Floral Decorations 
285 
PERSONAL DECORATIONS 
Bouquets of various kinds allow of great taste being 
displayed in the selection of flowers and foliage, and their 
arrangement. Flowers of outstanding merit should always 
be considered, but on no account should costly blooms be 
allowed to override the more important consideration of 
the harmony of colour and appropriate arrangement. The 
flowers should be the best of their kind procurable. They 
should be handled very carefully, so as to keep their 
freshness as long as possible. Nearly all the flowers for 
bouquets will have to be wired, not to give them a stiff 
appearance, but to keep them in position when they are 
arranged. In all cases the wiring will have to be done 
to suit the flowers. For the stronger ones, light wires may 
be used, the wire being pushed through the base of the 
flower, and doubled over. A turn or two of the long end 
of the wire may then be made round both its short end and 
the stalk. This will be found quite sufficient for some, and 
can be very quickly done. For more tender flowers the 
wire may be doubled over. The stalk should then be 
placed between the wires, and wrapped round with wrap- 
ping wire or green bast. Others, again, require even more 
careful handling. The stalks of these must first be pro- 
tected with a small portion of cotton wool, then placed 
between doubled wire, and the whole bound up as before. 
After all the flowers and foliage necessary have been 
carefully wired and laid out separately, the work of building 
the bouquet may be commenced. The foundation and 
artificial stalk will have been made with moss, thoroughly 
wired to keep it firm. After this it should be fixed in the 
