. It does not 

 follow that this hne need be strictly adhered to, but 

 it will be a safe guide to follow out in a measure. 

 (Jertain flowers are always a help in their season in 

 almost any design ; such, for instance, as the well- 

 known Astilbe japonica and Lilies of the Valley. 

 This style of filling epergnes will be found far more 

 effective than the plan frequently adopted of con- 

 centrating the majority of the flowers in a compact 

 mass on the dish itself, in which manner many of 

 them cannot possibly be viewed to advantage. Wo 

 have seen many epergnes which, when completed, 

 have had twice as many flowers used over them as 

 were really needed to produce a good display, the 

 object apparently having been to obtain effect by 

 quantit}' alone. 



Use of Plants Alone. — In lieu of using either 

 glass stands, baskets, or epergnes, we would some- 

 times advise the adoption of a distinct kind of 

 decoration without any exterior aid, other than a 

 few dinner-plates and saucers, in which all the 

 arrangements can be easily made. This system 

 might fairly be called au naturel, nothing but plants, 

 flowers, and foliage being observable in a decoration 

 carried out entirely in this way. A selection of the 

 most graceful palms is necessary; the well-known 

 Cocos JFeddelliana, Euterpe edulis,Areca lutesccns (more 

 correctly Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), and Chamecdorea 

 graminifolia are all very suitable for the purpose. 

 When gro^^•n for this special use it is necessary to 



