DECORATIVE USE OF FLOWERS. 



Anemones — all useful in composing various colours, 

 &c., in bouquets wherein they can be suitably placed. 

 Most of these bulbous plants are rarely used in this 

 kind of work, but, possessing novelty and distinc- 

 tiveness, they are all worthy of a place. From the 

 long list of herbaceous plants a few good things may 

 be named which might with advantage be used ; for 

 instance, the improved type of Columbines {Aqtii- 

 legia), the Campanulas with slender stems, Cata- 

 nanche bicolor and C. ccerulea, with Cornflower like 

 blossoms, the Dianthus of the Alpine section, Francoa 

 ramosa, Gypsophila paniculata, Staiice latifoha, and 

 other species. These could all be turned to a 

 good account in their respective seasons. Several 

 evergreen and deciduous shrubs can be called into 

 requisition ; notably, of the former, the Dahocciafs, 

 or Irish Heaths, Pier is florihunda and F. japonk-a^ 

 Ceanothus of various sorts, Escalloneas (these, like the 

 Ceanothus, requiring a wall for training against), 

 Choisya ternata (from the same position), and Garry a 

 elliptica, the catkins of which are an ornament around 

 a goodly-sized bouquet. From the hardy and half- 

 hardy annuals, considerable aid is imparted from 

 such uncommon things as Gypsophila elegans a""d G. 

 rosea, Alonsoa Warscewiczii, Nicotiana affinis, --ith 

 sweetty-perfumed flowers expanding in the evening, 

 the yellow Sweet Sultan, and the small forms of 

 Ornamental Grasses. 



There are not a few subjects from under glass 

 that possess novelty and other features to recom- 

 mend them ; of these we will enumerate some of the 

 most useful. From the green-house we have Boronia 

 elatior, with flowers of a deep rose ; Clethra arhorea, 

 having panicles similar to the Pieris of our shrub- 

 beries ; Jasminum grandifloram, very useful in the 

 winter and deli ciously scented; Lonicera sempcrjiorens 

 minor, a green-house climbing Honeysuckle — very dis- 

 tinct ; Pimeleas in variety ; the smaller types of green- 

 house Rhododendrons ; St at ice profusa, extremely 

 pretty in a bouquet ; Witsenia corymbosa, with bright 

 blue flowers ; all of the Cape Heaths also are valu- 

 able additions, but most of them will require manipu- 

 lating with wire before they can be used. A few 

 pretty and most useful additions can be had from the 

 stove -house, which are not nearly so much grown 

 as they deserve to be. Among these are Clerodeiidron 

 fragrans Jlore-pleno, very sweet-scented ; Bipladema 

 bolivicnsis, the only variety of the genus adapted for 

 bouquets ; its white flowers with a golden throat are 

 beautiful ; Eurycles australasica, a bulbous plant 

 with distinct white flowers ; Gardenia citriodora 

 [Mitriostigma citriodora), a very good substitute for 

 Orange-blossom when this article is scarce ; Glonera 

 jasniiniflora, somewhat resembling a Bouvardia, but 

 with delicate blossoms of the purest white ; Hoy a 

 bclla. a well-known old favourite, but neglected of 

 46 



late years ; Ixora, Prince of Orange, and other 

 varieties with small trusses; Rogiera gratissima, 

 somewhat resembling the Ixoras, but quite distinct ; 

 liondeletia spcciosa major, very useful, with good 

 available length of stem ; Tahcrna;montana coronaria 

 florc-plcno, with beautiful white flowers of sweet 

 pei-fume ; Torenia Foicrnierii, a very useful stove 

 annual, both choice and distinct ; Vrccolina aurea, as 

 pendants around the edges of an arrangement, would 

 be most handsome. There are also Franciscea calycina 

 major and F. Ilopeana, with flowers of a purplish 

 shade, the latter variety being deliciously scented. 



What may be called " every-day flowers " will not 

 need any description or enumeration. We have 

 them from among stove and green-house plants and 

 bulbs, from our shrubs and herbaceous borders ; 

 many of these are so well known and so frequently 

 used as to have become household words. Those 

 which we have quoted in the foregoing lists will 

 each in their respective seasons be found useful : 

 our object in giving the names of such being to 

 draw attention to them as possessing distinctiveness 

 from that material which is so often used in the 

 composition of bouquets. The best of flowers lose 

 their charm when met with in nearly every arrange- 

 ment that comes across one's notice. Anything, 

 therefore, that can be brought into use that will 

 impart novelty, at the same time being suitable for 

 the purpose under consideration, should be sought 

 after and appropriated as occasion may occur. 



Foliage and Arrangement. — To foliage as 

 a necessary accompaniment to the flowers, it is 

 requisite to devote particular attention. As in the 

 decoration of vases for the house, so also in the 

 case of bouquets, we frequently see an undue pre- 

 ponderance of Maiden-hair Fern. We would not 

 for one minute disparage the use of this, the best 

 of all Ferns undoubtedly, but it is easy to have 

 too much even of a good thing sometimes. So it is 

 in the case of the Fern under notice, the result being 

 that the bouquet will lack in a great measure that 

 distinctive feature which it ought to possess when 

 completed. Take for instance a bouquet in which it 

 is intended to use four, five, or more Camellias ; these 

 handsome flowers are often denuded of their beautiful 

 leaves to give place to Fern foliage. This is a mis- 

 take ; one Camellia- leaf at least should accompany 

 each flower. Should the leaves be somewhat large, 

 take a few tips of the green-leaved Enonymus latifolmr, 

 instead. The Gardenias are another case in point ; 

 the pale green of the young shoots surrounding 

 the expanded flower being its best ornament aftei 

 some of the larger leaves have been removed. Roses, 

 too, should have a few tips of shoots or their own 

 suitable leaves intermixed with them. In the case 



