BRITISH FLORAl
DECORATION

BY
• R-F-FELTON O

OTHER <BE4UT1FUL BOOKS
ON FLOWERS 4NT> GARDENS

Each containing full-page illustrations in
colour similar to those in this volume.

FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF JAPAN
ALPINE FLOWERS AND GARDENS
DUTCH BULBS AND GARDENS
FLOWERS AND GARDENS OF MADEIRA
THE GARDEN THAT I LOVE
GARDENS OF ENGLAND
KEW GARDENS

A. & C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON

BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

AGENTS

AMERICA .... THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

AUSTRALASIA. . THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS,
205 FLINDERS LANE, MELBOURNE

CANADA .... THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.
27 RICHMOND STREET WEST, TORONTO

INDIA . ... MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD.

MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY

309 Bow BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA

A BOUQUET OF MADAME ABEL CHATENAY ROSES

Made for H.R.H. The Princess of Wales.
(By kind permission of Messrs. Blake and Mackenzie.)

BRITISH FLORAL
DECORATION

BY

R. FORESTER FELTON

F.R.H.S., F.Z.S., ETC.

VICE-PRES1DEWT OF THE NATIONAL SWEET PEA SOCIETY ; MEMBER OF FLORAL

COMMITTEES OF THE PERPETUAL-FLOWERING CARNATION SOCIETY

AND OF THE NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY ;

FELLOW OF NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY ;

GOLD MEDALLIST, ETC. ETC.

PUBLISHED BY .
ADAM & CHARLES
BLACK

4 SOHO SQUARE
LONDON . W.
MCMX .

'|

IN DEDICATING THIS BOOK

TO MY WIFE I FEEL THAT

I AM ALSO DEDICATING IT

TO FLORAL ART

267551

PREFATORY NOTE

BY
SIR ALBERT K. ROLLIT, Lrrr.D., D.L.,

President of the National Chrysanthemum Society ; Fellow and Member of the

Council of the Royal Horticultural Society ; formerly Chairman

of the Hull Botanic Gardens

MR. ROBERT FORESTER FELTON, of Hanover Square,
London, of whose industry and work I have had
long and frequent opportunities of forming an
opinion, having told me of his intention to publish
a book on " British Floral Decoration " and asked
me to write for it a Prefatory Note, I have pleasure
hi complying with his request, although the volume
speaks sufficiently for itself and its author, and
really requires no introduction to its readers or the
public.

I have known Mr. Felton for very many years
as an expert and enterprising floral designer and
decorator on both public and private occasions, and
my estimate of his experience, judgment, and taste
has been carefully and critically formed and from

Vll

viii PREFATORY NOTE

time to time amply confirmed. For instance, I
have never seen anything to surpass, and seldom
anything to equal, either in general character and
effect, or in its detail, Mr. Felton's artistic floral
treatment, after the Japanese fashion, of Claridge's
Hotel on the occasion when His Excellency the
Japanese Ambassador and Madame Kato received
His Imperial Highness Prince Nashimoto of Japan,
in the summer of last year ; and the same remark
applies to other decorative schemes by Mr. Felton
which have come under my notice, including those
of table-decoration at the shows and social gather-
ings of the National Chrysanthemum Society and
at many similar functions.

And in other ways Mr. Felton has also advanced
both the science and art of Floriculture, especially
in the selection, distribution, and arrangement, at
the shows of the Royal Horticultural Society and
other floral exhibitions, of those flowers which are
bearers of beauty of form, colour, and perfume into
the homes which they brighten and adorn. For
flowers create and cultivate in the human heart the
highest and purest emotions; they teach and reward
habits of care, confidence, tenderness, patience, and
perseverance, and also of reverence — for are they
not the sweetest messengers of God to man ?

PREFATORY NOTE ix

Flowers and foliage humanise, civilise, and refine
mankind ; they indicate and also improve the
characters of their cultivators, whether in the
garden, in the house, or even on the window-sill
— indeed it is not difficult to judge from tended
plants the characters and habits of the inmates of
the greatest or the humblest home ; and they
furnish the highest and best of all the pleasures of
recreation through our public parks and gardens,
of which happily there are few, if any, better
examples than those in the very midst of the con-
gested life and smoke-laden ah- of London ; while
the care and observation of plants almost inevitably
lead on to the study of the science which underlies
their cultivation.

Soul, mind, and the moral and aesthetic con-
science are thus enriched by flowers, and any one
who, like the author of this book, does much to
increase the love and culture and artistic use of
them, renders the very best service to mankind.

ST. ANNE'S HILL,

CHERTSEY-ON-THAMES, SURREY,

April 1910

CONTENTS

PACK

PREFATORY NOTE BY SIR ALBERT K. ROLLIT vii

INTRODUCTION xv

CHAP.

I. FLORAL ART 1

II. TABLE DECORATIONS 8

III. FLORAL DECORATION OF THE HOME 20

IV. THE ROSE 28
V. CARNATIONS 54

VI. THE CRYSANTHEMUM 78

VII. ORCHIDS 99

VIII. TULIPS 108

IX. LILIES OF THE VALLEY AND VIOLETS 115

X. SWEET PEAS 123

XI. LlLIUMS AND OTHER BuLBS SUITABLE FOR CUTTING

AND GENERAL DECORATIVE WORK 129

XII. THE DAFFODIL 140

XIII. HERBACEOUS PLANTS, GIVING SPECIAL ATTENTION TO

PEONIES AND MICHAELMAS DAISIES 149

XIV. DECORATIVE FOLIAGES, ALSO WOODLAND LEAVES

AND HEDGEROW FLOWERS 160
xi

xii CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

XV. USEFUL ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS FOR CUTTING 167

XVI. DAHLIAS 170

XVII. CHURCH DECORATION 174

XVIII. CHILDREN'S FLOWER SHOWS 177

XIX. A FEW USEFUL HINTS 183

XX. THE REFRIGERATOR 192

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

IN COLOUR

1. A BOUQUET OF MADAME ABEL CHATENAY ROSES Frontispiece

Facing page

2. A GERBE OF CARNATION " MARMION " 1

3. A TABLE CENTRE 16

4. THE ROYAL PAVILION AT A GARDEN-PARTY AT MARL-

BOROUGH HOUSE 32

5. A LITTLE DIPLOMATIC DINNER-TABLE 49

6. A COURT BOUQUET 64

7. ENTRANCE HALL AT CLARIDGE'S 81

8. THE ROYAL Box AT OLYMPIA GREAT INTERNATIONAL

HORSE SHOW, 1908 96

9. A CORNER OF THE RECEPTION HALL AT CLARIDGE'S 113

10. AN EXHIBIT OF SWEET PEAS AT THE NATIONAL SWEET

PEA SOCIETY'S SHOW, 1909 128

11. FIRST PRIZE TABLE OF SWEET PEAS AT SHREWSBURY

FLORAL FETE, 1909 144

12. ONE OF FELTON'S WINDOWS IN APRIL 1909 l6l

xiii

xiv ILLUSTRATIONS

IN BLACK AND WHITE

Facing page

rAN IRISH HARP OF SHAMROCK "|

A CROSS OF LILIES OF THE VALLEY AND LEAVES OF j 5
Cocos WEDDELIANA J

{A BASKET OF ROSES ^

\ 12
A BASKET OF " RAYONNANTE " CHRYSANTHEMUMS J

/TABLE OF ROSE « IRISH ELEGANCE " )

15. j / 21
[TABLE OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS

16. A DIPLOMATIC DINNER AT THE ITALIAN EMBASSY 28

{AN ELECTRIC LAMP AT CLARIDGE'S \

37
THE "ELLEN TERRY" TABLE STAND J

18. A LIGHT ARRANGEMENT OF ROSES AND FRANCOA

RAMOSA FOR TABLE CENTRE 44

19. FLORAL HARP 69

20. TREATMENT OF A HEAVY GEORGIAN FIREPLACE 76

21. DECORATION OF FONT FOR HARVEST THANKSGIVING 100

22. DECORATION OF FIREPLACE AND MANTELPIECE IN THE

BLUE ROOM AT CLARIDGE'S ]09

23. A SIMPLE DECORATION OF A CHANCEL 165

24. AN ELABORATE DECORATION AT ST. MARGARET'S

CHURCH, WESTMINSTER 172

25. GENERAL VIEW OF RECEPTION HALL AT CLARIDGE'S 177

26. DELIGHTFULLY COOL AND ARTISTIC TREATMENT OF A

WINDOW IN MAYFAIR 192

INTRODUCTION

To MY READERS,

In the course of this my first serious attempt
at book- writing, I propose placing before you, in
the most interesting way that my literary attain-
ments permit, a concise and careful resume of a life-
long study of flower growing and arrangement.

I am scarcely writing it for those who are already
far advanced in the art or for those who have the oppor-
tunity and leisure of regularly attending the Royal
Horticultural Society's Meetings and other large Ex-
hibitions, but rather for that section of the flower-
loving community who have to rely upon what they
are told or upon the information which they may
gather from the voluminous, if not always too lumi-
nous, catalogues circulated throughout the country.

I have been asked many times to write articles
on gardening matters hi the daily and weekly
papers, and have also been repeatedly pressed to
contribute to the gardening periodicals, but I have
rarely ventured into print, and I may therefore
claim that in this single volume I am telling my
readers, for what it is worth, what I know ; taking

XV

xvi INTRODUCTION

them wholly into my confidence, warning them
against my many failures, and leading them up to
those works in which I feel I have attained success.

I do not wish to convey by the foregoing state-
ment that I am afraid of the criticisms even of those
who consider themselves already proficient in either
of the subjects upon which I touch, as I feel that
they too may perhaps learn something by perusing
a work which is the outcome of long experience
and patient research.

Let it be taken for granted that growers and
raisers of new plants do know good ones when they
see them ; many of them do, but, after all, they can
only form their individual opinions, whereas, coming,
as I do, into constant contact with a highly educated
and artistic section of the public, and being in daily
touch with the greatest floral centres in the world,
I am able to take an independent view as between
the producer and the consumer, and, holding no
brief for either, I can fearlessly give to those who
are interested the benefit of my observation and
experience. I also claim that my lists are as nearly
perfect as such things can be, and that the majority
of the varieties given will be popular for many
years to come, even in this progressive age ; they
therefore form a very valuable part of my book.

INTRODUCTION xvii

During the progress of this book I have had
many kind advisers and scrutineers, especially when
I have found myself in any doubt with regard to
my lists of varieties, and I now embrace this oppor-
tunity of offering my sincere gratitude and thanks
to the following : Mr. Rudolph Barr and Mr. Wallace
(Herbaceous plants and Liliums); Mr. Hugh Dick-
son, Mr. George Paul, V.M.H., Mr. Prince, Mr.
Edward Mawley, Mr. Cant, and Mr. Orpen (Roses) ;
Mr. Norman Davis and Mr. Wells (Chrysanthe-
mums) ; Miss Hemus, Mr. Unwin, and Mr. Starke
(Sweet Peas) ; The Rev. Joseph Jacob, Miss Curry,
and Mr. Smith (Daffodils) ; Mr. Alfred Watkins
(Annuals); Mr. C. Curtis (Orchids) ; Mr. E. Beckett,
V.M.H. (Foliages) ; also to Mrs. Frankau, Mrs.
Eric Prichard, Mr. E. T. Cook, Mr. F. C. Selous,
and Sir Albert Rollit, Bart., for their kindly interest
and encouragement.

I shall have much pleasure, at all times, in
answering any question which may arise either in
connection with the suggestions I have made or
the lists I have given in this book.

R. F. FELTON

HANOVER SQUARE,
LONDON, W.

ERRATA

Page 44, line 10, for "Viscount Folkestone" read

" Viscountess Folkestone."
Page 45, under "Hybrid Perpetuals" delete " Aimee

Vibrrt.'' This is a climbing noisette Rose.

A GERBE OF CARNATION "MARMTON" TREATED
IN THE FRENCH MANNER

Made for H.I.H. The Empress of Russia.

BRITISH FLORAL
DECORATION

FLORAL ART

HORACE wrote truly and for all time :

Naturam expellas furca,
Tamen usque recurret.

(You may cast out Nature with a pitchfork ;
nevertheless she will always return.)

Surely no artistic workers in the world, let their
media be pigments, marbles, metals, or precious
stones, have such perfect instruments as Florists
with which to materialise their art — for, are we not
laden throughout the year with Nature's sweetest
messengers to Man, and this with such regularity
that we seldom need consult the calendar ?

Nature not only places abundantly at our dis-
posal the flowers with which to carry out our
schemes, but she surrounds and stimulates us with
endless suggestions, which we should ever patiently

2 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

study and faithfully follow; she will then never
fail to solve every problem with which we may find
ourselves confronted.

Alfred Austin, in "The Garden that I love,"
a book which 1 consider the most beautiful ever
written about a garden, says : " Nature is a
stupendous artist, but she conceals her designs,
and man is sorely puzzled when he tries to imitate
her." Now, I know we are all prone to wayward-
ness and often feel that we can improve on Nature's
lines, but I cannot admit that she hides her designs
from those who earnestly seek them ; indeed, I find
the difficulty consists not in obeying, but in trans-
gressing Nature's laws, which, far from concealing,
she lavishly displays for our guidance.

It is only when we set ourselves the impossible
task of improving the work of our Mistress that we
find ourselves in difficulties. Therefore I do not
intend to burden my readers with a mass of detail,
instructing them how to arrange these or those
flowers, but merely exhort them, when in doubt, to
ask themselves where and how the flowers with
which they may be dealing originally grew ; and,
having settled this matter in their own minds, let
them steadfastly endeavour to arrange them in as
nearly similar positions as possible, always allowing

FLORAL ART 3

themselves that artistic latitude which will enable
them to adapt the flowers to their new surround-
ings. Thus, if you have robbed a Laburnum in the
garden of one of its branches, see that it is put in a
high vase on the tallest pedestal in the house, so
that it may be looked up to ; or, if you wish to get
the best effect from a great bunch of roses, arrange
them in a rose-bowl on a low table where you can
look down into their very hearts. Never try to
make flowers look up when Nature has decreed
that they shall look down; remember Dryden :
" Art may err, but Nature cannot miss."

As Art students visit picture-galleries to study
and become imbued with the spirit of the great
Masters, so should Floral Artists frequent such
gardens as Kew, where they may quietly contem-
plate and study Nature's own designs.

It has been rightly observed that of late years
London has become one chief centre of Art and
Science, and we are bound to recognise that even if
the British character is not naturally artistic, it
possesses such appreciative and persevering qualities
that it has culled the arts from all other nations,
and made itself a worthy student of Beauty.
Even a casual observer who has not visited London
for ten years cannot but be struck to-day by the

4 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

great and universal progress in our buildings, our
Art collections, and our general decorations.
The long strain of Puritanism is dying hard, but
surely dying.

Once again, do we, as a nation, recognise the
glories of sunshine, flowers, and all the colour,
fulness, and fitness of life? The grey clouds of
our climate cease to depress if we surround our-
selves with a wealth of colouring in our homes and
bring Western ideas to bear upon the gorgeous mys-
teries of the East. To thoroughly contemplate Floral
Art and its growth in England one has to recall
the story of time and travel, to realise the various
sources from which knowledge is gathered, and to
associate with the cold science of Botany the artist's
conceptions of form and colour. Nature is ofttimes
fickle, varying with the weather and the wind, but
to criticise, much more to attempt to control, her
moods and methods is an impertinence; we can
but humbly imitate, and even then we may not
succeed. Indeed in Nature's fickleness lies her chief
charm. No one can be bored or tired by her pro-
cesses or limitations ; if sometimes she gives us all
too short a time with the flowers we love, we
welcome the more the plodding artist who gives
us roses and] lilacs and lilies throughout the year,

FLORAL ART 5

though, even amid these borrowed glories, we still
long for those flowers which are the true harbingers
of the seasons. It is a curious fact that the worship
of colour has permeated nearly all of us in late years.
The terrible period of so-called " high art," with its
sickly colours and still more sickly worshippers, has
happily passed from us. We have again taken the
gorgeous tints and tones of the fifteenth and six-
teenth centuries into our dress, our furniture, and
our flowers ; in short, we now worship colours and
are not afraid of having them massed together for
our wonderment, knowing that if we follow the
primitive mixings of Nature's own colourings we
cannot be far away from truth in Art.

As Mr. Clay observes in his admirable treatise
on the origin of the sense of Beauty : " The word
Art "- —without any qualifying epithet — "signifies
effort and skill devoted to the expression and
creation of the beautiful. ..." " This skill is
engaged at one moment in the creation of the
useful, at another of the artistic, or very often of
the two together, in such a way that it is hardly
possible to draw a line of demarcation. ..."

Our sensations and love of colour are based
on the laws of physics. The brain can only form
conceptions based on objective experience, but

6 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

it can carry these into an ideal world, unhampered
by time, or space, or refractory material. In the
realm of Art the mind, realising through experi-
ence the beauty of simple objects and the power
of rhythm, can convert portions of the world of
colour, form, or sound into new and striking
combinations, producing intense sensations of
pleasure, but it must be guided and limited by the
types which have been with us from the begin-
ning, and by a strong sense of harmony. This
desire for conformity with environment and
general congruity always governs true artists,
whose trained eyes become so evolved as to re-
spond to balance and proportion in colour, time,
and movement. Too well do we remember the
Early Victorian homes — with stiff horse-hair furni-
ture and the equally stiff paper roses or birds of
paradise of impossible shades and shapes on the
walls — and the prim dwarfed bunches of flowers
which trespassed into the centre of the table ; also
the bouquets of flowers with paper frillings round
them, and ladies' sprays made to be worn upside
down !

Recalling these, and having fresh upon my
memory the lovely floral works of to-day, I venture
to assert that in no section of artistic progress have

FLORAL ART 7

greater strides been made than in the treatment of
flowers. Now England need fear no rivals in this
respect. Each time I visit Paris, Berlin, Hamburg,
or even great centres of flower-growing, such as
Nice, Cannes, Grasse, and Monte Carlo, I find that
we, as a people, are more than holding our own in
the great and beautiful works of the floral world.

II

TABLE DECORATIONS

When satisfying the cravings of hunger
Let us not forget to feast the eyes.

THE Table-Decoration branch of floral art is one of
the greatest importance, but it is more difficult to
write about than almost any other. In opening the
subject I would draw special attention to the fact
that at the conclusion of every important chapter in
this book Lists will be found, not only of good
things to grow, but also of artistic contrasts. These
Lists of varieties every reader should study most
carefully, for they have not been written casually,
but are the outcome of serious thought, exhaustive
research, and repeated experiment. If flower-lovers
will grow the varieties which are enumerated in the
Lists they will have at their disposal practically every
tried and worthy representative of the various types
of useful decorative plants of commerce, and will be
able to work with safety from the given contrasts.

8

TABLE DECORATIONS 9

The contents of the Lists of contrasts may
of course be looked upon as somewhat elastic, and
can be deviated from more or less if necessary,
providing the whole scheme is not materially
altered.

There are, moreover, many flowers which may be
added to almost any others without creating a too
mixed appearance; they are Lily of the Valley,
Gypsophilla, Heuchera, Humea elegans, and similar
light and feathery flowers. If doubt is ever felt
about a contrast it is better to give up the idea at
once, as first impressions in matters of colour are
almost invariably the most reliable.

When indulging in contrasts, always endeavour
to make them as forcible as possible. Weak com-
binations get weaker still under artificial light and
always convey a want of artistic determination.
Although it is always advisable, when decorating
either a small or large table, to employ one kind of
flower, or at most two, it is quite possible to make
exquisite colour-schemes of a great number of
flowers. It is, however, always somewhat danger-
ous, but, once a departure be made from the two-
flower idea, it really does not matter how many
kinds are employed, as the work in hand must then
be looked upon as purely a colour-scheme, and, if it

10 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

is correctly carried out, there is no fear of its becom-
ing chaotic in appearance.

The little stand figured in this book, entitled
" A Table Centre," very clearly illustrates how even
a dozen kinds of flowers and foliage may be success-
fully used by a clever florist.

In decorating very large tables for public banquets
where after-dinner speeches will be made, it is
necessary that a clear line of sight is carefully
preserved to the speakers, both when sitting and
standing, as there is nothing more annoying to
them than to find themselves practically hidden by
an unsuitable floral arrangement.

How great this inconvenience is may be gathered
from an incident which lately came under my own
notice. I was a guest at an important dinner in
the Guildhall at Cambridge, where nearly all those
occupying seats at the principal table had speeches
to make. The first was naturally given by the
Chairman, who, being a very tall man, was just able
to peep over the top of the barricade of flowers
which had been arranged in front of him ; the second,
although certainly not " a man of no importance,"
was unfortunately very short, and the audience
called for the removal of the flowers, since he was
completely hidden. This was taken as a general

TABLE DECORATIONS 11

signal to move all the flowers, and so a very costly
floral decoration finished its existence in various
corners of the room. A well-known after-dinner
speaker has told me that he has frequently had to
request the removal of too ample floral decorations
before rising to speak.

If, however, nothing but low floral decorations are
employed on large tables a very flat and inartistic
effect is produced ; in fact the board might almost
as well have been left undecorated. Having in the
course of my calling a great number of diplomatic
dinner-tables to decorate, I set myself to invent
something to get over this difficulty, and the
" Ellen Terry " stand was the result. This stand is
of very simple construction and is fully described
in chapter vii. In the case of large tables the stick
or wire must be at least four feet high from the
table or its object of allowing speakers to look under
the flowers when standing will be defeated. The
same stands, made lower and very much lighter, are
also the best I have been able to discover for smaller
tables, but for dinners of a more or less private
nature, where there will be no speeches, it is not
necessary to make them any higher than will enable
one to see clearly across the table when seated.
Nothing can be more annoying than to have to be

12 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

perpetually dodging a bank of flowers when talking
across a table or from one end to the other.

It is curious that neither glass manufacturers nor
makers of stands for table decoration have been
able to get over the difficulty of obstructing the
view of those dining when high floral decorations
are used. All their contrivances, so far as I have
seen them, necessitate arranging the flowers just
where they should not be, that is, in the line of
sight. What I am driving at may be gathered
from the illustration in this book entitled, " A Little
Diplomatic Dinner-table of Wichuriana Roses."

In this particular instance there is no doubt the
stand is too high for so small a table, but as it was,
as its title conveys, a diplomatic dinner, where
every one would be called upon to speak during the
evening, it was necessary to keep the line of sight
perfectly clear when the speakers were standing.
These tall "Ellen Terry" stands do not in the
least interfere with any low decoration which may
be deemed advisable ; they are merely to decorate
the room generally, to carry the eye upwards as
well as downwards, and to create a feeling that one
is dining in a bower of flowers.

A point upon which too much stress cannot be
laid is that the flowers, candelabra, and candlesticks

p

o

a£f

I'!1!

£ 11

TABLE DECORATIONS 13

be in all cases put on the table first ; these are
necessary, and if the table looks sufficiently fur-
nished when they are on, no fruit or silver should (

be added. Nothing looks so vulgar as a table
overloaded with fruit and flowers and the family
plate. The sideboard is the proper place for silver
and fruit too, unless it is felt that the table is a little
thin.

No florist can possibly accommodate his work to a
display of silver and other ornaments already placed
upon the table with conventional regularity.

It is not necessary when contemplating the
colour-scheme for a dinner-table to pay too
much attention to the mural decoration, as the
light should always be concentrated on the table,
when the outside decorations of the room will
not count for much ; but it is a duty all hostesses ;
owe to their guests to avoid using glaring and
aggressive colours on the table, as, in the first place,
there is a possibility of their really annoying people
who are highly sensitive in matters of colour ;
and, secondly, they may utterly ruin the gowns
worn by some of the ladies. The importance
of this latter suggestion is very evident when it
is understood that florists frequently have patterns
of hostesses' gowns sent to them to ensure the Floral

14 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Decorations being in harmony with them, and what
is good for the hostess is surely good for her well-
gowned guests.

It will be found in the lists of contrasts given in
this book that scarlets, magentas, and the like have
been studiously avoided in nearly every case. A
table cannot possibly be made too restful to the
eyes, as, it must be remembered, guests have to sit
at it for some time.

I well remember a reply given to a question of
mine by Miss Wilmott, who is admitted to be one of
the greatest authorities on all matters pertaining to
flowers and floral art. I was associated with her as
judge of the table decorations at the National Rose
Society's Show, and asked her why she disliked a
certain table so much, hoping to get a useful hint
from her; she said: "Simply because it would get
on my nerves to such a degree that I could not sit
down to dinner at it."

There is little more to be said on the subject of
Dinner-Table Decorations on a large scale except
as regards the placement of the various floral pieces
on the table. It is generally understood that the
centre of the table is given to flowers, but it is the
unfortunate custom of most amateur, and many
professional, florists to arrange the minor pieces

TABLE DECORATIONS , 15

with mathematical precision at regular intervals ;
there is nothing more inartistic than these lineal
arrangements ; no two vases should be made exactly
the same height, and no two pieces should be put
on the table directly opposite one another. Having
made a number of pieces of various heights, which
are intended to be used on the table, arrange them
in a zigzag line, taking care that they are not
equidistant, as some liberty may be taken even in
the distances that they are placed from one another.
It is the simplest thing in the world to make a
centre-piece, and place eight subordinate arrange-
ments at equal given points on the table ; but it
requires a certain amount of artistic study to arrange
a well-balanced zigzag line, though when accom-
plished it will be found that the table is more fur-
nished, as each piece can then be seen from every
point with others in perspective.

It is a golden rule to go upon, that if you have a
tall centre you should also have fairly tall end-pieces
with low ones between them ; and if sprays of trail-
ing greenery of any sort are employed, never allow
them to lie about on the cloth in an unnatural kind of
way ; the stems of every spray so used should always
have an origin in something from which it might
have sprung, and should be allowed to trail about

16 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

in a natural way, finishing up either by twining
round a candlestick or losing itself in another
floral piece.

It is not advisable to use growing plants on
floral tables, no matter how light or beautiful they
may be.

A retrospect of ten years indisputably reveals
the fact that the science of Floral Decoration in
England has made more rapid progress than that
of any other art, as during that period we have
abolished the masses of coloured gauze, ribbons,
and silk table-centres which were once constantly in
evidence on all smart dinner-tables, and with these
French and German methods, mirrors, epergnes,
and many other abominations have ceased to
exist.

A TABLE CENTRE

Illustrating how, with judicious handling, twelve different
varieties of flowers and foliage can be woven into a perfectly
harmonious whole. The component parts were :

Gloriosa superba. Humea elegans.

Gloriosa Rothschildeana. Bu/ Carnations.

Japanese Honeysuckle. Begonia.

Lily of the Valley. Caladium argyrites.

Francoa Ramosa. Selaginella ccesia arboreal.

Lonicera Jap. variegata.

This piece of work was deservedly awarded first prize at
Shrewsbury Floral Fete, 1909.

TABLE DECORATIONS 17

A FEW TABLES WHICH I HAVE POUND
SUCCESSFUL

Pale yellow Chrysanthemums with pale yellow and bronze
autumn leaves, and one of the smaller flowered varieties of
pale mauve Michaelmas Daisies.

Anemone fidgens, fully opened flowers, with good spikes
of Lily of the Valley standing well above them and arranged
in old wine-coolers, in a fairly neat way, give a brilliant
effect on a small table.

Mixed colours of Azalea mollis with good red foliage of
Mahonia Darwinii and long trails of brown Ivy, with the
addition of a few light sprays of Mimosa to form the base.

Low bowls of dark Wallflowers, massed rather thickly,
with Clara Butt Tulips standing well out make a striking
contrast and is a deliciously sweet table.

In the winter, Britannia, or some other good scarlet
Carnations lightly arranged with a few Lilies of the Valley,
and some long sprays of Asparagus plumosus create a
delightfully warm effect. If the table is a very large one,
the addition of a few Poinsettias and sprays of white Lilac
will give strength to it.

Daffodils, with a profusion of their own leaves, and some
long well-flowered sprays of Jasminum nudiflorum with
brown Ivy sprays on the table.

Very light sprays of Mimosa dealbata with single yellow
Tulips and a few well- opened Tulip Couronne tfOr at the base,

18 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

and for foliage, leaves of any of the yellow-veined Crotons
and some pale Asparagus plumosus.

At Christmas a very pretty table may be made of
Mistletoe, Cypripedium insigne, and Lilies of the Valley,
with a light design of small pieces of Mistletoe on the
cloth. It can be varied by the addition of well-berried
pieces of Holly on the second day, but it is advisable to
take a great many of the leaves off the Holly so that the
berries may produce their full red effect.

A table of Sweet Peas, which owing to its success I have
had to repeat three times for the King's birthday dinner at
St. James's Palace, was composed of masses of Sweet Peas in
bowls of various heights, commencing in the middle of the
table with " King Edward " and " Queen Alexandra," and
graduating in colour to each end, finishing up with Mrs.
Hardcastle Sykes or Elsie Herbert.

In this table salmon-pink must be carefully avoided, and
if any flowers are used on the cloth they must be graduated as
well as those in the vases, and long sprays of Sweet Pea
foliage should be used with them.

There is no more striking table than one of Water-lilies
and water-plants, but they are somewhat expensive to
arrange for the first time, though afterwards, having all the
accessories, they cost very little.

A circular tin, in proportion to the size of the table,
should go in the middle, then strips fitting into it and
tapering down to a point should wind their way to each
end of the table, care being taken to allow the windings to
take different courses. The tins must be one and a half
inches deep, and can be made by any local tin-smith, and

TABLE DECORATIONS 19

they should be painted olive-green both inside and out. The
edges must be completely covered with carpet-moss and in
the centre a " Hamilton " self-filling and automatic fountain
should be playing. The rest is quite simple ; little clumps
of any river- side grasses or plants should be dotted about
along the margins, and Water-lilies, with some of their
own leaves, cut quite short, should float about in the water.
If a few other small floating aquatic plants can be pro-
cured so much the better, but although a goodly number
of Water-lilies and leaves may be used they must not
be so crowded as to completely cover the surface of the
water.

CHAPTER III

FLORAL DECORATION OF THE
HOME

To keep plants in rooms in good condition after
one has grown or bought them is a matter of ex-
treme difficulty, but the following hints, if faithfully
carried out, will materially help those who love to
see their plants in good health.

Having purchased the plants from a reliable
source, which is the first important step, it should
be borne in mind that many plants, Palms in par-
ticular, must never be allowed to get quite dry, as
if they do no amount of watering will revive the
roots which have once been allowed to shrivel. On
the other hand, no plant should stand continually in
water (excepting those of an aquatic nature such
as Spiraeas, &c.) in either a vase or saucer, for that is
even more certain to kill the roots and means speedy
death. No fixed time for watering plants can be
adopted, as the amount of water plants require varies

20

TABLE OF ROSE "IRISH ELEGANCE"

This exquisitely simple arrangement comes from the hands of Mrs. O. G. Open and
gained first prize at the National Rose Show

TABLE OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS
This i? the work alluded to in my list of contrasts appearing in chapter vi.

FLORAL DECORATION OF THE HOME 21

with the seasons of the year, and the temperature
of the apartment in which they are living, but
broadly speaking, in dry or warm weather, they
should be watered every two days.

When watering, it is best to do them thoroughly
so that the water runs right through the pot It
is no good moistening the top soil only, as the
majority of the roots live down at the bottom of
the pots. If a plant is ever allowed to get thoroughly
dry it is no use pouring water on it as it only runs
down the side of the pot from which the soil has
shrunk : it must be plunged into a pail of water
for some minutes, and then allowed to drain
thoroughly before being replaced in the room.

A mistake which is often made with large Palms
is to put smaller plants, Ferns, &c., on their pots,
thus preventing the soil from getting light and air,
and causing it to become sour. It is most essential
that the soil be kept sweet, and I recommend
nothing more than a little fresh green moss for
covering the soil, and that to be frequently
changed.

It is absolutely necessary, if a plant is to live in
a room, that the leaves be kept scrupulously clean,
as they breathe through the pores of the leaves just
as we breathe through our lungs. Nothing but

22 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

clean water should be used for sponging, as any-
thing of an oily nature, although it brightens the
leaves temporarily, stops up the pores and soon
kills the plant. In the case of Ferns it is difficult
to sponge the fronds, so I advise their being taken
to the sink once a week and there syringed with
cold water, but never do this out of doors except
in the summer.

When the plants want re-potting, which is not
very often, I always advise their being taken to the
nearest nursery, as they all require a different com-
post. Ordinary garden soil is worse than useless
for Palms or Ferns, or, indeed, any plant in a pot.

There are very few plants that will live long in
a draughty place, and at the end of this chapter I
shall give you lists of them ; neither is it fair to ask
plants to thrive in dark passages, as it is contrary to
the law of Nature.

During winter and spring a great amount of
pleasure can be got out of growing bulbs in pretty
Doulton or Japanese bowls. Jadoo moss, fertilised
fibre, or clean pebbles, kept constantly moist, are
all that is needed to ensure success. It is really
remarkable what fine results can with care be ob-
tained, but even if the results are not quite as sen-
sational as one would wish, I consider one discovers

FLORAL DECORATION OF THE HOME 23

more charm in a few indifferent plants grown all
by oneself than a dozen which one has purchased.
It is strange how blind people are to the poor quality
of their own productions, but how wideawake they
become to the imperfections of a weakling grown
by their gardeners or purchased from their florist.
Nearly all Hyacinths, Daffodils, Polyanthus Nar-
cissi, and Tulips will thrive under these conditions,
but the most vigorous of them all is the Chinese
Sacred Lily, or " Flower of the Gods," as it is
sometimes called. Lilies of the Valley may also be
easily cultivated from retarded crowns throughout
the year, but as there are many little details
which must be carefully observed, if success is to be
attained, I should advise all those who think of em-
barking in the pretty little hobby of growing bulbs in
bowls to consult some one who makes a speciality
of the business, such as Mr. Barr of King Street,
Co vent Garden, or Messrs. Carter of Holborn, who
both issue printed instructions on the subject.

The successful arrangement of cut flowers in
rooms is often a matter of great difficulty, owing
to the fact that such highly coloured and grotesque
mural decorations are in vogue. Flowers, how-
ever, are so varied and abundant now that with
due care it is possible to obtain something at any

24 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

time of the year which will either harmonise with
or contrast nearly every known colour.

It is of the greatest importance that the flowers
go well with the room in which they are used, and
it is better to have no flowers at all rather than any
which clash. A room may be very beautiful without
flowers, but it will be utterly spoilt if it is decorated
with flowers which interfere with the colour-scheme.

The human eye is much more sensitive than many
people imagine, and, although one's friends cannot
ask to have flowers removed, I can assure you I
have heard many people say that a loud and ill-
chosen floral decoration has made them positively
unhappy for hours, with no chance of escape. In
a chapter which will appear later on, entitled " A
Few Useful Hints," several further pages on Home
Decoration will be found.

HARDY FOLIAGE PLANTS AND FERNS FOR
HOME DECORATION

Aspedistra (green). Draccenas nibra and insignis.

Auricaria excelsa. Arabia Sieboldii.

Cryptomeria. Cyrtomium falcatum (fern).

Nephrolepis exultata (fern).

I have proved conclusively that the above are practically
the only things that will exist in draughty or dark passages

FLORAL DECORATION OF THE HOME 25

and corners. The word exist is used advisedly, as even they
will not live in such positions, but they take some time to die.

PALMS

Kentia Belmoreana is one of the most graceful and reliable
Palms for indoor decoration. They will last for
years if they are given an occasional month's rest
in the conservatory.

Kentia Fosteriana. A hardy brother of the above ; not quite
so graceful but, inhabiting as it does the higher
mountain ranges, it is somewhat more long-suffering
even than Belmoreana.

Phoenixes. All these are very hardy, but the commoner ones,
such as reclinata and dactylifera, are more fit for use
on balconies or terraces than in drawing-rooms.
Phoenix Rupicola and Rubellini will, however, be
found the most charming of all Palms for indoor
use, and they are both almost everlasting if carefully
looked after.

Cocos Jlexuosa. Often called the Bamboo Palm, is most useful
for corners where it is impossible to use a spreading
Palm, but unfortunately it is not very hardy.

Latania Borbonica (or Fan Palm). This is a very handsome
Palm, but it must stand in a nice light position or
the leaves will soon go yellow.

Areca lutescens. A most graceful Palm with a poor constitu-
tion. It should only be used indoors every alter-
nate month. A perfect glutton for water.

Cocos Weddeliana. A queen of Palms in a small state. Will
last many months with proper attention.

Geonoma elegans. Somewhat similar to the above ; if any-
thing a little more hardy.

26 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

FERNS

Of the Ferns, which are now very numerous, the following
will be found best for home decoration :

Asplenmm bulbiferum. Potypodium glaucum.

Pteris serrulata cristata. Nephrolepis (all varieties).

„ Wimsettii. Davallias.

„ cretica major. Adiantum cuneatum (the com-
mon maiden-hair).

„ Summersii. Lomaria Gibba.

„ tremula. Cyrtomium falcatum.

In early spring charming effects can be obtained
by thinning out the branches of apple, pear, almond,
or cherry blossoms and arranging them about the
house. They should be cut just when the buds
are bursting, as they open better in water than on
the tree, and if too advanced they soon drop.

A little later Lilacs make another sweet and
inexpensive change. The best varieties are Souvenir
de Louis Spath, Mile. Marie Legraye, Madame
Casimir Perier, Madame Lemoine, Michel Buchner,
Charles X., and Matthieu de Dombaste.

In the late autumn there is no more beautiful
decorative scheme for a drawing-room or boudoir
than one entirely of autumnal branches of various
sizes and colours, with the addition of a few berries
and fruits of such things as Cape Gooseberry or
Iris fcetidissima.

FLORAL DECORATION OF THE HOME 27

At Colchester valuable prizes are offered for this
style of decorative work, and it has become one of
the leading features of the show, many of the vases
and baskets being so beautiful that the task of
awarding the prizes is always a most difficult one.
I should recommend all secretaries in search of new
classes to give a trial to this section.

A welcome change from flowering plants and
greenery in the house can be obtained by using
highly coloured Crotons, as the colours of some of
them are quite as brilliant as flowers and they
always look rich and noble. Unfortunately they
are rather tender and the leaves will fall off if they
are not given frequent changes to the stove.

The following six are about the most reliable
and are all splendid colours.

Croton Warrenii. Croton Readii.

„ B. Comte. „ Flamingo.

„ Queen Victoria. „ Chelsonii.

IV
THE ROSE

A Rose in the garden slipped her bud
And smiled in the pride of her youthful blood
As she saw the gardener passing by —
" He's old, so old, he soon will die,"

Said the Rose.

And when morning came with sunshine bright
She opened her warm red heart to the light,
And sighed as the gardener passed the bed —
" Why he's older still, he'll soon be dead."

But evening closed with a cold night air

And the petals fell from that rose so fair,

And when morning dawned came the gardener old

And raked them softly under the mould.

And I wove the thing to a random rhyme —
For the Rose is Beauty, the gardener Time.

From memory,

Author unknown,

R. F. FELTON.

ARDENT patriots have been known to cavil at
Richard Cceur de Lion for his adoption of St.

28

THE ROSE 29

George as the patron saint of England. There are
many British saints, they say, who might with equal
propriety have been chosen to preside over the
fortunes of a warrior nation. It is otherwise with
the floral emblem of our land, " the red, all-con-
quering Rose," which we owe to Edward I.

As becomes a monarch who habitually spoke
English (the first of his race to do so), Edward took
for his badge a flower indigenous to British soil,
and symbolic in many ways of England and all that
England stands for.

No floral emblem has played a greater part in
the life of any nation. The Lily ranks next in this
respect, but this flower has long since disappeared
from the blazon of France, and at its best stood
for the monarchy far more than for the people.

Some English Kings wavered for a time in their
fealty to the Rose. Henry IV. favoured the Forget-
me-not, and Henry VII. introduced a Hawthorn
into his device in remembrance of the bush where
the battered crown of Richard III. was found after
Bosworth Field. Public opinion was opposed to
the change, however, and Henry found it advisable
to reinstate the Rose in the royal badge of England,
where it has always since figured.

Edward IV., who, according to Stowe, was " the

30 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

beautifullest prince of his time," received from his
loyal subjects the name of the Rose of Rouen, he
having been born in that town. Edward was a
devotee of the rose, and the first monarch to issue
a coin adorned with the national flower. This was
the gold rose-noble, inscribed with the appropriate
motto, " Rosa sine spina " — A rose without a thorn.
His example was followed by several of his
successors, and the rose-noble of Henry VIII. is
held by many to be the most beautiful of all
English coins.

Although the Rose has since the time of Edward I.
been accepted as the national flower of England,
there has been in our time a determined attempt to
oust it from its place. So recently as on the
occasion of the coronation of His Majesty King
Edward VII. a most strenuous effort was made by
certain people to substitute on that day the Lily for
the Rose, and it was openly stated in many of our
daily papers that the Lily was to be the flower worn
on Coronation Day. Those who were responsible
for this crusade against the Rose alleged that the
Lily of the Valley was Her Majesty Queen
Alexandra's favourite flower, which, by the way,
was not true.

Luckily a few people of very high rank took

THE ROSE 31

the matter up, and a Society was hastily formed
calling itself " The Rose for England Society."
I was invited by them to contribute an article
for publication, and I think it would not be out of
place here to quote the letter to the Press
and Miss How's poem, as they, in conjunction
with many other vigorous Press articles, helped to
defeat the ends of those who wished to displace
the Rose.

A PLEA FOR THE ROSE

" Sweet Rose of Denmark, England's worshipped Queen,
The fairest Rose that ever monarch wore,

I bring to thee a humble sister's plea,

The plea of one who weeps — a Queen no more.

" The Rose, the Shamrock, and the Thistle, we
Were Britain's emblem, in a glorious past ;

And I, the Rose of England, reigned a Queen —
Badge of my country — Royal to the last.

" Must I, then, hang a sad, dishonoured head,
And red with shame, or white with bitter grief,

Bloom in each English garden all in vain,
While my pale rival, folded in her leaf,

" Shall shake her little silver bells in scorn,
Seeming to mock me as I droop discrowned ;

When the June sunshine gilds an Empire's throne,
And all the land is full of joyful sound ?

32 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

" Ah ! bid me sparkle forth in diamond dew
To share the triumph of that glorious hour,

Strewing the pathway of my King and Queen,
The English Rose — the Coronation Flower."

M. How.

DEAR SIR, — I have seen in many papers, and among them
some of the leading " dailies,11 that a vigorous attempt is
being made to establish the Lily of the Valley as the Corona-
tion flower, and I cannot refrain from taking up my pen to
defend the claims of the Queen of flowers, our grand National
Rose.

The bare idea of having to defend it seems to me so pre-
posterous that I feel I ought to apologise to every good
English subject for seriously listening to such an idea as
the substitution of any flower for the Rose at the coronation
of a King of England. Unfortunately, however, the Lily
movement appears to be daily gaining ground, not so much,
I believe, with the people as with the great producers, to
whom I cannot help thinking the matter owes its origin.

Passing over entirely the historical associations of the Rose
with the English Crown, hallowed by centuries, and ignoring
the fact that the Lily was once the royal flower of France,
I will confine myself purely to common-sense reasons why the
Lily should not be adopted.

First of all, it is by no means as English a flower, in its
natural state, as the Rose. Secondly, more than nine- tenths
of the Lilies of everyday commerce are primarily produced
abroad, and are only finished, either by forcing or retarding,
in England. Thirdly, the comparatively few naturally grown
English Lilies of the Valley will be over by the end of June,
unless the season should happen to be a backward one, and
so we should have to fall back on the foreign growers for our

THE ROYAL PAVILION AT A GARDEN-PARTY AT
MARLBOROUGH HOUSE

June 1909

THE ROSE 33

supply, and in that case only those living in towns would
be able to get them at all.

On the other hand, Rose-growing being an immense
industry in the United Kingdom, the supply in June will be
almost inexhaustible ; therefore every man, woman, and child
will be able to wear them, even though they have to go out
and pluck wild ones from the hedgerow.

Yours, &c.,

R, F. FELTON.

The Wars of the Roses no doubt stimulated the
national regard for the Rose, but quite aside from
their use as partisan emblems, many passages in con-
temporary writers go to show that in the Middle
Ages Roses were the most popular flowers in
England. In those days Rose-lovers had to content
themselves with the six native species, for no aliens
had yet reached our shores. The fifteenth century,
however, witnessed the arrival of the Damask Rose
and the Provence Rose, which soon became universal
favourites, and by Shakespeare's time there were
over twenty varieties that could be distinguished
one from another.

Thus about this time we begin to find Roses not
only in the garden, but in the storeroom, the still-
room, and even strewn on the floor in lieu of
carpets.

Old cookery books abound in recipes for preserv-

34 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

ing, compounding, and distilling Roses. Here we
read of "Conserve of Red Roses in the Italian
Manner," " Marise of Roses," and the unpleasantly
named Cynorrhodon, composed of pulped Dog Roses.
Cooks went so far as to prepare a dish consisting
of " the brains of birds and pigs well boiled with
some fragrant Roses pounded in a mortar " — a most
unhallowed mixture. In case of illness recourse
was had to such cordials and medicines as " tincture
of Roses " and " Sweetbrier Rose vinegar."

Every well-equipped household possessed a Rose-
still, and made Rose-water in lavish abundance.
This was used not only for toilet purposes, but also
to flavour all kinds of food, even meat and fish.
Rose-water also formed the basis of a drink beloved
of old-time roysterers, known as Rosa Solis. The
other components were aqua vitse, orange-flower
water, and extract of cinnamon, the whole forming
an insidious and potent mixture, warranted, Dekker
tells us, " to wash the molligrubs out of a moody
brain." We hear of this drink from Pepys, when
one of his boon companions, filled with Rosa Solis,
leaps from a high balcony — "the greatest and
desperatest frolic I did ever see."

The amount of Roses consumed in these various
forms must have been very great, but still there were

THE ROSE 35

enough left to strew the floors in the houses of the
wealthy. In old-time domestic accounts which have
been preserved we find the item " strewing Roses
and herbs " constantly recurring. When there was
a glut of Rose-leaves in the market they could be
purchased for sevenpence or eightpence a bushel,
but as a rule they realised considerably more than
this.

For people who could not afford the luxury of
Rose-strewn floors there was a perfume sold "to
burn on coals to make the house as though full of
Roses."

So we can picture the England of those days as
abounding in Roses.

Under the Commonwealth, however, their popu-
larity received a temporary check. The craze for
Tulips spread from Holland, and was stimulated by
the Puritan prejudice against a flower which figured
largely in the revels of pagan Rome. That patriotic
divine, Thomas Fuller, issued a protest on behalf
of the national emblem. " There is a flower," he
wrote, " a Toolip, which hath engrafted the love
and affection of most people into it. And what is
the Toolip? A well-complexioned stink, an ill
flavour wrapped up in pleasant colours. Yet this
is that which filleth all gardens, hundreds of pounds

36 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

being given for the root thereof, whilst I, the
Rose, am neglected and contemned, and conceived
beneath the honour of noble hands." The fashion,
apparently, did not last long ; for Sorbieres, who
visited England soon after the Restoration, dwells
enthusiastically on the Rose-bedecked gardens
which he found everywhere in Kent.

In the eighteenth century popular appreciation
of Roses began to show itself in a less prosaic form.
They no longer figured as an ingredient of cookery,
and Rosa Solis went out of fashion among drinking
men; but the pot-pourri jar made its appearance,
and was soon to be found in every self-respecting
household.

Other flowers of the garden perish,

Sweet Roses do not so :
Of their sweet death are sweetest odours made.

A delicate fragrance of Roses seems to have
haunted all the primly furnished parlours of the
days of the Georges.

As England extended her dominions the fitness
of the Rose as a national emblem became more and
more apparent. Like the British flag, it is at home
in all parts of the globe. From Central Asia, its
place of origin, it has expanded its paradise of

a «

.—

< H

THE ROSE 37

flowers as far as Abyssinia in one hemisphere and
Mexico in the other. The coldest climate holds no
terrors for a flower which has conquered Green-
land and Kamchatka. Species of Roses are found
even in parts of Iceland, where vegetation is so
scanty that the natives are often driven to feed
their cattle on dried fish, and they bloom on the
polar shores of Hudson Bay and in the snow-
laden districts of Lapland during their all too
short summer.

Few indeed are the British colonies where theRose
does not flourish. It is, however, not indigenous to
Australasia ; but, thanks to extensive importation
from the Mother Country, Roses now grow in pro-
fusion both in Australia and in New Zealand.
Loyal colonists, amid all the luxuriance of their
Southern vegetation, find a large corner for the
flower which recalls the land they hold so dear.

It is fitting that the greatest of modern Empires
should be represented by a flower which has taken
all the world for its province, and is itself the
monarch of flowers. The Rose's claim to this posi-
tion has been asserted by a line of poets ranging
from Sappho to Mrs. Browning.

What's the best thing in the world ?
June Rose, by May-dew impearled.

38 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Neither has the Rose been forgotten in the world
of song ; hence we find, among many more or less
popular airs taking Roses for their theme, " The
Last Rose of Summer," and " She wore a Wreath
of Roses," two songs which will live for ever.

And its very name proves it to be the flower
of flowers par excellence. This name varies but
slightly in any language, and Max Miiller has
shown that its root is to be found in an Aryan
word signifying a flowering shrub, thus marking it
as the flower of the vegetable world, taking rank
above all others. That its name is a symbol of
beauty is also shown by the fact that it has been
conferred on many plants which have no claim to
it. Thus we find the Christmas Rose, the Guelder
Rose, the Alpine Rose, the Water Rose, the Holly
Rose, the Tuberose, and the Primrose, all mas-
querading under false pretences in the world
of flowers.

If any further mark of its popularity were needed
it can be found in the fact that it has been adopted
as a standard colour by all nations and in all busi-
nesses throughout the world. Hence in porcelain
we find " Rose du Barry" and " Rose Pompadour " ;
in silks " vieux rose " and every imaginable shade
of rose is employed in the colour-charts of silk-

THE ROSE 39

weavers. And it has also been for centuries one
of the favourite names for the daughters of
England and all other nations.

France and England have been rivals in Rose-
culture as in many other fields, and in the days
when Josephine formed her peerless garden at
Malmaisons this country was to some extent left
behind in the race. Since then, however, we have
more than regained the lost ground.

During the last twenty years so rapid have been
the strides made by English raisers and growers that
it may be safely said that we are now well ahead
of any other nation in the world, both in the pro-
duction of new varieties and the perfection of their
culture.

I have seen many of the great Rose shows in
France, but although their methods of showing them
are somewhat more ornate and fanciful than our
own, I can say without fear of contradiction that
no other country could possibly get together such
magnificent collections of flowers as are to be seen
annually at the Summer and Autumn Shows of the
National Rose Society of England.

Seeing the great number of flowers that are
annually imported from the South of France to
England, it is comforting to be able to record that

40 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

England now annually exports special varieties of
Roses in huge quantities to Paris, and even Berlin
and Hamburg and other important continental
towns. One English firm alone exported last
year to France and Belgium many hundreds of
Wichurianas in pots, and I sent numbers of them
in full bud to Germany.

We hear from America of the wonders of the
American Beauty and American Roses generally,
but some years ago I had the pleasure of escorting
the leading Rose-grower of America to one of the
great English nurseries at Uxbridge, where Roses are
grown for cutting only, and he was bound to admit
that he had never seen anything half as fine on his
side of the Atlantic.

If any English grower could be sure of getting
the prices that prevail in America for specimen Rose
blooms, I am confident Messrs. Low, of Uxbridge,
Messrs. Rochford,of Rochfordville in Hertfordshire,
and others, would have no difficulty in producing
them, but how many English people are there who
would pay a dollar each for cut Roses in quantity ?
My experience tells me they are very few and
far between. Yet this is the price at which hun-
dreds are sold daily in New York. As I write
I have before me a list of prices from the leading

THE ROSE 41

American horticultural trade paper quoting
American Beauty " specials " at nine dollars per
dozen wholesale.

The French have left their impress on the no-
menclature of the plant ; hence Provence, Noisette,
Damask, and Bourbon are descriptive names of
important sections, and Marechal Niel and Gloire
de Dijon are familiar in our mouths as household
words. To most of us, however, names such as
York and Lancaster, Musk, Sweetbrier, or even
Dog Rose seem better suited to a flower which,
although in one sense a citizen of the world, recalls
England wherever it is met.

BEST VARIETIES FOR DECORATIVE WORK

The stern necessity of cutting down the number
of varieties in the various sections of Roses will be
apparent to every one when they are reminded that,
so long ago as 1830, there were 2300 species and
varieties in existence, and even to-day we find many
growers' catalogues containing somewhere over a
thousand names. If one reads the descriptions in
these lists one finds little help in making a selection,
as they are practically all described as possessing
some special charm.

42 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

It has indeed been a difficult task for me to
reduce their numbers to reasonable and practical
proportions. I have, however, kept steadfastly in
my mind during the course of my work the main
object of this book, and, although I have had to
pass over many old favourites and magnificent
Roses, I feel safe in promising my readers that if
they adopt the varieties which are named, they will
not go far wrong from a decorative and artistic
point of view. I feel that I owe an apology to
hundreds that I have perforce had to leave out, but
those Rose-lovers who miss some of their special
fancies must take it for granted that, as far as lay
in my power, and helped by copious and kindly
advice from many recognised experts, nothing has
been left out without careful thought and un-
prejudiced consideration.

HYBRID TEA ROSES

There is no doubt that this section is by far the
most valuable to those interested in decorative
work, and I therefore reverse the usual order of
things, and place them first in the list.

p*Mme. Abel Chatenay. A true salmon colour, without a
suspicion of blue. I feel justified in saying that I

THE ROSE 43

have had something to do with the great popularity
of this superb rose, as for some years I kept practi-
cally the whole supply of best quality cut flowers
entirely in my own hands, and as this created a
demand from other sources more and more were
grown until every florist can now be supplied. It
is far the best market rose in cultivation.
*Betty. A coppery peach colour with golden enrichment.
In my opinion one of the most beautiful roses in
the world.

p*Lyon Rose. I predict a great future for this lovely rose.
Its colour changes with every stage of its develop-
ment. As a bud it is a deep bronze, and as it
opens the colours baffle description.

Y* Liberty. \ The two best red roses for pot-culture, as with

p* Richmond.} good management they will crop for nine
months in the year.

p*La France. When at its best this is still, in my' opinion,

the best H. T.

*Mme. Ravary. Pale orange yellow. A great favourite for
table decoration.

p*Kaiserin Augusta Victoria. A fine rose both in and out

of doors. Creamy white.
*Mme. Melanie Soupert. A great florist's rose, and a most

fascinating colour.
*Edu Meyer. Rosy red shaded copper.

^Caroline Testout. Although not a good shape, this flower,
owing to its grand habit, is well worth a place in every
garden.

p*1Vhite Killarney. This has to be a fine rose to do all that
is promised of it. I think it is too thin to become
very popular.

?*Lady Ashtown. One of the best all-round roses in existence.

44 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Killarney. This rose I am bound to include although it
is not a favourite of mine. Much better on the
plant than cut.

*Countess of Gosford. A sweetly pretty shade of salmon-
pink.
*Marquis de Sinety. Golden red with a gentle shading of

warm bronze.

* Dorothy Page-Roberts. This is a most chaste and beautiful
colour.

Viscount Folkestone. A blushing white, sometimes much
deeper than others.

William Shean. An enormous true bright pink rose of
splendid quality.

Gustave Regis. Glorious shade of yellow. A perfect bud
for buttonhole work.

Earl of Warwick. Rosy salmon.

Pharisaer. This rose is almost always in flower.

Paul Lede. Not a very good grower, but a splendid rose.

Florence Pemberton. A fine all-round rose.

Joseph Hill. One of the very best when well done. Sal-
mon-pink shaded golden bronze, lovely.

Ecarlate. A brilliant colour for the garden.

Mme. Segond Webber. Salmon faintly shaded rose, but
oftentimes developing a lovely deep rose centre.

Countess of Derby. A good garden rose, very free when
it gets going.

All the varieties enumerated above are so beautiful that
it is difficult to individualise, but those marked * will be the
most useful for all-round purposes.

Those marked p are suitable for growing in pots.

A LIGHT ARRANGEMENT OF ROSES AND FRAN' CO A RAMOSA FOR TABLE CENTRE

THE ROSE 45

A FEW NEWER HYBRID TEA ROSES which have
struck me favourably, and which all large fanciers will be
safe in purchasing at once.

Mrs. David Jardine. A gem of the first water..

Margaret Molyneux.

Lady Pirrie. A wonderful colour.

His Majesty.

George C. Waud. Unique in colouring and one of the

finest of the new ones.

Duchess of Wellington. A marvellous bit of colour.
Mrs. Arthur Munt.

Lady Alice Stanley. A most striking rose, full of quality.
Lady Ursula.
Jonkheer von Mock. New and charming colour.

HYBRID PERPETUALS

Aimee Vibert. *Hugh Dickson.

Alfred Colomb. ?*Mrs. John Laing.

Commandant Felix Faure. *Mme. Gabriel Luizet.

?*Captam Hayward. f*Mrs. Sharman Crawford.

*Commander Jules Graver- *Prince Camille de Rohan,

eaux. Susanne Marie Rodoca-

*Duke of Wellington. nachi.

Duke of Teck. p*Ulrwh Brunner.

Earl of Dujferin. * Victor Hugo.

?*Frau Karl Druschki. Zepherin Drouhin (The

^General Jacqueminot. Thornless Rose).

* A fine representative dozen,
p Are suitable for pot culture.

BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

TEA ROSES

*Awna Olivier.
*Beryl
^Bridesmaid.
Comtesse de Nadaillac.
vGeorge Nabonnand.
* Harry Kirk.
v*Lady Roberts.
*Lena.

Mme. Chedane Guinoisseau.
Mme. Constant Soupert.
Molly Sharman- Crawford.
*Mme. Jules Gravereaux.
Mrs. E. Mawley.
p*Marechal Niel. Under glass
this is the finest tea rose
that has ever been raised.
It seems, however, to be

* A representative collection.

going out of fashion as
a cut flower, but this
is entirely due to the
rage for long, strong-
stemmed varieties.
p*Mme. Hoste.

Meta.

Paula.
v*Sunrise.

Souvenir of Stella Gray.
r*The Bride.

Lady Hillingdon. This
new rose must be
grown by all rose-
lovers. It is a perfect
glowing orange colour,
and a very shapely bud.

p Are suitable for pot culture.

SINGLE ROSES AND BRIERS

*Irish Elegance. One of the most beautiful decorative roses
ever raised.

Irish Glory. 1^ ... , ,.

r . 7 Tr y [- Exquisite productions.
Irish Harmony.)

Lady Curzon. Palest pink — very elegant.
*Mrs. O. G. Orpen. A gem of the first water. If it were a

little less formal it would be perfect.
* Austrian Copper. A colour which creates a perfect glow of

warmth.

Simplicity. A big single white of rare beauty.
*Una. Rosa Moschata alba. Joseph Billiard.

THE ROSE 47

Flora Mclvor. All Lord Penzance's Hybrids are beautiful,
but I consider this and the two named after himself
and Her Ladyship are the best.
Macrantha. A blush pink ; one of the finest singles.
* Juliet. This is one of the most wonderful breaks in colour.
*Lady Penzance.
*Lord Penzance.
^Gottfried Keller.

* These are my particular fancy.

The suitability of the above Roses for floral work
has been very forcibly illustrated at the National
Rose Society's shows, where for some years I have
judged the decorative classes and can therefore
vouch for the fact that ninety per cent, of the
highest awards have fallen to work in which one or
more of them have been employed either alone or
in conjunction with other varieties.

WICHURIANA ROSES

" If anything could make me wish to have a large house
instead of a small one, it would be that I might have a wider
expanse of wall up which to grow clambering Roses.""

ALFRED AUSTIN.

In addition to the charming effects, in every
position in the garden, which all this section gives
us, they have great decorative value when grown in
pots. Their advent has opened artistic possibilities

48 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

which cannot be over-estimated. They are not only
invaluable when grown in a perfectly natural way
but are also most interesting if trained in fantastic
forms. Last season we had airships, windmills,
open umbrellas, elephants, and many other curious
shapes, and we have a great many new and original
designs already made up for coming seasons.

It is a pity that more is not done in England
in the way of training such things as lend them-
selves to the art into classical and fancy designs,
instead of perpetuating balloons, standards, pyra-
mids, and such-like relics of our forefathers. It
really only requires a little more time and patience
and English growers might do worse than emulate
the Japanese in this matter.

Lady Gay.

There is little difference in these
varieties, but I consider Lady Gay the
best of the three. Minnehaha is not

^7 quite so free, but the trusses of flower

Minnehaha. , -, . , , , ,,

are longer and more pointed, and thus

most useful for cutting.

* Crimson Rambler. (Philadelphia is much the better of the

* Philadelphia. I two for pot work.

*Hiawatha. A beautiful red variety, but not so free as

^Delight. (Sweet scented.)

*Delight. This is a grand variety, and every one should have
it in the garden. (Sweet scented.)

* White Dorothy. A welcome arrival.

A LITTLE DIPLOMATIC DINNER-TABLE

Entirely decorated with Wichuriana Rose " Lady Gay.
" Ellen Terry " stand in centre.

THE ROSE 49

*Gardenia. This is decidedly the pick of the yellow Wichu-

rianas.

Jersey Beauty. A soft shade of yellow.
*Fran$ois Jmranvttle. A lovely old rose colour tinged with

salmon.
^Gertrude Rochford. After the style of Canfs Blush, but

more free. It makes a splendid pot plant.
Coquina. This is a great favourite of mine, a soft rosy pink

produced in long and elegantly shaped trusses.
Dorothy Dennison. A blush sport of Dorothy Perkins.
Leontine Gervais. Rosy salmon with a suspicion of golden
yellow.

* These would be my first choice if I had no room for
them all.

ROSES— CLIMBERS

* American Pillar. Mme. Pierre Cochet.

Carmine Pillar. *Tausendschon. In every way
^Canfs Bhish. this is a truly magnifi-

Crimson Rambler. cent rose.

Flower of Fair field. Trier.

Fortunes Yellow. Veilchenblau (Blue rose).

*Gruss an Teplitz. * William Allen Richardson.

*Longworth Rambler. Zephyrine Drouhin.

* These six are as good as any for small collections.

CHINAS, ETC.

Comtesse du Cayla. A perfect little gem. Colour almost
indescribable. A glowing golden bronze about fits it.

Chin Chin. Sulphur-yellow. Is well spoken of by its
raisers, Messrs. Hobbies, whose good word is always
reliable.

50 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Irene Watts. White with a touch of pink.
Laurette Messimy. Rose shading to yellow in the base.
Mme. Eugene Resal. Orange-copper, shaded soft rose.
Queen Mab. One of the most beautiful of the Chinas.
Eugene Beauharnais. A very fine and telling bit of colour.

DWARF POLYANTHA

*Mrs. W.H. Cutbush.}^

„ , _. , These three are much alike in colour,

Baby Dorothy. , . , . . ._. . . ,

„ _ * , which is a bright rose-pink.

Maman Levavasseur. }

^President Toft. A large, brilliant, scented variety.

*Mrs. Taft. A true rose-colour, compact habit, large truss.

*Perle (TOr. Nankin yellow.

Anna Marie de Montravel. \ ™ j ,.,

ATJ' •» . r* • r Iwo good whites.

*Kaiharme Zeimet. }

Jessie. A brilliant bit of rosy crimson.

*Eugenie Lamesch. Soft yellow, shaded carmine ; very beau-
tiful and deliciously sweet.

All these make sweetly pretty little pot roses, and in
groups are most useful for edging.

They are also a welcome change as bedding-plants.
* Six quite distinct varieties of great merit.

MOSS ROSES

Blanche Moreau. The best white moss rose.
Crested Moss. Pinky rose.

GOOD ROSES TO GROW FOR THEIR FOLIAGE

Rubrafolia. Alberic Barbier. Rosa Sinica.

As a great number of our best Roses are not
blessed with good foliage it is well to have a

THE ROSE 51

few quick-growing ones for cutting, as fine sprays
of foliage in table and other decorations are
indispensable.

There is nothing that spoils the line of a Rose-
table so completely as Smilax, Asparagus, or other
trailing foliages or ferns.

ROSE CONTRASTS

Irish Elegance with Comtesse de Nadaillac.

„ „ Earl of Warwick.

„ „ Mme. Jean Dupuy.

„ „ Mme. Abel Chatenay.

„ „ Edu Meyer.

„ „ Una.

Mme. Abel Chatenay with Mme. Ravray.

„ „ „ Francois Juranville.

„ „ „ a few Comtesse du Cayla.

For table decorations these
should be mixed with light

Mrs. John Laing.
La France.
Caroline Testhout.
Mrs. Skarman Crawford. sprays of ^ Gay, Doro-

-,f , T\- ^ r thy Perhms, Minnehaha,

Margaret Dickson. y « , .

„ .j . j or for small tables with

Bridesmaid. ,., ~ . _

^ , . ^ , . in Mrs. Cutbush* Baby Doro-

Zephynne Drouhin, and all

greyish or bluish pinks. "'

Gruss an Teplitz with White Dorothy, using more of the
former.

All the less pronounced reds, such as Captain Hayward
and Suzanne de Rodocanachi, mix well with Delight, which
is one of the best of the Wichurianas for all decorative
purposes.

5« BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Lena with Mme. Ravray.

„ „ Gottfried Keller.
Beryl „ Mme. Ravray.

„ „ Lyon Rose.
Carmine Pillar with Jersey Beauty.
Gustave Regis „ Victor Hugo.
Comtesse du Cayla with Gottfried Keller.
Mrs. O. G. Orpen „ Cants Blush Rambler.
Mme. Ravray „ a few Frau Karl Druscliki.

Fortunes Yellow „ Lord Penzance.
Mme. Hoste „ Lady Ashtown.

Marshal Niel „ Comtesse de Nadaillac.

Hugh Dickson.

Duke of Edinburgh.
Commandant FUix Faure.
Richmond.
Liberty.

All these and any other good reds
will be greatly helped by add-
ing light sprays of Hiawatha.

ROSES WHICH MAKE LOVELY DECORATIONS
BY THEMSELVES

Mme. Abel Chatenay. The foliage of this beautiful rose is
unfortunately not very decorative, so sprays of
Wichurianas, Rubrafolia, Sunset, or any other of
those varieties producing coloured foliage should
be plentifully employed, but on no account use
asparagus or other greenery.

Liberty. The same instructions apply to Liberty, but in this
case pale green, or, if possible, golden foliage, should
be used with very few coloured shoots.

La France with a few extra sprays of its own beautiful pale
green foliage.

Hugh Dickson makes a superb table, but a few small flowers

THE ROSE 53

and buds must be used, as it is such a perfect rose
that if all one size are used, it looks a little stiff.
Frau Karl Druschki. On a hot summer's night there cannot
be a more reposeful and refreshing table than one
of fine open blooms of this gorgeous rose, with a
liberal supply of long sprays of rose foliage, of
varieties such as Rubrafolia or some of the Wichu-
rianas, notably Alberic Barbier.

All the IVichurianas make beautifully light small tables,
but for large ones they must be enriched by a groundwork
of one of the H.P. or H.T. varieties, which matches them, or
gives a strong contrast.

A table decoration, vase, or indeed any arrangement of
Roses should, if possible, be made, not only of one colour,
but of one variety, or the best possible results cannot be
looked for.

By way of example mention might be made of two Roses
which are so much alike that many can scarcely tell one
from the other; they are Richmond and Liberty, yet if
these two are mixed it will be found that the beautiful
outline of both has been lost.

CARNATIONS

As this book is written in a purely decorative
spirit, I am, with profuse apologies to those who
fancy them, passing over the section of Carnations
which are called " true Show varieties " ; but they
are not being altogether ignored, as a goodly
number will appear under the heading of Border
Carnations, for there are many of them, especially
the Selfs and Fancies, which have a high decorative
value. I am glad to note at the large Carnation
shows, and, indeed, at all shows where prizes are
offered for Carnations, that there is a growing
tendency to exhibit them on long stems and
in a natural way. I feel that this very desirable
change in the method of showing them is to some
extent due to a little book which I wrote several
years ago entitled " Carnation Growing for Profit
and Pleasure." This book had an enormous circu-
lation both in England and America, and in it I

54

BORDER CARNATIONS 55

strongly denounced the then existing way in which
flowers were dissected and shown in paper collars
on flat show-boards. Having thus lightly touched
on this section, I will go at once to the Border
Carnations.

BORDER CARNATIONS

My reason for placing this section first in the
chapter on Carnations is that practically every one
who has a garden can grow them ; even those who
have only small gardens, near towns, and in smoky
districts can cultivate them with success, as they
are less affected by polluted atmospheric conditions
than almost any other choice flower which comes
to my mind. In this family we have a range of
artistic colours from palest blush to almost black,
and there are also many beautiful white ones.

They are of easy cultivation, and even in severe
winters require little protection, and none at
all in the western and southern counties. They
thrive, too, quite near the sea, and brilliant displays
of them can be seen in positions where the sea-
spray must blow over them when the wind
is in their direction. If there is any fault
to find with them, it is that they flower so late
in the summer that they are not much good to us

56 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

London florists, as our season is practically over
before they are at their best. If it were not for this
fact they would be immensely popular and useful
for all kinds of decorative work.

Border Carnations flower when the first crop of
roses is on the wane and when floral decorators are
looking for something to fill their place. Thus when
they arrive upon the scene they give just the welcome
change that is wanted. At their time of flowering
there is always a mass of flowers in the herbaceous
garden ; but beautiful as herbs are, there are few of
them which look as choice or elegant as Carnations
when used in large or small vases.

They should always be arranged, if possible, with
a little of their own green, and it is not a bad plan
for those who can afford the space to devote a
corner in the kitchen garden to a little patch of the
common seedlings, which grow very freely and
have much stronger and better foliage than the
choice named varieties. They also produce a great
quantity of buds, which, judiciously used, add greatly
to the artistic and natural effect of vases or bouquets.
Many acres of these common seedlings are cultivated
by the market growers near London for the pur-
pose of mixing not only with Border Carnations,
but with Malmaisons and Perpetual-flowering ones.

BORDER CARNATIONS 57

1 should like, by way of warning, to mention here
that many thousands of these seedlings (quite use-
less from a floral point of view) are purchased and
labelled with fictitious names and offered for sale
by itinerant plant-vendors in our suburbs.

If I were to write many pages about this beauti-
ful flower I could not say too much in its favour.
It is a flower for the rich and the poor alike, and
all lovers of them owe a great debt of gratitude
to Mr. James Douglas and the late Mr. Martin
Smith for their lifelong work among them. The
former might fittingly be called the professional
father of the Border Carnation of to-day, and the
latter, who was a wealthy amateur, devoted many
years of careful study and patient work to his
beloved flowers. In addition to this he spared no
expense, and it is perhaps due to his efforts, more
than to those of all others, that this lovely flower
owes its popularity. It is a pleasing fact that he
left the whole of his collection to his gardener
(Mr. Blick), who is still going on with his magni-
ficent strains.

The list which I append of the best varieties for
decorative work has been, in common with all my
lists, most carefully compiled, and none but the very
finest included. The majority of them — indeed

58 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

nearly all of them — are produced on strong stems,
many of them over two feet long, and they can
therefore be used in a cut state for decorations on
almost any scale of magnitude.

*Lady Hermione. This is one of the finest Border Carnations
ever raised, its colour being rosy salmon and exactly
the shade of " The Leander " Rowing Club's colours.

*Miss Willmott. A perfect shape, but not quite so large as
Cardinal. Very robust.

*Daffodil. Undoubtedly the best yellow.

*Pasquin. A " fancy " of great beauty and fine constitution.

Mandarin.} ™ n f •
,. , \ 1 wo ime fancies.

Linkmom. }

Cardinal. A glorious colour, and a perfectly formed flower.
^Elizabeth Shiffner. This is a revelation in colour, and I
think if I had room for one Carnation only it would
be this.

*Duchess of Wellington. A lovely deep mauvish lavender.
W. H. Parton. Perhaps the most perfect self Carnation from
an exhibitor's point of view that has ever been sent out.
Rony Buchanan. A warmth of colouring difficult to

describe.

*Mrs. George Marshall. The finest crimson I have ever
seen. If a Tree Carnation as good as this could be
raised it would be worth a small fortune.
Benbow. Still worth a place in all collections.
*Mrs. Robert Morton. A rich warm apricot colour.

Ivo Sebright. A charming and unique fancy.
* Ellen Douglas. A sweetly pretty pale lilac, tinged with grey.
* Helen Countess of Radnor. A gigantic flower but a little
coarse.

BORDER CARNATIONS 59

Liberte. An- enormous flower, perhaps the most striking
fancy in cultivation.

Royal Scarlet.

Gloriosa. A new variety with a big reputation.

Mrs. Walter Heriot. A yellow ground Picotee.
*Sir Galahad. Perhaps the best white.

White Lady. A very fine white.

Father CPFlynn. Golden yellow, edged bright scarlet.

Solfaterra. A beautifully formed yellow flower.

Uriah Pike. This old favourite is still well worth growing
owing to its free habit and great cropping qualities.
To get the best results it should be disbudded, as it
is so free that if all the buds are left on, the stem
becomes very weak. This variety was offered to me
twenty years ago for ^15, but having no money then
I was obliged to refuse it. Two years afterwards the
stock changed hands for over =£3 00.

* These form a useful collection for growers who have no
room for more.

CONTRASTS

Lady Hermione is a very independent sort of colour, and
although so beautiful itself has a tendency to kill
aD colours with which it comes in contact. It,
however, gives a strong and lovely contrast when
mixed with deep crimsons such as Mrs. George
Marshall, Uriah Pike, or Countess of Radnor.

Daffodil with Duchess of Wellington in about equal pro-
portions.

Solfaterra with Ellen Douglas, using the former somewhat
sparingly and as a base.

60 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Rony Buchanan with Pasquin.

Elizabeth Shiffner with Duchess of Wellington.

Miss Willmott, Cardinal, and Royal Scarlet must be used
alone, and never in rooms where the decorations are
pink, salmon, yellow, old rose, or crimson. They
are very effective in white, dark and pale green, or
brown rooms, but are seen at their best in new or
old oak-panelled rooms, and should always be placed
as near the background as possible.

Elizabeth Shiffher with a few Benbow.

Elizabeth Shiffner with Mrs. George Marshall and a
few Daffodil would make a superb table decora-
tion.

Practically all the fancies go well together, as they are
not aggressive in colour, and are specially useful for small
vases in the drawing-room or boudoir.

PERPETUAL-FLOWERING
CARNATIONS

There is no doubt that this flower, the cultiva-
tion and perfection of which has made such rapid
strides during the last ten years, is destined to occupy
the highest place in the list of decorative flowers.
Its merits require no writing up from me, as they
are already well known to every lover of flowers.
Unlike the Border Carnations, these beautiful flowers
are with us the whole year round, and it is diffi-
cult to imagine what we should do without them

PERPETUAL-FLOWERING CARNATIONS 61

throughout the long whiter months when Chrysan-
themums are practically the only long-stemmed
flowers that we have with us.

In the plant before our notice we have one
which, with proper treatment, and under almost
natural conditions, gives us a steady supply of
its lovely flowers, on long graceful stems, and
comprising nearly all the desirable shades hi
the colour-chart. It fills our houses with frag-
rance, and for many months in the year it practi-
cally displaces the Rose, the hitherto unassailable
Queen of Flowers. It has a few faults, but these
are being rapidly overcome, and as a member
of the Floral Committee of the Society which has
for its object the betterment of this flower, I am
able to say that although the present standard
is a high one, there will be still more beautiful
varieties coming along during the next few years,
and it is gratifying to note that a great number of
them are British-raised, as until about three years
ago we were practically reliant on American raisers
for all the best novelties in this section.

A great point in its favour, indeed perhaps the
most important of all, is that it lasts much longer
in water than most flowers, and in addition to this
it is most patient when used out of water, as its

62 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

petals do not fall neither do they easily bruise; thus
it is one of the safest flowers for bouquets, sprays,
buttonholes or personal adornment of any kind.
For long journeys to the provinces or abroad it
stands alone, and as an illustration of this fact
I recall with satisfaction an order I had last year
to send a large supply of flowers three times weekly
to a client of mine in Venice, for on her return she
told me that the Carnations always reached her in
perfect condition and lasted many days after their
arrival. I have also sent them to Davos Platz
and St. Moritz (both three days parcel post) in
the depth of winter with the same satisfactory
result.

Some thirty years ago, when I first became
interested in Floriculture generally and the
arrangement of flowers in particular, we had,
I believe, only two Winter-flowering Carnations,
namely, Miss Jolliffe and La Belle, but owing to
their having stems, under the most favourable condi-
tions, less than twelve inches long, we never thought
of using them for anything but quite small work.
We are now able to carry out the entire decoration
of large country or London mansions with various
colour- schemes in Carnations, and it is no uncommon
thing to use many thousands of them, with stems

PERPETUAL-FLOWERING CARNATIONS 63

from two to three feet long, in one single order.
Speaking personally, I am certain that I now employ
thousands of them where fifteen years ago I used
only dozens.

My readers will have gathered from my remarks
on general floral art that one of my rules is never
to use more than two kinds of flowers together,
and where possible only one, but this rule may
be entirely departed from where Carnations
are concerned, as they mingle admirably with
a great number of light and even fairly heavy
flowers, such as Lilies of the Valley, white or
coloured Lilac, Tuberoses on stems, Lilium lanci-
folium, album, and rubrum, Gypsophila, Heucheras,
Francoar amosa, Humea elegans, small varieties of
white and pale mauve Michaelmas Daisies, Roman
Hyacinth, or even small flowers of white Chrysan-
themums. They are also very lovely when used
with small branches of Primus trilobus or Peach
Blossom. The reason for this exception will be
quite clear to you when you come to consider that
Carnations are practically round and are fairly
uniform in size. Now every one knows that it is
utterly impossible to get really good decorative lines
out of a number of things which are all the same
shape and size ; it must also be remembered that

64 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

to obtain good flowers of these Carnations all side
buds have to be taken off, which accentuates the
roundness of the flower and the nakedness of the
stem, and I therefore strongly recommend all who
wish to get the best decorative effect out of Carna-
tions to judiciously arrange light flowers with
them. Their effect also is considerably enhanced
by using a few long pieces of pale Asparagus
plumosus or Sprengerii with them; there is,
however, nothing that goes better with them than
their own foliage, but long growths of this are
difficult to get without cutting your plant about
severely.

Being well aware that this book will be read
by many who know as much about Perpetual-
flowering Carnations as I do, it is with some trepi-
dation that I append a list of the best varieties in
commerce, but I feel confident, owing to the great
care that has been taken in selection, both amateurs
and professionals, who adopt the list, will have
a thoroughly representative collection which will
not be out of date for many years to come. The
list is compiled, not only from notes which have
been taken for some years past at the various leading
Carnation Shows, but from observations and com-
parisons I have been able to make in the course

A COURT BOUQUET
Made for Her Majesty Queen Alexandra.

PERPETUAL-FLOWERING CARNATIONS 65

of my work on the Committee of the Perpetual-
flowering Carnation Society.

** Mayday. This lovely Carnation has an assured future before
it, and I have no hesitation in saying that from
every point of view it is one of the finest novelties we
have had for some years. It will, without doubt, take
the place of at least three old favourites.

** Enchantress and its Sports. These are too well known to
need description ; they all have serious faults in stem
and calyx, but we cannot do without them yet.

**Fair MM. I think I was the first to see the great artistic
beauty of this variety. It is still one of my greatest
favourites for making up. It is a wonderful stayer,
always holds its head up, and as the Rev. G. H.
Englehart of Daffodil fame once said to me at one
of the Regent's Park Shows, it has the finest profile
of any of them.

*Mrs. H. Burnett. It is a pity that this lovely variety does
not do as well in England as in Guernsey. It is a
glorious Carnation as shown by the raiser, Mr.
Burnett, and the Guernsey men.

* Winsor. One of the most useful of all. It is a pity the

stems are not a little longer.

*Pink Delight. A perfect little Carnation, has all the good
points except size. It is a lovely fleshy pink
shade.

Mrs. T. W. Lawson. There is still a place for this old
favourite, but I do not think it will hold it much
longer.

* Aristocrat. When this grand variety is done well it is far

and away the finest of its colour. It has a perfect
calyx, splendid shape, good long stem, and it is a

66 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

brilliant colour, which becomes even more brilliant
under artificial light.

Afterglow. Some growers speak well of this variety, but
I am not a lover of it myself, the colour being a
little harsh.

**Carola. A gigantic flower. When I first saw this variety
I was inclined to think it a little coarse, but having
now used it in great quantities I have no hesitation
in pronouncing it to be one of the greatest acquisi-
tions in its colour that we have ever seen.
*Beacon. A brilliant tone of colour, perhaps the most
beautiful colour of all the scarlets, but it is not
reliable in the winter.
**Britannia. Still the best scarlet for all-round purposes.

Robert Cragg. A broken-edged variety of great merit.

The finest vase of Perpetuals I ever judged was a

thirty-six of this variety shown by a well-known

Guernsey grower. Colour vivid scarlet.

** Mikado. \ These varieties are great favourites

Countess of Onslow. J with a certain section of ladies,
and I must admit that they are very helpful to
florists having clients who want something out of
the common. I do not like them alone, but
they make lovely contrasts. (See my lists of
contrasts.)

Mrs. Taton. A lovely Carnation in the way of Marmion,

smaller and, in my opinion, more refined.
** White Perfection.} By far the two best whites in com-

Sarah Httl. J merce. The latter has a heavily
serrated edge which adds to its beauty and character.
*Fortuna. A lovely biscuit buff. No collection is com-
plete without it, and it is a great favourite of
mine.

PERPETUAL-FLOWERING CARNATIONS 67

*Marmion. A most malmaisonish Perpetual. Some growers
catalogue it with Malmaisons, which is not fair to
the raiser who gives its pedigree ; moreover, it flowers
on every growth throughout the year, and not in
one crop as a true Malmaison does.

^President. A most reliable and useful crimson.

*Rose Dore. A beautiful bit of colour as it was shown by
the raisers, Messrs. Dodd and Lancashire, but the
English growers seem to lose the golden terra-cotta
colour, and get it almost red.

John W. Riley. A yellow Perpetual which will be warmly
welcomed if it is all that is claimed for it. I have
seen three poor blooms, but after a journey in cold
storage from America they did not convey much to
me except that the colour was good.
Jessica. A pretty fancy which should be in all collections.

*Ceres. A very lovely fancy, but not of great value to

florists ; no collection, however, should be without it.

Lady Nora Brassey.} These are very useful breaks in

* Royal Purple. j colour, and have many artistic possi-

bilities. When good yellow Borders such as Cecilia
or Daffodil are procurable what lovely vases or table
decorations could be made by using them with either
of these purple ones.

Rival. A large free -pe tailed, broken-edged variety of
Rose Dore colour. Mr. Allwood, one of our keenest
experts and raisers, thinks very highly of this variety,
and his opinions are not formed hastily.

* These form a perfectly representative collection, up to
date, 1910.

** I strongly advise amateurs who cannot give Perpetual-
flowering Carnations a house to themselves not to grow many

68 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

varieties, and I have therefore placed a double asterisk
against those which I think are specially suitable for small
collections.

LIST OF NEW VARIETIES WHICH ARE
NOW ON TRIAL

Roseate Dawn. A glorious shade of old rose.

Mrs. O. P. Bassett. A bright scarlet with deeply serrated edge.

Bay State. No better than Jessica.

Wanoka. I think nothing of this variety so far.

British Queen. We shall hear more of this lovely variety.

Mrs. Charles Knopf. Not so good as we all expected.

Alvina. Supposed to be better than Aristocrat, very free.

Rex. This variety was named after my little son, it is a
very pretty colour, and a good-shaped flower,
wonderfully free and has the great charm of being
self-supporting. It shows strong evidence of Fair
Maid blood.

Mary Vilven. I saw this shown very well at Cardiff', but
have not seen it so good since. It gained an Award
of Merit at the last Show of the Perpetual-flower-
ing Carnation Society, which stamps it as a sterling
novelty.

Vinca. This is almost a petunia colour and is a distinct
acquisition.

NOVELTIES FOR 1911.

R. F. Felton. This is a new and beautiful shade of pure
rose-pink and the largest true Perpetual. It has
lovely outer petals which are but slightly serrated.
Award of Merit, R.H.S., March 22, 1910.

Mrs. C. F. Raphael. A lovely shade of salmon -red.

FLORAL HARP

PERPETUAL-FLOWERING CARNATIONS 69

A FEW EFFECTIVE CONTRASTS

Mrs. H. Burnett and Mikado, when the latter has the

lovely pink shade running through it, produce one

of the most aesthetic contrasts.

Mikado and Fortuna form one of my favourite combinations.
Enchantress and Mikado, when the mauvish grey colour

predominates in the latter.
Royal Purple and John W. RUey make a bold contrast,

using the former colour as a base.
A few Harlowarden, or President, with long Fair Maid

standing well away from them.
Enchantress being rather a heavy flower, and not always a

good colour, it looks much lighter in a vase with a

few good-coloured Fair Maids standing a little

above it.
Fine flowers of Aristocrat with Carola give a striking effect,

but both varieties must be at their best as far as

colour is concerned.
Royal Purple or Lady Nora Brassey go splendidly with

Enchantress, Fair Maid, or Mayday.
Carola (about one-third) and (two-thirds) Mrs. H. Burnett,

Fair Maid, or good-coloured Enchantress give a lovely

contrast.
Mrs. J. W. iMwson is not an easy one to contrast, but

I find it goes fairly well by artificial light with

its sport, Winsor, using one- third only of the

former.
Marmion and Sarah Mill, or White Perfection, make the

most handsome table decoration it is possible to

imagine.
May Day contrasts perfectly with a new variety of Mr.

Englemann's named Vmca, and also with Royal

70 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Purple, using May Day in the proportion of two-
thirds, and arranging them to stand above the
darker varieties.

Scarlets can be mixed with nothing but whites, and I do
not advise even that, as they look better alone.

When using two or three varieties in one vase it is
advisable to avoid, when it is possible, using broken-edged
and smooth-edged varieties together. They are quite
distinct in type and generally of different parentage, conse-
quently they never go well together.

This article on Perpetual-flowering Carnations
is to some extent similar to one which I have
recently written for the 1910 Year Book of the
Perpetual-flowering Carnation Society, which book
is now in circulation.

SUGGESTIONS TO CARNATION EXHIBITORS

In arranging groups for exhibition take care that
salmon-pink and blue-pink are used as far away
from one another as possible.

Use scarlets sparingly, and always at each end
of the group, and always introduce a few white
or blush varieties to separate the scarlets from the
other colours.

Never make a variety too prominent, as it always
spoils the general effect of the group.

MALMAISON CARNATIONS 71

Exhibitors cannot be excused for disregarding
this suggestion, even if they have a fine thing
which they wish to make much of, as if the
variety is any good it will tell its own tale in the
group without being pushed into prominence.

MALMAISON CARNATIONS

This type, in spite of all that may be said to the
contrary in growers' catalogues, is a flower for the
richer classes only, as to obtain the best results
you must devote a house entirely to their cultiva-
tion. They will not even succeed with Perpetual-
flowering Carnations, as the proper whiter treat-
ment of these would be fatal to Malmaisons — add
to this fact that a good man must be employed to
grow them, an ordinary all-round gardener knowing
little or nothing about them, and it must be
admitted that it is the Carnation de luxe.

Once upon a time they could be grown in large
quantities for profit, but owing to the great progress
which has been made in Perpetual-flowering Car-
nations I should not now care to recommend
any one to start growing them with this object in
view.

Having for twenty years been in close touch

72 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

with many of the largest growers of Malmaisons in
the country, and as I have always made this flower
a special study, I venture to offer here a few cultural
instructions, the observance of which is so positively
necessary that unless you are prepared to carry
them out, pretty much to the letter, you had
better turn your attention to something else.

First of all, as I said before, a house with top
and side ventilation must be given them. Next, a
clean stock must be secured.

Let us now assume that by the third week
in August, or earlier if possible, you have 100 well-
rooted plants in " 60 '' pots.

Directly their roots get through to the side of
the pot they must go into " 32's," their first flower-
ing pot, but as they will have no further change
until they have flowered, great care must be taken
that the soil is a perfectly sweet mixture of two-
thirds old fibry loam, one-sixth leaf-mould, one-
sixth silver or grit sand and broken charcoal, or
bonfire refuse if procurable.

If there is any fear of wireworm, it would be
advisable to burn the leaf-mould, or if possible, all
the soil, as this deadly pest is almost unassailable
if it gets well established in the pots.

These plants will carry one fine bloom the follow-

MALMAISON CARNATIONS 73

ing season, care being taken to disbud all others
directly they appear. They will also make from
six to ten growths for next season.

Immediately the flower has been cut or is over,
fifty of the worst-shaped plants should be layered,
and the other fifty should at once be put into
No. 16 pots to grow on for two-year-olds, at which
age they are at their best.

The stock is now well established, as in the
second year you should flower fifty fine plants,
carrying from six to ten blooms each, and 300
yearlings. When these have flowered, the two-
year-olds will produce as many layers as you can
possibly want (quite twenty-five each), so you
will be able, in your third year, to flower 300
plants in No. 16 pots and all the yearlings you
require.

It is now very necessary to introduce new
blood into your strain every year, and that can
be readily done, if your stock is clean, by inviting
from another grower (taking care that his stock is
clean too), the exchange of, say, 100 rooted layers
annually.

One of the greatest mistakes that amateurs make
is to try and push Malmaisons along in the winter.
The proper thing to do is to get all the strong

74 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

growth that you possibly can into them by
November, and then leave them almost alone till
the middle or end of January, according to season.
Keep them and the house on the dry side, giving
plenty of air on all bright days, and if you have a
flow and return pipe, give the house just enough heat
to prevent the damp hanging about, but do not leave
the heat on when not really necessary. During this
period the pots will be quietly filling with roots, and
when the days begin to draw out the plants will
grow like weeds.

When the flowering stems are well up and the
buds are beginning to swell, but never before, a
little judicious feeding with liquid sheep manure
will be found very beneficial. Ordinary plant-foods
are too strong and are risky. The house should
be shaded when the flowers are bursting or
they will become very pale before they are fully
developed.

For table decorations, unless the table is a very
large one, Malmaisons are too heavy to use alone,
and are greatly improved by the addition of an
equal number of Tree Carnations, and I give below
a few good varieties to go with them.

Princess of Wales with Fair Maid, Mrs. M. Burnett, or
Winsor.

MALMAISON CARNATIONS 75

Sir Charles Fremantle, Mrs. Trelaivney, or Sault, with

Rose Dore or Rival.
Calypso with May Day or Enchantress.
King Oscar, Maggie Hodgson, or H. J. Jones, with

President or Harlowarden.
Juliette with Aristocrat or Afterglow.
Prime Minister with Britannia or any of the good scarlet s.
AW Gwynne with Sarah Hill or JFftife Perfection.

MALMAISONS

*vLady Mary Hope. (New).
The Colonel. (New).

* Maggie Nettlefald.

*DC. P. Little. A fine yellow.

* Sunset.

* Duchess of Westminster. Small but very free. One of

the best in the Winter.

Juliette. A lovely new colour in Malmaisons.
*nKing Oscar. Magnificent ; flower, deep crimson.
vSault. Deep salmon with a tinge of rose.

Lady Grimston.
*vMaggie Hodgson. A large flower of the same colour as

the old Clove.
Mercia. Salmon-red.
Mrs. Trelawney.

*DNell Gwynne. The White Malmaison.
*i>Princess of Wales. This old favourite still holds premier
place, and owing to its charming and unaggressive
colour it will probably be a long time before it is
superseded.

*nSir Charles Fremantle. A magnificent Malmaison when
well done.

76 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

*i>Catypso. A lovely flower when fully out.

H. J. Jones. A good quality crimson.
*vMrs. Martin Smith. A gigantic flower, but not free, and

somewhat difficult to finish off.
Prime Minister. About the best true scarlet.
* Duchess of Westminster. A truly lovely little Malmaison,
perfect form, soft rose pink, one of the best for
winter work.

* If these magnificent Carnations are grown for pleasure
only, and room is no object, nearly all the varieties now
before the public are worth a place in a collection, but if
space is limited, you will find these varieties are the best,
as they are all good doers and fairly represent the type.

D Those who use them only for decorative purposes or
wear will find these varieties most useful.

Before closing the chapter on Carnations I should
like to say a few words about the wonderful varieties
of every conceivable hue which one sees in the South
of France.

Nearly all our growers have given them a more
or less exhaustive trial and find that they do not
enjoy themselves in our English climate. The
majority of them have poor stems and are very
subject to split, which are the worst faults a
Carnation can possibly have.

They have also been tried as parent plants with
American and English Carnations, but with little
success.

TREATMENT OF A HEAVY GEORGIAN FIREPLACE

MALMAISON CARNATIONS 77

I draw attention to this as many of my clients
and friends when travelling in the South have
spent large sums on plants, but have always, as
far as I can gather, been sadly disappointed with
the results.

VI
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM

It fills with joy the floral breach

Twixt waning summer and welcome spring.

THE Chrysanthemum is generally supposed to have
originated in Japan, but floral historians tell us that
this is not so, as it was known in China, in a more
or less cultivated form, hundreds of years before
the Japanese imported it from there.

So far as the available records go it would appear
that the earliest reference to the popular winter
flower is to be found in the works of the great
Chinese philosopher Confucius, who lived about 500
B.C. In his work called the " Li-Ki " (Ninth Moon)
he says, " The Chrysanthemum has its yellow glory,"
and in subsequent years other Chinese writers have
alluded to it in terms which justify our assuming
that the flower was the object of considerable atten-
tion in theCelestial Empire when we Western people
had not yet emerged from a semi-barbaric state.

78

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 79

After centuries of cultivation in China the
Chrysanthemum appears to have been introduced
into Japan. Its conventionalised form, or what is
known as the Kiku-mon, Kiku being the Japanese
name for the flower, has long been adopted as
the crest and official seal of the Emperor and is
found on the stamps and coinage of Japan in
its sixteen-petalled form. It is also the emblem
of the most exalted order in Japan, a decora-
tion that is conferred chiefly upon royal persons
as a mark of the Imperial favour, our own King
Edward VII. being one of the holders of the
order.

The annual Crysanthemum fete held in the
Imperial Gardens at Tokio is known the wide
world over, and one of the finest and most descrip-
tive accounts of it was given some years ago by the
celebrated French author, Pierre Loti. This fete
is annually held on the birthday of the Emperor,
and to it are invited the native aristocracy and
other distinguished members of the Court and the
members of the Diplomatic Service. Upon the card
of invitation there appears the Kiku-mon stamped
in gold, and the border of the card is composed of a
garland of the flowers and foliage in gold. This
great fete was instituted by the Emperor Ouda

80 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

about A.D. 900, and has been held ever since with
unfailing regularity.

Even among the common people the Chrysan-
theum is a very popular subject of admiration, and
there are many shows held during the month of
November, those held at Dango-Sako being of
particularly great repute, for at that centre there are
many florists who have for generations maintained
the reputation of the place in this respect. Of the
five leading floral festivals held annually in Japan
that devoted to the Chrysanthemum is by no
means the least important.

A very old friend of mine, however, a Japanese
florist, tells me that in Japan the Chrysanthemum
is not looked upon as the national flower, indeed
he assures me that they have no accepted floral
emblem, but that if he had to give an opinion as to
which was Japan's most beloved flower, he should
give his verdict either to the Wistaria or the Lily
(Lilium auratum, the golden-rayed Lily of Japan).
Some colour is lent to his view by the fact that,
when I was commissioned by the Japanese Lega-
tion to carry out the floral decorations at the
great diplomatic reception given to H.H. Prince
Nashimoto of Japan, when visiting England, I was
asked to carry out the scheme entirely in Roses,

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 81

Lilies, and Wistaria, as they wished in this way
to mark the friendliness of the nations. At the
time that the reception took place it was utterly
impossible to procure Wistaria, so artificial flowers
had to be resorted to.

In the several illustrations in this book of the
reception you will see the Wistaria, but as the
flowers and foliage were so faithfully imitated,
I venture to think that few would have noticed that
they were not real if it had not been pointed out,
indeed many of those present thought it was real
and marvelled at its beauty. Naturally the decep-
tion was carried out as far as possible by employing
very little of it and by breaking it up with masses
of climbing roses, and of course always using it well
above the line of sight.

These wonderfully artistic reproductions were
made for me in Yokohama, the flowers being of
silk and each pip painted by hand. The length
of the flower sprays varied from 1 to 4j feet, which,
to those who only know Wistaria in England,
appears somewhat exaggerated, but in Japan 4|- feet
is considered a very poor specimen, as when grown
over water the flowers often attain the almost in-
credible length of 12 feet, I have heard even longer,
but 12 feet is as long as I should like to vouch for.

82 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

But I am wandering from my subject, the
beautiful and robust Child of the East, which fills
such a great niche in the Temple of Flora during the
long dreary winter months. As the rose is called
the Queen of Flowers, so should the Chrysanthemum
be called the Floral Queen of Winter.

Just try and imagine what an English winter
would be, from a floral point of view, without
Chrysanthemums. They first brighten our gardens
and herbaceous borders in early autumn, but I for
one, and I am not alone, do not love them at this
time of the year, as there are many dear old garden
friends which are neglected, if not altogether ousted
by them ; moreover the glut of these early flowering
varieties tends to lessen our true appreciation
of the real winter crop and lengthens the season,
not only unnecessarily, but at the wrong end. It
is to the January and February flowering varieties
that all Chrysanthemum growers should turn
their attention, as in these months there is real
need of them, whereas in August we have in great
abundance flowers too numerous to name.

Next come the late autumn varieties, which
are more acceptable and seasonable, as in a mild
autumn they give much joy well into November
to those who have no greenhouse ; and then when

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 83

the frost cuts off all these, and indeed every
beautiful thing that still lingers in the garden,
robbing us in one night of all flowers and even
stripping the bronze and golden garments off our
deciduous trees, the early, middle, and late winter
varieties carry us, with a little care and slight pro-
tection, over a time when, but for them, we should
be almost flowerless.

The Chrysanthemum not only thrives under our
best English climatic conditions, but it defies our
worst, which is saying something.

It is one of the few winter flowers that can be
successfully grown in the very heart of great and
smoky cities ; and speaking of this reminds me of
the Chrysanthemum League shows which were
held at the Royal Horticultural Hall a few years
ago. These shows were instituted with the object
of encouraging the love of flowers in the children
of London's poorest quarters and slums.

The proprietors of the Evening News, under
whose auspices they were held, appointed me one of
the judges, and when I saw the little ones arriving
with the plants, which had been distributed to them
without charge in the spring, I was amazed at the
clean and healthy condition of the majority of them ;
some of the poor little fellows had grown them in

84 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

chocolate or herring boxes, as they had outgrown
the pots which were supplied with the plants, and
many of the specimens bore over twenty flowers.
During the whole of my judging experience I have
never seen such real joy as that which beamed
in the faces of the little prize-winners.

But apart from the great artistic merits of the
Chrysanthemum there is another and perhaps even
more important side of the question, and that is its
industrial value. It is one of the few flowers which
defies all foreign competition, and instead of im-
porting it, as we do nearly all other winter flowers,
the one before our notice is annually exported in
great quantities from England to Paris and other
continental cities. No country in the world grows
them as well as we do, and it is impossible to
estimate the number of flowers which are grown
within twenty miles of the Metropolis. I know
that I am well within the mark when I say
there are five hundred acres of greenhouses de-
voted to their culture. This gives healthy and
lucrative employment to a large number of
growers, bunchers, and packers, and in its progress
helps innumerable other trades, such as potters,
box-makers, and carters — all genuine English
industries.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 85

There is no kind of floral decoration for which
the Chrysanthemum, in one form or another, is
not perfectly suited, as the flowers range in size
from the tiny " Snowdrop" no bigger than a
bachelor's button, to those gigantic blooms on
stems a yard long and measuring fifteen to even
eighteen inches in diameter. It gives to decora-
tive florists the most perfectly graduated and
invaluable range of yellow, bronze, copper, chest-
nut, terra-cotta, and brown shades ; we also get
from it the purest whites, and every conceivable
hue of lilac, mauve, grey, crimson, claret, and rose.
Many of them, by the way, are described in cata-
logues as " pink," but it has never yet fallen to my
lot to see a true pink Chrysanthemum. However,
the term has been so long in use that custom has
sanctioned the error ; indeed, I often find myself
thus describing it, notwithstanding the fact that I
know it to be incorrect.

BEST DECORATIVE CHRYSANTHEMUMS

The decorative section is placed first on my
list, as they are really more important from a
florist's point of view than all the rest put together.
Those with an asterisk are probably the best in

86 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

their respective classes ; those marked p are speci-
ally suitable for growing as pot plants.

EARLY VARIETIES

* White Countess.
*Mrs. Arthur Beech.
•p*Le Pactole.
^Source d'Or (improved).
Roi des Blancs.
*Lentz.

<*

Etoile blanche.
Market Red.

Y*Soleil d'Octobre and its sports.
Lizzie Adcock.
*Nellie Blake.
^Kathleen Thompson.

p*All the sports of Caprice du Printemps are good, but
I consider Kathleen Thompson, Greening's Pink
Caprice, now named Mrs. Greening, and Surprise
the most desirable.
Mrs. J. W. Scott.
pMrs. Wingjield.

MAIN AND MIDCROP VARIETIES

r*Felton>s Favourite. Raised by Mr. Norman Davis, sent out
by Mr. Frank Ladds. Undoubtedly the most useful
white Chrysanthemum in existence — good dis-
budded, a fine one on sprays, lifts well, perfect stem
and foliage, a prolific flowerer, and makes a fine pot
variety.

p* Phosphorescence (new). A perfect chestnut-bronze.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 87

*David Ingamells. A grand novelty, and one that has

come to stay.
* Madame Edmond Roger. The green Chrysanthemum,

invaluable for arranging with all colours, but not so

good alone.
*Rayonnante. One of my favourites for table and every

other kind of decoration.
*Mrs. A. T. Miller : A grand white.
A. J. Balfour.
f*Mrs. R. F. Felton. Crushed strawberry colour, a great

favourite with artistic people.
pFreda Bedford. A pale chestnut colour.
Mrs. W. Roots.
*Mrs. R. Luxford.
* Tuxedo.
pMrs. Wakefield. Crushed strawberry colour, occasionally

with bronze and golden splashes.
*Captain Julyan. A lovely sulphur yellow.
pLe Peyrou.
^Buttercup. I consider this the most perfect shaped

Chrysanthemum in commerce.
*Dazzler. A brilliant red, one of the best for a white

or pale coloured drawing-room, but dangerous where

mauve or scarlet exist.

rCullingfordii. An old favourite but still one of the best.
Mdtte. Gabrielle Debrie. Fine on sprays but not so

good disbudded.
pMrs. W. Hubert. A lovely shade of rosy lilac, but rather

small.

LATE VARIETIES

p*R. F. Felton. The most dazzling golden kingcup colour,
a splendid doer. It can also be grown as a main-
cropper.

88 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

p*Framfield Pink. The finest late and midcrop variety

in existence,
p* Winter Cheer. A deep sport from the above.

darkens Golden Thompson.
*CannelTs Late Prolific, or Mrs. Buckbee.
^December Gold.

*Allmaris Yellow. Best on sprays.
Polypheme and Nagoya. Two fine late yellows.
*Mdlle. T. Panckoucke. The best late white ever sent

out.

*H. W. Rieman.

Miss Maude Jeffries. A grand white.
Joseph Lowers No. 3 Pink. A lovely colour and lasts as

long in water as any Chrysanthemum I know.
v* Thorpe* s Christmas Rose.
*Miss Muriel Smith. This is an exquisite bit of colour —

old rose predominating.

*Baldock's Crimson. One of the best late crimsons.
Christmas Gift. Something after the colour of Mrs.

Cragg.
Foxhunter. Highly spoken of by its raiser, who is a sound

judge of a good thing.
Hetty Wells. A most charming colour and a very great

fancy of mine for cutting.
p*Heston White. A white sport from Framfield Pink.

Lord Brooke. An old favourite.

^Princess Victoria and its yellow and pink sports, the best
yellow sport being Golden Sunset, which is a superb
shade.

*W. J. Crossley. Bronzy red with golden tips, the latest of
its colour.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 89

SINGLE VARIETIES

There is no doubt that these are deservedly
becoming greater favourites every year.

They are not only most decorative by them-
selves, but they add lightness and effect to all
arrangements of the double ones.

For the last three years all the principal awards
for table decorations at the National Chrysanthe-
mum Show have been given to tables on which
single Chrysanthemums were either used exclusively
or in some proportion. This also applies to all the
other decorative exhibits.

Their increased popularity is to a great extent
due to the fact that the varieties in cultivation now
are so much better than they were a few years ago.
It is a matter for regret, however, that there are still
a great number in cultivation which should have
been thrown away years ago, and I know no flower
of which it is more difficult for beginners to make
a successful selection than the single Chrysanthe-
mum ; nearly all of them have a fault of some kind ;
either the stem is hard and the flower cannot, when
cut, take up sufficient water to keep it alive, or the
neck is weak, causing it to droop over and strangle
itself, or the foliage is too big and consequently

90 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

takes too much nourishment from the flower. In the
list given below I have been most careful to include
none but those which are practically free from
all these faults. One of the most vital points in
single Chrysanthemums is the eye, which should
on no account be big or prominent ; this is specially
important in dark and white varieties, but not in
yellows, as the eye being yellow too, its size is not
so noticeable.

For decorative work it is never advisable to use
Cineraria-eyed varieties such as Sylvia Slade, as
they, and also those with prominent centres, create
a kind of feeling that the flowers are all staring at
you. The disc strikes you first instead of the
beauty of form or colour.

I have had to make a rather long list to include
the early, middle, and late varieties, but those who
cannot do with the whole collection will find the
twelve marked with an asterisk comprise all the
best colours, and will give a succession of flowers
throughout the season. The majority of them
make good pot plants.

Aurora Borealis.
*Arcturus.
Altrincham Yellow.
Brazier's Beauty.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 91

*Bronze Edith Pagram. One of our very best.

Canary Bird.
*CannelFs Yellow.

Crown Jewel Improved.
*Framfield Beauty.

J. H. Greswold Williams. A most striking colour.
*Kathleen May. One of the finest breaks we have seen. A
glowing red with small bronze eye.

Kitty Bourne.

Lady Coleridge.

Mrs. H. Redden.

Miss Irene Cragg.

Marguerite.

Marie Corelli.

Miss Mary Pope. A lovely shade of rosy mauve.

Mrs. E. Roberts.

Miss E. Partridge.

Mrs. R. C. Pulling.

*Mccry Richardson. From the first I predicted great things
of this charming variety, and they have been amply
fulfilled. It is still the best for general use.
*Mensa.

Mrs. W. Parker.

Nelly Riding.
*Pink Felicity.

Rufus.

Kathleen Stuart.

* White Edith Pagram. This and Mensa are about the best
of the whites.

J. B. Lowe (new).
*Leo.

Mrs. C. J. Ellis (new)
*Mrs. W. Buckingham (new). The most beautiful of all and

92 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

is as near pink as any Chrysanthemum I have ever
seen.

Miss Lilian Bullivant (new).

^Caledonia (new). A giant rosy crimson (best disbudded).
Charming (new). This is one of Mr. Lilly's new ones, and
well deserves its name.

EXHIBITION CHRYSANTHEMUMS
(INCURVED)

My chapter on Chrysanthemums would not be
complete without lists of Exhibition Varieties, as
many thousands of the immense specimen blooms
are now used in decorative work, and there is
nothing so handsome in large rooms as enormous
vases filled with specimen Chrysanthemums.

v*Clara Wells. Topaze Orientale.

v*Mrs. James Hygate. Mrs. E. Ashworth.

D*Buttercup. D Lady Isabel.
v*Romance. Frank Trestian.

D Embleme Poitevin. Mrs. J. Wynn.

H. W. Thorpe. *W. J. Higgs.
*Nellie Southam. C. H. Curtis.

Mrs. G. Denyer. Calypso.

G. F. Evans. Daisy Southam.

Mrs. Barnard Hankey. Miss Cora Stoop.

J. Wynn.

* The best six for small collections.

D Are useful as decorative varieties as well as for exhibi-
tion.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 93

EXHIBITION CHRYSANTHEMUMS
(JAPANESE)

In my opinion a perfect flower of Japanese
Chrysanthemums, about 15 inches in diameter and
as much deep, is one of Nature's most wonderful
floral productions :

* Algernon Davis. Nellie Pockett.

D*Mrs. A. T. Miller. D Mrs. Earkley.

*F. S. Vallis. »*Mrs. F. W. Vallis.

v*Madame G. Rivol. *Bessie Godfrey.
Frank Payne. Miss E. Fulton.

*Mrs. Norman Davis. Edith Jameson.

Rose Pockett. J. H. SUsbury.

D* Madame Paolo Radaelli. D Leslie Morrison.
Mrs. Geo. Mileham. Miss L. Thome.

D Mrs. R. F. Felton. »*Mrs. W. Iggulden.
*Lady Talbot. Miss Helena Williams.

*Duchess of Sutherland. *D Walter Jinks.

* The best dozen.

D Can also be grown as decorative varieties.

A FEW OF THE BEST NEW JAPANESE
VARIETIES WHICH MUST BE KEPT IN VIEW

I have seen nearly every new Chrysanthemum
for some years now, and those given below are the
best that have come under my notice during the
last two seasons.

94 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Gladys Blackburn. George J. Bruzard.

Lady Edward Letchworth. Mrs. Charles Penford.

Miss Lilian Hall. Master David.

Mrs. Trevor Williams. Mrs. A. M. Faulkner.

Sir Frank Crisp. W. Dixon.

George Hemming. Beecham Keeling.

Miss Ettie Green. Exquisite.

Hon. Mrs. Lopes. Kate Ainsley.

Francis Jolliffe. Master James.

Mrs. R. H. B. Marsham. Purity.

OUTDOOR VARIETIES

Outdoor Chrysanthemums have come very much
into prominence of late years, but as you will have
gathered from my preceding remarks, I am not a
great lover of them myself. They are at their
best when there are plenty of other things in the
garden, and they prolong the Chrysanthemum
season unnecessarily.

The following are all fine varieties and are quite
sufficient for all purposes.

*Perle Chatillonnaise Polly.

Gustave Wermig. *Nina Blick.

*Roi des Blancs. * Horace Martin.

Savoie. Tapis d^Or.

Cranford Pink. Miss B. Miller.

Nellie Hemsley. Bronze Bride.

*Golden Glow. Leslie.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 95

J. Bannister. Minnie Carpenter.

*Carrie. *Madame Marie Masse, and its

Wells' Scarlet. sports.

Goacher's Crimson.

* These form a representative collection for small
gardens.

Le Pactole and Caprice du Printemps and its
sports have been included in the early indoor list, as
I think they are indispensable in that section and
can well be spared from the outdoor ones.

Practically all these varieties will make good pot
plants, and they are specially useful for window-
box decoration, indeed this is their most valuable
feature.

PLUMED VARIETIES

These are very pretty for table work or small
vases, but are not decorative as pot plants.

King of the Plumes. Sam CaswelL

Mrs. James Carter. Mrs. FUkins.

POMPON VARIETIES

These Pompon Chrysanthemums are most useful
for breaking up and lightening arrangements of the
larger varieties, and are also very pretty by them-
selves in small vases. The best varieties are :

96 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Mdtte. Elise Dordan. A perfect little Chrysanthemum.

Mr. Sabey.

Nelly Rainford.

Prince of Orange.

Snowdrop and its sport. Yellow Snowdrop.

EFFECTIVE CONTRASTS FOR TABLE
DECORATIONS

Madame E. Roger, Rayonnante, and Pink Felicity with sprays
of golden brown Amphelopsis Veitchii, and a few long
leaves of Croton.

At the Crystal Palace Show, 1908, a table of the
above gained, in addition to the first prize, the
" Dean " Memorial Gold Medal for the finest decora-
tive exhibit in the show, the " Felton " Cup and the
Crystal Palace Medal for the best table in either
section.

Kathleen May, light sprays not disbudded, standing well
away from a fairly heavy mass of Madame E. Roger
with a few sprays of Yellow Snowdrop or Mrs.
Filkins, and plenty of pale golden green Asparagus
plumosus or Sprengerii.

Kathleen May with Mrs. W. Buckingham.

Phosphorescence and Mary Richardson.

R. F. Felton with Freda Bedford and Mary Richardson.

David Ingamells as base with Captain Julyan and CanneWs
Yellow with yellow Croton leaves and golden autumn
leaves ; no red leaves should be used with this com-
bination.

R. F. Felton and Madame E. Roger with light sprays of
Allmaii's Yellow, and a few single yellows, make a very
striking table.

THE ROYAL BOX AT OLYMPIA GREAT INTER-
NATIONAL HORSE SHOW, 1908

Reproduced from a painting made by special command.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 97

Rayonnante with Brazier's Beauty, Miss E. Partridge or

Madame E. Roger, and if procurable a few light

sprays of " Snowdrop"
Sprays of Dazzler with specimen Feltorfs Favourite, or other

good white variety, make strong and beautiful vases,

also large table decorations with the addition of a

few sprays of Kathleen May.
Lord Brooke and Bronze Edith Pagram with just a suspicion

of Altrincham Yellow.
Small sprays of Source d'Or and Lizzie Adcock with a few

R. F. Felton or Freda Bedford to add richness to

the form and intensity to the colour.

Specimen Chrysanthemum blooms should always
be massed fairly thickly together on large tables,
and then lightened with small sprays of a good
contrasting or harmonising colour and suitable
foliage.

There is nothing so grotesque, from a professional
point of view, as the majority of Chrysanthemum
tables one sees at shows.

Exhibitors appear to be afraid of using anything
but half-starved, poorly grown sprays, and in con-
sequence many of their tables look like tangled and
uniform masses of rubbish, such as one would expect
to find in a back garden. Now, although the first
table to which I alluded in my list of contrasts was
only 9 feet by 3, there were four dozen large flowers
and dozens of sprays of smaller ones, all cunningly

G

98 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

employed to produce effect without making it in
the least heavy.

The larger flowers must always be used as a base,
with the smaller ones standing well away from
them, and if obtainable, a few light buds, either
closed or just bursting, will finish the picture.

Nearly all the autumn tints go beautifully with
Chrysanthemums, and therefore Maidenhair fern,
dark green Asparagus or Smilax, should never be
used with them, but such things as trails of Amphe-
lopsis Veitchii, Lonicera japonica variegata, Berberis
Darwinii, or, departing from the garden to the
greenhouse, a few bronze, golden, or red Croton
leaves.

Judging last year at the Crystal Palace, I
awarded the first prize and special cup to a table
composed entirely of white Chrysanthemums, with
palegolden Asparagus, and a'profusion of wonderfully
red sprays and leaves of Amphelopsis Veitchii,
but the exhibitor had not made the popular mistake
of using all small rubbish ; she had the courage to
create a good solid foundation of large flowers and
had stowed them cleverly away among an artistic
arrangement of smaller ones.

VII
ORCHIDS

THERE are few flowers that give us such an infinite
variety of artistic lines and delicate colourings as
the Orchid, and although it is a flower that can only
be grown by those who have fairly large establish-
ments, no book on Floral Art would be complete
without a chapter on them. Many of the colours
found in this family exist in no other flower.

They are specially suitable for table decorations,
Court bouquets, and personal adornment, but as cut
flowers they are, owing to their price, of somewhat
restricted utility, though, as many of them last for
several weeks in water, they are really not so
expensive as they appear.

One of the greatest charms that Orchids possess
lies in the fact that they never produce two sprays
of flowers of exactly the same line ; like the human
race, every one is different in some slight detail
either of colour, shape, or size.

99

100 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

I do not care to see them mixed with any flowers
except Lily of the Valley or Lilac. It is strange
that Orchids, which are more or less exotic, should
go so well with two such simple flowers, but
I have repeatedly proved that they do. I know
of no more beautiful bouquet for a bride or
debutante than one composed of Odontoglossum
crispum and Lilies of the Valley, and no more
exquisite posy, provided it matches the colour of
the gown, can be made than one of white or pale
mauve Lilac and Cattleyas.

There are many people who labour under the
impression that Orchids cannot be grown success-
fully without tropical heat, whereas in reality many
of them, and the most beautiful of them too, will
thrive in a temperate greenhouse. It is true they
cannot be grown in a general house, as the humid
atmosphere they require would not be suitable for
the plants usually grown in conservatories, but they
can be done quite well in a fernery, and ferns will
be found most helpful in making an Orchid-house
presentable, as there are few Orchids that can boast
of being either decorative or ornamental until they
are in flower.

At the great flower shows throughout the country
the competitive prizes for decorative work are in

ORCHIDS 101

nearly every case carried off by bouquets, tables, or
other exhibits composed almost entirely of orchids.
This became so marked that classes had to be
instituted in this section for work in which they
were not allowed.

I have tried several times to see if I could alter
this state of affairs, as it has struck me that it was
not fair to those who could not get Orchids to have
their work repeatedly passed by the judges ; but
I am sorry to say I number among those Orchidless
experiments of mine the few failures that I have
had during my long career as an exhibitor. There
seems to be a magic charm about those lovely
flowers which always catches the judge's eye,
although the work in which they appear may not
be the best. It must be admitted they always look
rich and costly, and it is this, I suppose, which causes
many judges to overlook better arrangements of
less costly flowers.

It is repeatedly said of the leading horticultural
shows that unless an intending exhibitor has a
good supply of Orchids he might as well stay at
home, as without them he has no chance of
winning.

When I said earlier in this chapter that I did not
like Orchids mixed with any thing but Lilies and Lilac

s y

102 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

I was thinking at the moment of the two staple
families of commerce, the Odontoglossum and the
Cattleya and had forgotten Oncidiums, those most
graceful of all Orchids. These are nearly all yellow,
bronze, or brown, and they are beautiful beyond
description when arranged with any and every other
yellow flower. They add a charm to all work in which
they are used, and although it sounds somewhat
daring I can assure my readers that they go well
with all other Orchids with which I have ever used
them, except Vanda cceruka, which is a most trying
colour to associate with anything.

The table for which I think I received more
compliments than any of the thousands I have
designed, was one which gained the championship
prize at Edinburgh Great International Show some
years ago. It was composed of Cattleyas (Gaskel-
liana and " Iris "), Oncidium varicosum Roger sii and
Oncidium crispum with a few Lcelia tenebrosa.
I used very little foliage of any sort and that of a
tender golden green, and when finished I added a
dozen or so of long, thin, bronze Croton leaves,
I believe it was Chelsonii.

The competition was very strong indeed and the
prize a most valuable one, but the judges, who
were men of long and great experience, told me

ORCHIDS 103

when their work was over, that my table was the
most beautiful they had ever judged, and gave them
no anxiety.

The method of arrangement which I adopted
was a very simple one, the only accessories being a
few bundles of moss and a two-foot stick painted
olive-green and a saucer.

For the centre-piece I made a fairly solid flat
pad of moss on the saucer and fixed the stick firmly
in the middle of it ; next I secured a small ball of
moss on the top, and after lightly covering top and
bottom with sprays of Asparagus Sprengerii and
twining a long piece of the same up the stick, I
sharpened the stems of the Orchids and pushed
them into the moss in a perfectly natural way.
Four more small pads of moss treated on the same
lines and four tiny specimen glasses arranged a
little higher, and the whole placed on the table
en zigzag and the result was as near perfect as
such things can be.

Each morning the moss was damped and so the
flowers were as crisp and fresh-looking when the
show closed as they were when it opened.

In the list of useful varieties to grow for
decorating and cutting, the enormous number of
1500 varieties which one finds in Orchid catalogues

104 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

has been reduced to about sixty, and in thus
drastically treating them, I can assure those who
are interested that I have still included more than
need be grown.

This can be proved beyond dispute by paying a
visit to one of my wholesale growers who devotes
his attention entirely to growing Orchids for
Covent Garden and other markets, where it will
be found that a collection occupying over twenty
houses, each 200 feet long, contains fewer than fifty
distinct varieties.

ORCHIDS

*c TOdontoglossum crispum.
*c T „ Pescatorei.

c „ Rossii majus.

c „ Adriance.

c „ triumphans.

*c or T „ grande.

*iOncidium va/ricosum Rogersn.
*T „ flexuosum.
T „ sphacelatum.
T „ crispum.
T „ oblongatum.
*T „ incurvum.
T „ pulvinatum.
T „ Wentworthianum.

Mendelii (April and May).
Mossice (April to June).

ORCHIDS 105

*?Catileya labiata aurea (October to December).

„ Dowiana. Stove when growing ; temperate

when ripening (September).
*T „ Schroderce (April and May).
*T 55 gigas- Well exposed to light (July and August).
*T „ Harrisonioe (Summer and Autumn).
*T „ Gaskelliana (August and September).
*T „ Triance (January to March).
*T „ Fabia (Hybrid).
*T „ Diisseldorji (Hybrid).
*T „ Enid (Hybrid).
*T „ Iris (Hybrid).
*TLcelia-cattleyas Charlesworthii.

T „ Canhuiniana.

*T „ callisioglossa.

T „ Dominiana.

T „ Martinettii.

T „ luminosa.

iLcelia elegans

T „ cmceps. Full summer position.

T „ pwrpwata.

T „ „ alba.

*T „ tenebrosa.

T „ cinnabarina.

* Dendrobium Wardianum. \ 0 . ,

, ., Stove when growing ; c in

„ nobde. V .

. . 7 in winter.
55 5? virgvnale.)

„ Phalcenopsis Schroderianum. Stove when

growing ; temperate when resting.

sCypripedium. Stove for most part, but Insigne section
grow cooler.

The months given are those in which they usually
flower.

106 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

All the Cypripediums are very useful, as they last in water
several weeks, and although having no very great decorative
value themselves they lend beauty to every other Orchid
with which they are associated.

*Cypripedium insigne and varieties.
„ villosum.

„ Lawrenceanum.

„ Leecvnum varieties.

„ callosum giganteum.

„ Rothschildianum.

„ Morgcmce.

„ Charlesworthii.

„ barbatum.

sPhalcenopsis Schilleriana.
*s „ Rimestadicma.

s „ amabilis.

s „ Stucvrtiana.

*sCalanthe Veitchii. Stove when growing ; temperate house

when resting.
vZygopetalum Mackayi.
*cCcelogyne cristata.
s „ pandurata. Perhaps the greenest flower in

existence.

TRenanthera ImscJiootiana.
*TorcCymbidium Lowianum.

T „ eburneum. Very decorative when used
with other Orchids, and they may be
relied upon to last many weeks in
water.

cAda aurantiaca.

TEpidendrum vitettinum majus. Spring and autumn
varieties.

ORCHIDS 107

cMasdevaMia chimcera. Keep in shady position.
*TVanda ccerulea. One of the most exquisite colours in

the world of flowers.
s Stove. T Temperate. c Cool.

* These are about the most useful varieties for cutting and
general use.

VIII
TULIPS

I BEGIN to fear that those who have borne with me
through all my ramblings will have found by now
that I have many favourite flowers, and in truth
I must confess that I do love them all as their
seasons come round. It is strangely true that
when their period of perfection is over I do not
find myself regretting their loss in fair proportion
to the amount of pleasure their arrival gave me.
This is due to the generous way in which Nature
replaces with careful regularity one passing floral
joy with others which seem at first to be greater
ones. It really is not so, her gifts are all equally
beautiful, but mortals have a tendency to forget
everything which is not with them, and even flowers
pass quickly out of mind.

All Tulips are beautiful, from the early Due van
Thols to the latest Darwins, but when a florist sees
the first batch of Darwin or May flowering Tulips,

108

DECORATION OF FIREPLACE AND MANTELPIECE IN THE BLUE ROOM AT

CLAKIDGE'S

TULIPS 109

generally about the beginning of March — for they
are impatient both of forcing and retarding, he
realises that he is in for a feast of glorious colour
for many weeks to come, and he wears an air of
independence as he knows that there is now no room
in the house which cannot be perfectly matched,
or harmoniously contrasted, no vase too long, for
has he not Darwins of every conceivable colour
from two to nearly three feet high.

I claim for this Tulip that, although when its
lingering flowers expand for the last time, there are
numberless other flowers in season, we miss them
more than we do any other of our spring and early
summer flowers.

When the task of selecting the best varieties
confronted me I felt that I dare not take the whole
responsibility upon myself, so I consulted several
Tulip specialists, and the answer from one of
them shows how beautiful they all are and how
difficult it is to leave any out. He said, " Don't ask
me, for I consider they are all lovely in their right
place." If therefore you find the list rather long
I must ask you to forgive me, as there are so
many that force their claims upon me by their
great beauty.

Although the bulbs of the Darwin and May

110 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

blooming varieties are somewhat more expensive
than the early flowering ones, they work out con-
siderably cheaper in the end as they not only go on
from year to year, but, with care, they increase and
multiply fairly rapidly, whereas the early Dutch
bulbs can only be successfully grown for one year.

DARWIN TULIPS

*Clara Butt. This is the best of all the Darwins. The

colour is a warm salmon-pink with a touch of rose.

It has a fine stem, and is a perfect-shaped bloom.
* Duchess of Westminster. Similar in colour to Clara Butt ;

some say better ; but as it is a very expensive bulb

it will be some time before it can be given a practical

test as a cut flower.
Duke of Westminster. Very beautiful, but another scarce

one.
*Erguste. Plum colour, with suggestions of heliotrope. A

great favourite of mine.
*Mrs. Farncombe Sanders. A rich rosy red of perfect form,

and having a pure white centre, which adds tone

to the intensity of the colour.
Feu Brilliant. Brilliant flame-red.
Golden Vase. A rich glowing golden flower with bronze

tinge.
*King Harold. A gigantic flower of a warm ruby shade,

superb shape and habit.
*La Tulipe Novre. As its name implies, this is as near black

as any flower we have. It creates superb effects

when added to almost any of the Darwin and May

bloomers.

MAY FLOWERING AND COTTAGE TULIPS 111

*Melicette. A lovely lilac colour.
Prima Donna. A truly charming Tulip.
Prince of the Netherlands. Salmony red with a pale blue

base ; a fine-shaped flower and a splendid doer.
*Pride of Haarlem. This is one of the best of all. A
vigorous grower, and a superb colour under artificial
light. It is a warm carmine rose, of great substance.
Regal Purple. A lovely colour to use with yellows.
*Sensation. A deep golden colour with suggestions of warm

bronze touching the outer petals.
*Suzon. Pink with a tinge of buff with rosy pink colourings

inside. One of my favourites.

Velvet King. An immense flower of great substance. I have
kept blooms of this variety with La Tulipe Noire
in water for three weeks.
* Unique. A buttercup-yellow with edgings of rosy red. A

charming Tulip.
* White Queen. The white Darwm.

f The best for all-round purposes.

MAY FLOWERING AND COTTAGE TULIPS

*Bouton cTOr. A brilliant little bit of yellow, and although

small it is about the best market sort. It lasts an

incredible time in water.

*Flame. The name of this superb Tulip is fairly descriptive.
*Inglescombe Pink. An indescribably beautiful colour. Soft

terra-cotta shade, suffused rosy pink, a gorgeous

colour when grown outside.
*Inglescombe Scarlet. A most brilliant colour.
*La Merveille. This is one of the most graceful Tulips I

know, and as the bulbs are very cheap every one

who wants cut flowers should grow it largely.

Colour rich apricot-red.

112 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

*Mrs. Moon. This is rather a late one, but comes in at a
most useful time. I consider it the finest of all
the yellows.

Orange King. Orange-scarlet of fine quality.
^Parisian Yellow. As this variety is a cheap one it is one of

the most practical for cutting purposes.
*Pieotee. A charming Tulip. I find it makes beautiful little

tables.

Walter T. Ware. This magnificent novelty will be the most
useful of them all when it gets a little cheaper. It
is a glowing orange colour.

John Ruskm. Bronze tinted with apricot. A most fasci-
nating colour.

* The best for general work.

CONTRASTS FOR TABLE OR GENERAL
DECORATION

Clara Butt and Melicette.

Erguste and Suzon.

White Queen and Clara Butt.

Velvet King and Sensation.

Erguste and Mrs. Moon, or other yellows.

Mrs. Farncombe Sanders and La Tulipe Noire.

Melicette and Picotee.

Regal Purple and Mrs. Moon, or other good yellows.

Duchess of Westminster and Melicette.

Inglescombe Pink and a few La Tulipe Noire.

Inglescombe Pink and a few Velvet King.

Erguste and Golden Vase.

Sensation and Clara Butt.

Velvet King and Sensation.

Clara Butt and Velvet King.

TREATMENT OF A CORNER OF THE RECEPTION
HALL AT CLARIDGE'S

SINGLE AND DOUBLE TULIPS US

SINGLE TULIPS FOR FORCING

Due van Tholl. This old favourite is still the best early

scarlet, and may always be relied on to greet us on

Christmas Day.

Rose gris du Lm. A beautiful rose-pink. Very early.
Pink Beauty. This is a charming soft rose, and I have no

hesitation in saying is the best of its colour.
Vermilion Brilliant. A glowing scarlet ; long, perfect-shaped

flower.
Le Reve. A most fascinating Tulip of a rosy blush colour

suffused yellow.
Crown Prince of Austria. Reddish terra-cotta. A gem for

floral work, as it has a fine strong stem.
Yellow Prince. This is a general favourite, and has every

good quality : good stem, a charming canary-yellow,

and is as sweet-scented as a Freezia.
La Reine. A standard white for cutting purposes ; by no

means a large one but very reliable. Under some

conditions it comes a lovely shade of rose-pink.
Thomas Moore. A real terra-cotta tinged gold.
Keizerskroon. A very robust and handsome Tulip ; brilliant

red with pure golden edge, a grand garden tulip.
Golden Queen. A warm gold of fine quality.
Van der Neer. This is one of my favourites, and should be

more extensively grown for market. The colour is

that of a rich Orleans plum, and when used with

yellows it gives a glorious contrast.
Rose Luisante. A deep carmine-pink of wonderful quality.

DOUBLE TULIPS FOR FORCING

Lucretia. A deep rose-pink with plumose petals. The most
beautiful of all double Tulips for decorative
work.

114 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Mwrttlo. A little paler than Lucretia, and not quite so

graceful, but still worth a place in all collections.
Imperator rubrorum. Brilliant red of fine quality.
Salvator Rosa. Old rose ; the colour of a good Princess of

Wales Malmaison.
Rose Blanche. A good white one of which a few should always

be grown.

Couronne (FOr. The best of the double orange Tulips.
Vuivrbaak. Intense scarlet. Possibly the best of its colour.
Safrcvno. When this lovely variety gets cheaper it will com-
mand a ready sale as a cut flower, as it is of an
exquisite rosy salmon tint.

IX
LILIES OF THE VALLEY AND VIOLETS

To paint the Lily,

To throw perfume on the Violet,

To smooth the ice, or add another hue

Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light,

To seek the beauteous eye of Heaven to garnish,

Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

" King John," iv. 2.

I AM devoting a short chapter to these two beauti-
ful floral gems as there is little doubt that, next to
the Rose, and quite close upon its heels, they are the
most popular with the everyday flower-buyer.
Owing to the shortness of their stems and their
want of brilliant colour they are not suitable for
decorations on a large scale, but for the boudoir, or
for a writing-table in the study or drawing-room, or
for a lady's dressing-table, there is nothing more
refreshing than a little bowl of Violets, fairly thickly
massed, with a few spikes of Lily of the Valley

115

116 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

peeping through them. The combination, how-
ever, is by no means necessary, as each of them
looks nearly as beautiful alone. They are also
flowers which can be worn with every costume
and on all occasions, and are consequently most
popular in that direction. Since the perfection of
the science of retarding bulbs by means of refrigera-
tion we can now count on Lilies of the Valley all
the year round, and Violets, if the varieties are
judiciously chosen, may be procured during a
considerable portion of it.

No one who is not in daily attendance at the
wholesale markets can form any idea of the immense
quantities of these flowers which annually find their
way into the hands of the consumer. One can gain
some idea of the magnitude of the Lily industry
by the fact, which 1 can vouch for, that two firms
alone handle about 20 million crowns annually,
and it is a statistical record that in addition to the
English supply of Violets, well over 1000 baskets
arrive from the South of France daily, through-
out the Violet season. Each of these baskets
contains from four to eight dozen bunches, this
giving the huge aggregate of about 60,000
bunches of dark Violets a day. Taking the average
of each bunch at 50 blooms we thus arrive at the

LILIES OF THE VALLEY AND VIOLETS 117

almost incredible total of 3,000,000 Violets for
London alone.

Try and imagine how many busy little fingers,
for the majority of them are gathered by children,
it must take to pick each one separately and make
them up into bunches.

It is a matter of almost national regret that a
larger share of this beautiful industry is not retained
in our islands. In the Northern and Midland
counties of course violets cannot be grown during
many months of the year without protection, but
there are vast tracts of suitable land in Devonshire,
Cornwall, and Somersetshire eminently suited to
their cultivation, and in Ireland even better natural
conditions exist. It is the more regrettable when
consideration is given to the fact that well-grown
English Violets, owing to their being fresher and
thus more fragrant than the French ones, always
make double or even treble the price.

On the day that this article is being written
I have paid as little as Is. 6d. a dozen bunches for
the finest quality French Violets, and 5s. 6d. per
dozen bunches for some which were grown near
Exeter ; and, by the way, it is well to mention here
the fact that there are never sufficient really good
English Violets to meet the demand, whereas the

118 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

French ones are often so plentiful that they can
scarcely be sold at any price. It is to be hoped
that these statistics will catch the eye of some
enterprising capitalists who have land in favourable
localities, and that they will profit by it. If it does
and they will communicate with me I shall be
pleased to tell them how to go to work about
Violet-farming on a large or small scale, though it
is only by growing the finest varieties in quantities
that the thing can be made really practicable and
profitable, as the supply of second-rate flowers is
already overdone.

Reverting to the Lily of the Valley, there is
scarcely need to mention its many virtues from
the decorator's point of view ; there is not a single
corner in floral art that it does not fill with grace
and beauty. It is exquisite, by itself, in great
bowls or tiny vases, and there is nothing from the
rarest Orchid to the simplest flower that grows in
the garden to which the addition of a few Lilies
does not add a charm.

It is particularly useful when one is decorat-
ing tables or making bouquets, or memorial
designs of flowers which in themselves are some-
what stiff, such as Tulips, double Ranunculi,
or even Camellias. They break up the rotundity,

LILIES OF THE VALLEY AND VIOLETS 119

as it were, of anything with which they are
associated.

In the course of this book you will notice that
as a rule I urge all those who wish to get the best
results to use, as far as possible, one flower alone in
their work, but if it is necessary to employ a
second, take care that it is one which naturally
flowers about the same time, but the Lily breaks
through all rules as it is almost impossible to do
wrong with it.

In a chapter dealing fully with the indoor
cultivation of bulbs in China pots, something more
will be said about the Lily. It is gratifying to be
able to record that we now take a very prominent
part in its production, as millions of crowns are
annually grown in England to meet the ever-
increasing demand, and we have a Lily nursery in
Norfolk, in which Her Majesty Queen Alexandra
takes a gracious interest. We have also in Somerset-
shire a great bulb expert, Mr. Walter Ware,
who annually produces his own crowns of the giant
Lily of the Valley known as Fortin's variety, in
greater numbers than any other grower in the world.

I have frequently had flowers grown by him
well over 16 inches high, each bearing 15 to 18
immense bells.

120 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

The centre of the industry of crown-growing
is, however, still near Berlin, where hundreds of
millions of them, known to commerce as Berlin
crowns, are annually produced.

I am told that there is one particular strip of land
there in which they grow most luxuriantly, but
it is not very extensive, and if a grower gets but a
short way off the right soil, the crowns, although
they may be to all appearances equally fine, are
useless for forcing.

SINGLE VIOLETS

It is not generally known that we have nearly
50 distinct varieties of Violets, but as all of them
are not necessary to any but those who make a
hobby of their cultivation, and as those who grow
Violets in quantity naturally want them for cutting,
I append a list of the most suitable ones for that
purpose.

F or o Askanwt, (new). A fine new winter-flowering variety.
*o Admiral Avellon. This is the nearest we have to a red

Violet.

*F or o La Baronne de RothsMlde. A giant among Violets.
A capital grower, very sweet, and a real
violet colour.

*F or o Kaiser Wilhelm. I consider this, when true, superior
to Princess of Wales.

VIOLETS (DOUBLE) 121

*F or o La France. Another gigantic flower, the deepest in

colour.
*F or o Mme. Schwarz. Rich in colour, early, and a perpetual

flowerer.
*F or o Princess of Wales. An old favourite ; still one of the

best,
o Semperflorens. Not a very large flower, but about the

most constant of all.
F or o Souvenir de J. Josse. Reddish mauve ; beautiful form

and large flower.

F or o The Boston (new). This is said to be the largest
Violet yet seen, but it has still to be proved.
A lovely true violet colour.
*o Victoria Regina. One of the hardest and best for

outdoor.

o White Czar. A small true white flower ; about the
best white.

* These are the best for cutting as they all have fine
flowers and long stems.
•F Are suitable for frame cultivation, o Best out of doors.

VIOLETS (DOUBLE)

Comte de Brazza. By far the best double white Violet. I

have had flowers from one of my own growers as

big as five-shilling pieces.
Lady Hume Campbell. This variety is very free, and so

makes a beautiful pot.
Marie Louise. A rich blue with pale or white centre, and

sometimes a splash of pink.
Mrs. Arthur. Much as I dislike to say anything unkind

about our old friend and favourite, I must say I

consider this an improvement in many ways on

Marie Louise.

BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Mrs. D'Arcy (new). A pale greyish mauve, a good doer and
quite unique.

Mrs. J. J. Astor. Heliotrope suffused with pink. When well
grown this is a lovely Violet, but poor blooms do
not show its true effect.

Neapolitan. This is the Violet which is grown all round
Toulouse for the markets of Europe. As an
amateur I would not grow it because it can always
be bought cheap enough, and moreover the others
are more interesting and uncommon.

Except in the extreme South and West double
Violets do not thrive out of doors in England,
but they well repay the outlay of a few pounds in
cheap frames as they are of easy cultivation and
give a great amount of joy during the winter
months, being more effective than single ones, and,
I believe, more fragrant too.

The frames can be lifted off them in the spring
and used for other purposes.

X

SWEET PEAS

The Sweet Pea has a keel that was meant to seek
all shores ; it has wings that were meant to fly across
all Continents ; it has a standard which is friendly to
all Nations ; and it has a fragrance like the Universal
Gospel ; yea, a sweet prophecy of welcome everywhere
that has been abundantly fulfilled.

The Rev. W. T. HUTCHINS.

ALTHOUGH this chapter appears somewhat early in
the book the writing of it was left until nearly the
last, as I felt that there was already such a mass of
Sweet Pea literature that very little was left for
me to say.

If the whole of this volume were devoted to ex-
tolling its great beauty and many virtues, there
would still be something left to say.

It may truly be said that no flower has bounded
into public favour in so short a time as the one
before our notice. It is a flower for rich and poor
alike, and may be used with perfect safety in every

123

BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

kind of floral decoration. They are invaluable for
everyday use about the house, and I know of no
more graceful and charming table decoration than
one of Sweet Peas, but they must be lightly arranged,
and the colours most carefully selected. They
lend themselves admirably to the art of bouquet-
making, indeed I consider a bouquet of Sweet Peas
the easiest of all to put together, as, owing to their
natural grace, it is next to impossible to get from
them anything but a charmingly light-looking
effect, no matter how little experience one may
have had.

By far the most valuable varieties to the florist
are the waved or Spencer type.

It is, however, unfortunate that many of the
novelties which are put upon the market do not
come true from seed, as the perpetual disappoint-
ment in this direction tends to make Sweet Pea-
lovers chary of the new and high-priced varieties.

In compiling my list the greatest care has
been taken to include none but fixed ones, and I
have personally tried practically all the two- and
three-colour contrasts before giving them out to
the world.

Those who are desirous of learning all that is
worth knowing about Sweet Peas, their culture,

SWEET PEAS 125

their peculiarities, &c., would do well to obtain a
copy of the " National Sweet Pea Society's Year
Book" from the secretary, Mr. C. H. Curtis, of
Brentford, who has also written a book treating
exhaustively on the subject.

In the following list it will be found that many
of the varieties are bracketed but, from this, it is not
to be inferred that they are by any means the
same ; they are, however, in most cases, of a some-
what similar tone of colour.

WAVED VARIETIES

Queen Alexandra Spencer. Crimson-scarlet.
* Sunproof Crimson.

Sterling Stent.\
*Earl Spencer, j- Yellowish terra-cotta shades.

Nancy Perkin.)

*Evelyn Hemus. 1 TV j j

•*> xv nr n j i Picotee edged.
Mrs. C. W. Breadmore.)

Audrey Crier. '

Zarina. ~ A , . ,

7. «• 7 r Soft salmon-pink.
*AnghanPink.

Syeira Lee.

Constance Oliver.
*Mrs. Henry Bell.
* Elsie Herbert.

Prmcess Victoria.
*Mrs. Hardcastle Sylces.

Lady Althorp.

. 1

' 1- Creamy pink.

Rosy blush shade.

126 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

*Rosie Adams. Purplish violet.
Mrs. Charles Foster.}

* Frank Dolby. j- Lavender.
Asia Ohn.

The Marquis. Mauve.

Nora Unwin.}
*Etta Dyke. > White.

Zero.
*Paradise Ivory.

*Clara Curtis. ) xr n i, j

_. _ . j- Yellow shades.

Paradise Primrose.}

Black Knight Spencer.}

Bronze Paradise. h Bronze shades.

*Charles Hemus.
*Paradise. \

*Coimtess Spencer, J- Pink shade.

* Enchantress.

* Helen Lewis. \ ~ , ,

**• • co 7 r Orange shade.
Maggie Starke.)

Marjorie Willis.
*John Ingman.
George Herbert.

Rose and rosy carmine.

Rosy Morn.
Paradise Carmine. <
America Spencer. \ gtri d
Paradise Red Flake.)
*Mrs. Andrew Ireland. Bicolour.

* These are all distinct varieties, and, what is even more
important, there are good fixed stocks of all of them to be
procured.

SWEET PEAS

127

A FEW OF THE BEST OF THE NEWER ONES

Eric Harvey.
Mrs. W. J. Unwm.
Mrs. R. Hattam.
Mrs. Hugh Dickson.
Helio Paradise.
George Stark.

Winsome.
Rex Felton.
Mrs. Townshend.
Paradise Appleblossom.
Charles Foster.
Florence Wright.

GRANDIFLORA OR HOODED VARIETIES

*Dorothy Eckford.
*Miss WUlmot.

Queen of Spain.

King Edward.
*Queen Alexandra.

Phenomenal.

Helen Pierce.

Black Knight.
*Lady Grisel Hamilton.

Jeannie Gordon.
St. George.
*Mrs. Collier or Mrs. R. F.

Felton.
Lord Nelson.
Dainty.
Millie Maslin.
* Henry Eckford.
Janet Scott.
Boltorfs Pink.

* The best half-dozen.

CONTRASTS OF TWO VARIETIES

Charles Hemus and Mrs. Ireland.
Mrs. Routzahn and Earl Spencer.
Evelyn Hemus and Bronze Paradise.
Syeira Lee and Black Knight Spencer.
Mrs. Charles Foster and Clara Curtis.
Mrs. C, W. Breadmore and Zephyr.
Rosie Adams and Mrs. Hardcastle Sykes.
Queen Alexandra and Etta Dyke.

AN EXHIBIT OF SWEET PEAS AT THE NATIONAL
SWEET PEA SOCIETY'S SHOW, 1909

Illustrating the great strides which have been made in the
manner of displaying flowers at shows.

XI

LILIUMS AND OTHER BULBS SUIT-
ABLE FOR CUTTING AND GENERAL
DECORATIVE WORK

SINCE the science of refrigeration has been brought
to perfection the flowers of bulbous plants have
become very much more prominent in the decorative
world than they were ten years ago.

I am glad to say there are still a great number
of bulbs that have defied the art of the cold-storage
man, and which, after having been subjected to
months of unnatural winter, either refuse to start
life afresh, or make such a poor attempt at it that
they will not pay their freezing bill.

There is no questioning the fact that bulbs now
take a very important part in the floral-supply of
the world.

They are practically all splendid subjects for the
decorator, as, almost without exception, the flowers
of bulbous plants have strong constitutions, and

129 i

130 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

give joy both to those who sell and those who buy
them, as they may be relied upon to give a good
show for one's outlay,

Of all bulbs the numerous varieties of Liliums
are perhaps the most useful, and they are closely
followed by Irises.

Of the two I think possibly the latter, when in
season, play the most important part in the daily
work of the florist, many of them being as
beautiful as the choicest Orchids, and possess-
ing in addition the invaluable quality of long
and upright stems ; but their season is compara-
tively short, as they are poor subjects for the
refrigerator.

Montbretias, too, what could be more beautiful
in the autumn than they? Many of the newer
varieties, having stems from three to four feet long,
open floral possibilities which cannot be over-
estimated.

It is a great pity that more attention and room
is not devoted to the cultivation of hardy bulbs in
England. There are numbers of beautiful things
which are scarcely ever seen except in large gardens
and collections, but which are infinitely more in-
teresting to even the small holder than the orthodox
bedding plants, which, unhappily, seem to have

LILIUMS AND OTHER BULBS 131

taken so firm a hold upon the public that nothing
can shake it.

It is scarcely possible to imagine anything less
interesting than a small garden practically filled
with Geraniums, Lobelias, Calceolarias and the
like, and still these are the things which are
generally found there.

In the first place these miserable little plants are
put in when the summer is already advanced, and
even providing they do well they are not at their
best until it is practically over.

If what I have said regarding bulbs takes root
and has the good effect of popularising them I feel
that my book will not have been written in
vain.

In the lists with which this chapter is brought to a
close the best of the standard bulbs for cutting will
be found, and also some less-known varieties which
are worthy of more general cultivation, together
with a few remarks upon the virtues of any which
are specially commendable.

As many of the Liliums require special treat-
ment it would be well before going in for them
largely to refer to some one who makes a special
feature of them, such as Mr. Wallace of Colchester,
or Messrs. Barr.

BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

LILIUMS

*GH. and o.Auratum. This gorgeous Lily is sadly overlooked

as a garden plant.

GH.Aurattim platephyllum. 1 Charming varieties of
GH. „ rubro vittatum. } Auratum.
*GH. and o.Candidum. The Madonna Lily.
o. Chalcedonicum.
*o.Croceum.
G.Excelsum.
GH. and o.ffenryi.
*GH. and o.Japonicum Colchester ense.

*GH.Longiflorum (all varieties). These can now be

obtained throughout the year.
o.Martagon Dalmaticum.
o.Monadelphum Szovitzecmum.
o.Pcvrdalmum Californicum.

Of all the Liliums
this section is the
most useful. They
have little or no
scent, and can
therefore be safely
employed in all
decorative work.

GH.Speciosum magmficum.

rGH.

album Krcetzeri.
Melpomene.

GH.Punctatum.

*o.Tenuifolium) Golden Gleam.
*o. Tigrmum Fortunes.
*GH. and o. Testaceum.

GH. Greenhouse. o. Outdoor.

* The best for small collections.

LLLIUMS AND OTHER BULBS 133

ENGLISH IRIS

Lord Roberts. Grandee.

Blondin. Mont Blanc.

Black Prince. Prince of Wales.

All the above are very beautiful and distinct, and no one
can do wrong in having a few of each.

SPANISH IRIS

A Von Humboldt. One of the most reliable and quite in-
expensive.

*Cajanus. A giant among Spanish Iris ; always bearing two
flowers, and often attaining the great height of
three feet.

Dream. Deep blue shading to French grey.
* Queen Alexandra. This is an expensive kind, but it will soon
come down in price, and then it will be a general
favourite in the pale mauve section.

Gold Cup. This is rather a heavy flower, but it is interest-
ing on account of its bronzy golden colour, and its
long lasting qualities.
*King of the Whites. A magnificent flower. Will be most

useful when it gets a little cheaper.
*Leander. This is a great favourite of mine.
* Louisa. A very cheap one, but a lovely little Iris of a slaty

grey with warm lavender shadings.
Belle Chinoise. This should be grown, as it comes in earlier

than any other yellow.

^Sweetheart. A grand Iris, of great size and substance.
*Philomele. Pale lavender blue ; very fine.
Soleil d'Or. A brilliant bit of colour.

134 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

*W. T. Ware. This is a welcome change from the everlast-
ing bright yellow. It is a delicate primrose or
sulphur colour, and decidedly the most beautiful
of all.

*U Unique. A most strikingly beautiful flower. Violet, blue,
and lavender are the shades which compose the
whole, and they are accentuated by golden blotches.

GERMAN IRIS, OR FLAG IRIS

These may be treated as herbaceous plants.

*Flavescens. Mrs. Neubronner.

*Her Majesty. *Oriflamme.

Macrantha. *Pallida Dalmatica.

Maori King. *Princess of Wales.

Rembrandt.

* Distinct and among the very best varieties.

JAPANESE IRIS

This lovely bulb is among the most favoured flowers of
Japan. They are not quite so easy of culture as the other
Irises, but their great beauty well repays the extra trouble
they may take to produce.

Alexander Von Siebald. *Kuroki.

*Baron Komura. Marshal Oyama.

*Li Hung Chang. *Prince Fushimi.

Rose Queen.

* These are all the finest and most distinct.

LILIUMS AND OTHER BULBS 135

Montbretia. In the late autumn there is no more useful
flower for cutting than the Montbretia. The
colours have a range from softest yellow to deepest
orange and coppery bronze. They last many days
in water, and if the flowers are cut just as they are
bursting they travel safely, and with care every bud
will open in water.

Germania. Soleti couchant.

Messidor. Eldorado.

Rayon cTOr. Etoile de Feu.

The Davison- Wallace varieties, of which Prometheus, Lady
Hamilton, Hereward, Westwick, Lord Nelson, and
George Davison are the best, are all gorgeous flowers
for the florist, but they are somewhat expensive yet.

George Henley (new) is one of the very best, having a fine
upright stem and most artistic colouring. This
variety was raised by a great flower-lover, Mr. Sydney
Morris of Thetford.

EARLY SUMMER-FLOWERING HARDY
GLADIOLUS

These are to the florist far and away the most useful
of all the Gladiolus family. They are beautiful in pots
and, with gentle forcing, a good supply of them may be
relied upon for at least four months in the year.

Each year brings forth novelties of surpassingly beautiful
colour, but in spite of this many of the varieties enumerated
below will still be with us twenty years hence.

v*Ackermann.

¥*Colville alba (The Bride).

136 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

r*Delicatissima superbissima. An improved form of Blushing

Bride.

^General Scott.
f*Peach Blossom.
Queen Wilhelmina.
William III.
p. Rosy Gem.

* Salmon Queen. An exquisite variety.
*Non plus ultra. A great beauty, often producing spikes
three feet high, and with branching stems.

* These are the best for cutting,
p. Are suitable for pots and forcing.

NEW EARLY GLADIOLUS NANUS
King Edward. Queen Alexandra. Red Admiral.

OTHER USEFUL TYPES OF GLADIOLI

Gladiolus Gandavensis varie- Gladiolus Nanceianus varie-
ties, ties.
Gladiolus Childsii varieties. Gladiolus primulinus varieties.

The above are all invaluable for cutting as they flower
late in the autumn. Their colourings are exquisite, in-
cluding soft pinks, yellows, mauves, and many artistic
colour combinations.

Gladiolus " America" A beautiful hybrid of Gandavensis and
Childsii, bearing spikes three feet long with enor-
mous flowers of a pale rose pink shaded white, some
of the flowers measuring four and a half inches
across. A grand addition to our flora.

LILIUMS AND OTHER BULBS 137

Gladiolus Princeps. This is undoubtedly the largest and most
decorative Gladiolus in existence. The colour is
brilliant scarlet, each petal having a white stripe.
A superb flower for large decorative work.

Gladiolus Brenchleyensis. This old favourite is still worth a
place in small collections, as the bulbs are very
cheap, and it makes a splendid show, either in the
garden or in a cut state, but I should not advise
any one to grow it if they have room for a collection
of the better ones.

LESSER KNOWN BULBS OF GREAT VALUE
TO FLORISTS

Alstrcemeria (Peruvian Lily) aurantiaca. Every one should
grow a few clumps of this hardy bulb in the her-
baceous border.

Alstrcemeria, Chiliwisis hybrids. These are among the most
beautiful of all flowers for cutting. Their colours
bafHe description, and with care and attention
the bulbs increase year by year. The flowers last an
incredible time in water, and they are with us
at a time when this is a great point in their
favour.

Amaryllis, Belladonna. One of the sweetest rose-pink flowers
in existence. (Cool greenhouse plant).

All who have visited the Temple Show

, ~ or R.H.S. meetings will have seen

Anemone de Caen. ji i i rm_

o. D • . ., 4 these lovely Anemones. They are

°^ invaluable for the garden or decorat-

, ing.

Anemone, His Excellency. The largest of all the scarlet
Anemones.

138

BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Calochortus Venustus oculatus.
„ „ Rosens.

„ „ citrinus.

„ „ Vesta.

„ „ ElDorado.

Anemone ful gens. This dazzlingly beautiful little Anemone
must find a place even in the smallest gardens.

The value of these to the
flower-lover can scarcely
be over-estimated. They
add tone to all arrange-
ments of flowers, and will
go with practically every-
thing.

CrinumMoorei. A handsome greenhouse plant, bearing spikes of

enormous Lily-like flowers of a delicate blush colour.

Crocosma imperials. A new variety which will be very useful

when it gets cheaper.

Freezia. Although this flower has not a very high decorative
value it must be grown by all who love the sweet
perfume of flowers. One little bowl of it will fill
the house with a scent which I have never known
any one object to.

Ornithogalum lacteum. Flowers of this will last three months
in water. I have kept them over two months after
they had journeyed from South Africa.
Potygonatum (Solomon's Seal, or David's Harp). This is re-
puted to be the " Lily of the field " of Scripture,
and is one of the most graceful plants in the world.
It will grow under trees as well as in the open border.
For large vases I know nothing more beautiful.

These Ranunculi are valuable
for the brilliant colours they

Ranunculus, Double Turban.,
„ Turco-Persian.

contain and their wonderful
lasting properties. They are
somewhat stiff, but when
mixed with lighter things
they are very decorative.

LILIUMS AND OTHER BULBS 139

SMzostylis coccinea.
Leucojum vernum, Carpathicum.

„ jEstivum.

These giant Snowdrops should be grown by every one as
they last well in water and are beautiful either alone or with
other flowers.
Watsonia Ardernei. This somewhat resembles a very large

Freezia, and is a beautiful plant.
Vcdotta purpurea (The Jersey Lily). An old cool greenhouse

bulb of easy cultivation and great beauty.
Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) varieties. These handsome bulbs
have of late years become deservedly more popular
in England. On the Continent they have always
been extensively grown for decorative work. They
are nearly hardy, of easy cultivation, and their
gorgeously beautiful flowers last over a week in
water.

XII
THE DAFFODIL

. . . daffodils,

That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty . . .

Perdita, " Winter's Tale," iv. 3.

FEELING that the beauty of this Queen of spring
flowers could not but inspire me when she came I
put off writing this chapter until she was once
more with us in all her golden glory.

This lovely gift of Nature, which joins hands
with the lingering Chrysanthemums and the
earliest Roses, has been the means of creating a
great floral industry.

She has many charming helpmates in her work
of filling this niche of Flora's Temple, but they all
sink into comparative insignificance beside her.

The Daffodil appears to have been known and
honoured by the ancients, and also to have had its
place in mythology, as we find it mentioned in

140

THE DAFFODIL 141

Sophocles as forming the garland of the Greater
Goddesses, and in Ovid as one of the flowers that
Proserpine was gathering when she was seized by
Pluto. Mahomet says of it, " If thou hast two
pennies spend one on bread and the other on
Narcissus." Poets, too, of all ages, have paid tribute
to its beauty, and it is doubtful if any flower except
the Rose has been so frequently alluded to in
classical poems as the graceful flower of which
Spenser says :

Foolish Narcisse that likes the watery shore ;
and Wordsworth, writing in his inimitable style :

The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee —
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company.

The number of Daffodils which daily help to
beautify our homes in and around London is almost
beyond statistical record, but careful calculation
gives us the following figures. During one week in
February when our own outdoor Daffodils were
still barely pushing their sword-like leaves through
the ground, over 25,000 boxes arrived in Covent
Garden. Of these a great number came from the

142 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Scilly Isles, Guernsey, and the South of France,
while no insignificant number came from the imme-
diate neighbourhood of London. It is pleasing to
note that these locally grown flowers are looked
upon as being the pick of the market, as the im-
ported ones are often some days old before they
reach the consumer. Although there are a very
large number of old standard kinds, such as Golden
Spur, Emperor, Barrii conspicuus and ornatus,
which seem to leave little to be desired from a
decorative standpoint, it is an undoubted fact that
there are a great many newer ones, which will in time
eclipse these old favourites : such are Torch, Queen
oj the West, Cassandra, Lucifer, Southern Star,
and Fire Dome. These, at present, are too expen-
sive to become real market flowers, but their cost
is insignificant when compared with some of the
newest varieties, for which £20 and even £30 a
bulb is the price.

If I were a young man investing in the Daffodil
industry, I should devote a considerable portion
of my capital to a carefully selected few of these
high-priced novelties, as there is no doubt that
among them will be found the future Daffodils of
commerce.

As this chapter is going to press a scurrilous

THE DAFFODIL 143

article appearing in the Press has been brought to
my notice accusing this lovely flower of spreading
infection. I have taken some trouble to prove that
this charge is utterly without foundation, and there
is no doubt in my mind that the writer of the
article was badly in want of material for a sensa-
tional paragraph.

Numerous as are the kinds of Daffodils, they all
have quite different lines, and it is therefore advis-
able when arranging them to keep to one variety
in a vase. If, however, it is found necessary to put
sorts together, never mix two of the large trumpet
section, or you lose their beauty entirely. The
smaller and lighter kinds may, however, in many
cases be mixed with very good results ; for example,
a mixture of different Leedsiis is always effective,
especially if a few good white ones can be pro-
cured.

When employing Daffodils for table decoration
there is no more effective way of showing them
than in low bowls with a profusion of their own
leaves. Never under any circumstance associate
exotic foliage or ferns with them, but rather use
long graceful sprays of brown or even green ivy,
or any other spring foliage that is available.

In red, pink, rose, or crimson rooms none but

144 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

the very palest should be used, but in mauve,
heliotrope, white, or green rooms the deeper colours
form the most beautiful contrast possible.

Daffodils are flowers which should always be
arranged lightly and in a perfectly natural way, or
their beauty and simplicity are utterly lost.

A mass put together without foliage is one of
my greatest floral horrors. Many of the smaller
varieties make very beautiful bouquets, and I have
often been called upon to use them in conjunction
with the smartest Court gowns. In such cases a
few Lilies of the Valley are often a desirable addi-
tion and give lightness.

There are no definite rules as to the method of
arranging them, except that the more naturally and
simply they are treated the more beautiful and
artistic will be the result.

It must also be remembered that the Daffodil
man has a different standard of beauty for his
flower from that of the floral decoratist. What
suits the exhibition table does not necessarily suit
the florist; hence many kinds may be grown
for cutting which are seldom or never seen in
the best exhibits at shows. Torch is one such
flower and Glory of Leiden is another.
* * * *

FIRST PRIZE TABLE OF SWEET PEAS AT
SHREWSBURY FLORAL FETE, 1909

THE DAFFODIL 145

When May comes the Daffodil season is over
and we then think of Herrick's delightful poem :

Fair Daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon.
As yet the early rising sun
Has not attained his noon.

Stay, stay,
Until the hastening day

Has run
But to the evensong.

BEST DAFFODILS FOR DECORATIVE WORK

Large Trumpet Section.

Y.s.GoIden Spur. A great favourite.

Cervantes. A good form of Princeps. Pale yellow.
Y.S. Emperor.

Y.s.Glory of Leiden. This is not a high quality flower, but as
a decorative flower it surpasses all others in its
section.

Y.s.Henry Irving. A sturdy and early variety.
B. Empress. This and Emperor are still great favourites.
B. Victoria. I consider this an improvement on Empress.
x.Mme. Plemp. A most aristocratic-looking bicolour.
E.Mrs. W. Ware.
B. Victoria. When well grown this is my favourite among the

reasonable priced Trumpet bicolours.
^.Grandee. The latest of all bicolours.
W. P. Mihier. Trumpet ; most lovely in pots ; 1 2 inches
high ; opens pale sulphur ; becomes white with
age.

Y.S. Yellow self. B. Bicolour.

146 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Incomparabilis Section.

Frank Miles. One of the most graceful of all Daffodils.
Sir Waikin. A beautiful Daffodil, and at the present price

the best of all for decorative work, as it has such

long self-supporting stems.
Leonie.
Queen Bess.
Barrii conspicuus. This is a very cheap bulb, but I think it

one of the most charming.
Crown Prince. Cup stained orange.
Lucifer. A brilliant bit of colour. The cup is a clear

orange-red.
Duchess of Westminster. A fine large Leedsii.

Mrs. Langtry.} „ , ... . .

us- - u \ Two beautiful Leedms.

Minnie Hume.}

DOUBLE DAFFODILS

Von Sion. Sulphur Phoenix.

Albo pleno odorato Orange Phoenix.

DAFFODILS

Newer varieties which should not be lost sight of.

Van Waverens Giant. Yellow Trumpet.

Queen of the West. This is the most superbly balanced

Daffodil that I have ever seen. The colour is the

purest canary-yellow.
King Alfred. A grand deep yellow self ; one of the very

best.

Lord Roberts. Large yellow Trumpet.
Blackwell. A glorified Barrii conspicuus.
Loveliness. Well described in its name.

THE DAFFODIL 147

Cleopatra. Lovely soft yellow Trumpet.

Diike of Bedford.

Eyebright. A lovely white variety with a bright red edge to
the cup ; very near a " poet."

Glory of Noordwych. A. large Trumpet of great worth.

Mrs. M. Crosfield. A charming variety but scarcely good
enough to take so illustrious a name.

Lowdham Beauty. Like a large white Sir Waikm.

Weardale Perfection. A glorious big bicolour with sulphur-
yellow cup.

Mme. de Graaff. Stems are rather too short.

Diana. A giant Leedsii of much decorative value.

Torch. One of the most decorative and beautiful of all
Daffodils.

Castile. Deep orange-red cup ; pale yellow perianth ; fine
bit of deep colour.

Southern Star. Without doubt this is one of the Daffodils
of the future ; large flower creamy white, with
brilliant orange cup carried gracefully on a long
stem.
Waterwitch. A pure white drooping Leedsii.

Lady M. Boscawen.

White Lady. A most chaste and beautiful Daffodil.

Fire Dome. Undoubtedly one of the Daffodils of the
future.

NARCISSUS POETICUS

Ornatus. Quite a fortnight earlier than the Pheasant

Eye.

Pheasant Eye.
Poetarum. Bright scarlet eye.

148 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

BEAUTIFUL NEW POETS' NARCISSI

Miss Wilmott. It will be many years before this grand
Narcissus can be offered in quantity, but some day
it will be the Pheasant Eye of commerce.

Tennyson. Horace.

Comus. Kingsley.

Cassandra. Virgil.

Homer. Kestrel.

Argent. Loose-looking double ; very decorative.

Narcissus Poetaz. When this break becomes more plentiful

it will completely eclipse the Polyanthus Narcissus

section for cutting.

XIII

HERBACEOUS PLANTS, GIVING
SPECIAL ATTENTION TO PEONIES
AND MICHAELMAS DAISIES

Nothing can be confected, either delicate for taste,
dainty for smell, pleasant for sight, wholesome for body,
conservative or restorative for health, but it borroweth
the relish of a herb, the savour of a flower, the colour
of a leaf, the juice of a plant, or the decoction of a
root.

JOHN GERARD, 1597.

1 ONCE knew a herb-lover who prided himself on
the fact that he picked flowers from his own garden
every day in the year, although he had only a narrow
strip of lawn with a border down each side and
a rockery at the bottom, and often when I have
visited him the little borders were a perfect blaze
of colour. Bearing this in mind it seems to me
remarkable that herbaceous plants are not more
generally grown.

Although of course it is impossible to cut many

149

150 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

flowers during the winter months the herbaceous
border may always be relied upon for a supply of
flowers from early spring to late autumn, many
of them of colours that can scarcely be found in any
other class of plants.

Ask yourself where there is a flower quite so
blue as the Delphinium or Anchusa ? or have we
any flower to compare with the colour of Lobelia
cardinalis ? Then there are the gorgeous yellows
of the Helianthus, Doronicum, and Gaillardia, and
the exquisite shades of mauve, lavender, and grey
of Michaelmas Daisies. Indeed, a well-stocked
herbaceous border will supply you with a regular
change of colour-scheme for many months out
of the twelve.

The majority of herbs being of a robust and
therefore somewhat heavy growth are useless for
high-class table decorations or bouquet work, but
for cutting they are absolutely indispensable,
and the herbaceous border also provides many
flowers, such as Gypsophilas and Heucheras, which
help to lighten anything with which they are
associated.

I often wonder whether it is the great number
of varieties of herbaceous plants which confront
those who are making a selection that puts

HERBACEOUS PLANTS 151

people off them. It is really impossible to make a
successful selection without you are in constant
touch with them throughout the year, and as there
are so many good things among them I am afraid
the lists of valuable varieties to grow are still very
long, they however include nothing but those which
have been tried and proved useful for the purposes
of " British Floral Decoration," and as far as space
admits should all be found in every herbaceous
border.

PEONIES

If one quietly contemplates the glorious colour,
size, and form of these magnificent hardy herbs one
cannot but marvel at the comparative few that one
finds in gardens.

In common with many other splendid herbaceous
plants they are neglected for other things which
have no pretence to half their charm. In Japan
and France their claims have been fully recognised
for many years, and there is no doubt that one day
England, with her usual tardiness, will appreciate
their beauty.

They require very little care or attention, and
increase in size every year. They will grow in prac-
tically any soil, but if very light it should have a

152 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

fairly liberal annual supply of manure, as peonies
are strong growers and heavy feeders. In the
hottest days of summer they should be regularly
watered, as although their flowers are over, it is
then that they are making their buds for next year.
Their colours baffle description, and in form
many of them resemble enormous semi-double
Roses, they travel well and last many days in
water, and after adding to these good points the fact
that many of them have a delicious and inoffensive
perfume you will be in possession of some small
idea of their beauty, but, when the first flowers
of Her Grace, Festiva maocima, or Mons. Chas.
Leveque are seen in the garden all will be bound
to admit that my description has utterly failed to
do them justice.

* Albert Crousse. Blush-pink, large and good quality.
Amazone. Creamy white suffused with crimson ; very

distinct.
*Canarie. White tinted sulphur ; one of the most useful for

cutting.
Carnea elegans. Beautiful clear satiny flesh ; a lovely bit

of colour.
Duchesse de Nemours. A giant white flower ; rose-scented.

A real beauty.

Eugene Verdier. Clear flesh-pink.

*Festiva maxima. Pure white, tipped pale pink ; a large and
full flower ; very free-flowering.

HERBACEOUS PLANTS 153

*Her Grace. This is one of the most lovely of all the
Herbaceous Peonies, peach-pink with rosy tips ; a
superb production.
La Perle. A fine flower, very large with broad smooth

petals of a lovely pink shade.

La Tulipe. White, delicately flushed carmine, very hand-
some ; late-flowering.
*Lady Carrington. Flesh, very large, fragrant. F.C.C.,

R.H.S. Undoubtedly in the first rank.
Marguerite Gerard. Described as an enormous flower, flesh

passing to pure white, centre sulphur ; very fine.
*Marie Lemoine. Pure white with creamy centre ; globular-
shaped flowers, late flowering, one of the very best.
Mme. Crousse. White, tipped ; an extra good one.
*Mme. de Galhau. Beautiful soft pink ; enormous and per-
fectly formed.

*Mons. Charles Leveque. A lovely colour, opening silvery-
blush, and shading pure white ; very full, hand-
some. A.M., R.H.S. I think this is my favourite.
*PhUomele. Soft satiny rose, shading to sulphur-yellow. A

fine variety for cutting.
Solfaterre. Beautiful primrose-yellow, rose-scented, tall

grower.
Victor Hugo. Brilliant amaranth, the best of the colour.

* These are about the pick, though all are so lovely that
it is difficult to individualise.

ASTERS (MICHAELMAS DAISIES OR
STARWORTS)

In the late autumn these supply the florist and
decorator with masses of light and graceful flowers,

154 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

which are most welcome, as they last in water longer
than any other autumn flower.

They continue to flower until well into November,
and some of the late varieties will stand some
degrees of frost. If, however, the sharp weather sets
in before the later ones have opened they may be
cut in the bud state, and put into water in a cool
greenhouse, and they will then open almost as well
as they would have done under natural conditions.

Thanks to the interest which has been taken in
hybridising by Mr. Beckett, V.M.H., of Elstree,
Mr. N. J. Jones, and others, we now have a great
range of colours. It is not very long since we had
only three or four good sorts, whereas it is now
difficult to get the list of sterling varieties under
thirty, and there are still more than three times that
number left out.

*Amellus Aldenham. *Novce Anglice, Mrs. F. W.
Cordifolius albulus. Raynor.

„ Diana. Puniceus pidcherrimus.

* „ White Diana. Turbinellus Chapmanii.
„ elegans. „ albus.

*Ericoides Clio. Vimineus, Delight.

*Lcevis formosissimus. * Climax.

*Novce Belgii, May Crum. The Honble. Edith Gibbs.

„ „ Perry's Pink. Comeliness.

* „ „ Robert Parker. The Honble. Vicary Gibbs.
„ „ collerette rose. *Star Shower.

HERBACEOUS PLANTS 155

Yvette Richardson. Grey Dawn.

Mrs. Frank Brazier. Maidenhood.

*King Edward VII. * Edward Beckett.

Grace.

* Although all are beautiful these are perhaps the best.

HERBACEOUS PLANTS

That would be more extensively cultivated if better known.

o.v.Achillcea Coupe d* Argent. This lovely variety is in

flower the whole summer.

*o.v.Achillcea Ptarmica, " The Pearl.'1 The best of all
the Achilloeas.

s.Alstrcemeria aurantiaca. \ ~ _. „ _»,
... 7 -T • f kee Bulbous Plants.

*s. „ chilensis. J

O.B. or s. Anemone Japonica alba (Wind-flower). This charm-
ing old plant is still one of the gems of the
herbaceous border.

O.B. or s.Anemone Japonica Queen Charlotte. A beautiful soft
rose-pink variety, very large semi-double flowers.
*O.B. or s. Anemone Japonica rosea superba. Pale pink flowers

borne on stems three feet high.

s.Anthericum Liliastrum (St. Bruno's Lily). A very

fine flower in the border or in a vase ; pure white.

o.v.Ascelpias tuberosa. This is an uncommon colour and

very useful for a change.
o.v.Aquilegia ccerulea. The hybrids are all beautiful and

include indescribably beautiful colours.
o.E.Aquilegia chrysantha. Golden yellow ; superb.
o.^.Aquilegia glandulosa. Blue and white.
Aquilegia (see also Annuals).

156 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

*o, .^.Campanula persicifolia. A lovely blue shade.
o.v.Campanula persicifolia alba grandiflora. A large

white variety of the above.
*o.E.Campanula persicifolia Moerheimi. Immense pure

white semi-double flowers ; a grand sort.
o.x.Campanula pyramidalis. If grown in pots these make

very handsome plants for decorations.
*o.E.Chrysanthemum leucanthemum Daviesii.
O.B. „ maximum Mrs. H. Gabb.

O.B. „ „ Angus.

*O.B. „ „ Robinsonii. A beautiful

laced or fimbriated variety.
^.^.Chrysanthemum maximum King Edward.
O.B. „ „ Britannia.

O.B. „ „ Mrs. Lowthian Bell.

I have arranged the varieties of Chrysanthemums in the
order in which they flower. They resemble giant Marguerites
and last a full week in water, even in the hottest weather.
Cimicifuga racemosa

„ simplex. It is a pity that these handsome
plants are not better known as they are capital
things for cutting.

Nothing can ap-
proach these

™ n , as a blaze of

Blue Butterfly. , , . ,

ir- * r» 7 T, • • J blue in the gar-

O.B. „ King oj Uelphima. '

O.B. „ Madame H. Jacotot.

den. They are
superb for fill-
ing large Nan-
kin vases.

*o.-B.Cereopsis grandiflora. An old favourite.
s. or o.v.Doronicum Plantagineum excelsum. Welcome as
one of the first patches of colour in the garden.

HERBACEOUS PLANTS 157

Oliverianum Alpinum. Should be grown
in the full sun or the lovely blue colourings will
never develop (see also Annuals and Biennials).
o.v.Gaillardia grandiflora. These are most artistic

flowers, and of easy culture.

*Gerbera Jamesonii. The lovely new hybrid varieties of
this plant are destined to become very popular
when they are better known. They are not
quite hardy and are procured from seed.
*Q.-R.Gypsophila paniculata. Too well known to need
description. One of the most helpful flowers to
both amateur and professional florists. Never
use much GypsophUa when mixing it with other
flowers. A few sprays tend to lighten all work,
but a cloud of it spoils everything.

*o.*.Gy psophilapaniculatajl.pl. Adouble variety of above.

o.E.Helenium Bigelowi. A very handsome plant, produc-

ing great clusters of yellow flowers with jet-black

eyes.

o.E.Helianthus (Herbaceous Sunflowers) multiflorus,

Golden bouquet.

o.v.He2ianthus (Herbaceous Sunflowers) multiflorus,
Soleil d'Or.
These two are both beautiful additions.

*Helianthus rigidus sparsifolia. A very late variety,
indeed it flowers right up to the time when the
frost cuts everything down.
o.x.Heliopsis scabra, Ben Ladhams. A charming

perennial.
Heleborus (Christmas Rose) niger maximus.

„ angustifolius (the St. Brigid's Christmas

Rose).
These are the two best for cutting.

158 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

o.v.ffeuchera brizoides gracillima.
*O.B. „ sanguined.
O.B. zabelliana.

These are exquisitely
graceful flowers,
and should be
grown in some

quantity as they
are invaluable for
table work.
o.v.Papaver nudicaule. Iceland poppies (see Annuals and

Biennials).

o.v.Papaver Orientale. A magnificent splash of colour.
O.B. „ „ Princess Victoria Louise. This

flower is the most exquisite shade of true coral-
pink that I know.

o.*.Pyrethrum. There are no more useful flowers for cut-
ting than these, and we now have many superb
colours among them. The single ones are the most
artistic. They give two crops during the summer,
and are invaluable either for table decoration or
vases, as in the hottest weather they last over
a week in water.

*Pyrethrum James Kelway. Vivid crimson.
„ Princess Mary. A fine white.
„ Mrs. Bateman Brown. Enormous flower

of a carmine-crimson shade.
„ John Malcom. The finest pink in

commerce.

„ Mary Kelway. Bright rose.
„ Elsie Gertrude.
„ Aphrodite. Double white.
„ Haage and Schmidt. Bright rose, paler in
centre.

HERBACEOUS PLANTS 159

s.Spircea confusa. A graceful and useful florist's

flower.
s.Spircea venusta. A splendid border plant, and also

useful for cutting.

o.E.Solidago (Aaron's Rod). A new variety named
Golden Wings is a great improvement on the
old one.

* These are the best for small collections.
O.B. Should be grown in the open border.
s. Will do in shady positions.

FLOWERING SHRUBS

These are invaluable for decorative work as they may be
cut with long stems.

Tamarix, Pattasii rosea.
Viburnum opidus.

„ plicatum.
Hamamellis mottis.
Forsythia suspensa.
Chimonanthus fragrans.
Xanthoceras sorbifolia.
Buddleia Veitchiana.

XIV

DECORATIVE FOLIAGES, ALSO WOOD-
LAND LEAVES AND HEDGEROW
FLOWERS

I AM giving a very comprehensive list of these as,
in addition to the fact that many of them create
most desirable and uncommon effects in the garden,
they form, in a cut state, the very backbone of all
floral decorations.

Although nearly all flowers in their natural state
are supplied with an abundance of foliage, it must
be remembered that many of the flowers of daily
commerce are produced artificially and are used in
somewhat unnatural ways ; they therefore require
a lot of help in the matter of added foliage.

Neither must it be forgotten that at those times
of the year when flowers are scarce a good bunch
of prettily tinted leaves makes a few flowers go
three times as far as they would without them.
These foliages, in addition to being helpful in the

160

ONE OF FELTON'S WINDOWS IN APRIL 1909

This is an illustration of wealth of colour rather than

artistic treatment. The window was arranged in this way

by desire of the photographers, who were anxious to see the

effect of the process through glass.

DECORATIVE FOLIAGES 161

ways mentioned, make splendid and lasting vases
by themselves, and for the long trumpet vases which
are now so much in vogue they are invaluable,
making a welcome change to the everlasting palms
and flowering plants.

For the guidance of those who do not know them
by their scientific names I have divided them into
three sections.

There are many, however, who cannot spare
room to grow foliage plants specially for purposes
of cutting, but if they live in the country this matters
but little, as the hedgerows provide charming
colour-schemes from early spring to late autumn,
and even in the winter they give us berries,
bramble leaves, and sprays of brown Ivy, which
parasite the bailiffs and foresters are always glad to
have removed from the trees, providing the fences
are not broken down in gaining access to them.
Many hundred bundles of these sprays are sent
daily to Co vent Garden and command a ready sale
at good prices.

To those who love simple table decorations the
woodlands and hedgerows provide at least four
changes during the year, but a wild-flower table
is by no means an easy one to make and must be
treated in a scrupulously natural way ; the first

162 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

may be made in the spring when the Primroses
are at their best. The most effective way is to
place a tall narrow vase in the centre, then take
from four to eight similar ones of different heights
and place them on the table in irregular positions.
Next make a lot of balls of brown paper and build
little imaginary rockeries or banks, running them
from one vase to another and reaching half-way up
some of the vases. Cover this paper entirely with
large pieces of the flat moss which is so plentiful in
the woods, then trail light pieces of Ivy over the
moss, allowing the ends to twine up the glasses, so
as to completely hide them. Now make up little
tufts of Primroses, Bluebells, Wild Violets, Wood
Anemones, or any other flower that you may be able
to get, and push them through the moss just as
though growing. You need not be afraid of over-
loading the table with these simple wild flowers,
as the idea should be to create miniature banks and
valleys of them.

The vases must now be filled with branches of
Blackthorn bloom, Wild Plum, or, if these are not
available, Apple, Pear, Almond, Cherry, or any
other spring blossom will do.

A little later on the same style of table
can be made, employing, in much the same

DECORATIVE FOLIAGES 163

way, such wild flowers as are in season, using
Laburnum for the tall vase and Lilac for the shorter
ones.

In the autumn gorgeously tinted foliage of every
conceivable hue can be employed, and in the winter
there is nothing so simple and uncommon as a
table of winter leaves and berries. Neither must
the Christmas table, of which particulars are given
in chapter ii., be forgotten.

Great care must be taken with these tables as it
is only by carefully adhering to Nature's lines that
success can be attained.

FOLIAGES WHICH BECOME BEAUTIFUL IN

THE AUTUMN

Berberis Thunbergii. Acer circinatum.

„ vulgaris atropur- * „ Tartaricum.

pivreus. Rosa nitida.

Symphwicarpus vulgaris. Rvbus. Varieties.

Quercus phellos. Spiraea confusa.

„ coccinea splendens. * „ Douglasii.

Rhus typhina lacweata. „ prunifolia.

*Amphelopsis Veitchii. Vitis Thomsonii.

Acer carpinifolia. *Pyrus nigra.

„ cratcegifolium. *Parrotia persica.
„ japonwum microphyl- *Liquidamber Styracifolia.
him.

164 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

FOLIAGES FOR SPRING AND SUMMER

All the Japanese Maples are beautiful, but those given
below are the best for cutting.

*Acer palmatum.

„ „ atropurpureum.

„ „ roseum marginatum.

* „ „ sanguineum.

„ „ septemlobum elegans.

„ „ purpureum.

„ colchicum aureum.
„ Schwedleri.
„ Tartaricum.
Cercidyphyeum Japonicum.
*Prunus Pissardii.
„ purpurea.

„ spinosus folms purpureus.
*Stephanandra flexuosa.

FOLIAGES WHICH ARE MORE OR LESS FIXED
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

*Mahonia or Berberis aquafolia.
*Lonicera Japonica variegata.
*Berberis Uicifolia.

Cotoneaster buxifolia.
*Elceagnus gldbra fol. vw.
*Euxmymus radicans, Silver Gem.

Hederas (Ivy).
*Ligustrum htcidum tricolor.

ovalifoliivm elegantissimum.

J o

A SIMPLE DKCORATION OF A CHANCEL

This work was designed on the occasion of an important society wedding at
St. Mark's Church, North Audley Street, W. *Jy

DECORATIVE FOLIAGES 165

PLANTS BEARING ORNAMENTAL BERRIES

These are indispensable throughout the winter, and
specially so round Christmas.

Berberis vulgaris.

* „ „ atropurpureum.
*Cerasus semperflorens (All Saints' Cherry).
*HippopJioca rhamncndes (Sea Buckthorn).
*Symphoricarpus mottis.

*Crat(Egus pyracantha.
Symplocus cratcegioides.

* Viburnum opulus.
Rosa rugosa.
Cotoneaster horizontalis.
Pernettya mucronata.

ORNAMENTAL GRASSES

These are more than useful in all kinds of flower work,
but they should be used sparingly or they create a heavy
effect. They are more appropriate when used with outdoor
flowers than with greenhouse or stove productions.

*Stipa pinnata. * Avena sterUis. (The Animated

Gynermm argenteum. Oat.)

Agrostis nebulosa. Brisa maxima.

*Eragrostis elegans. *Eulalia Japcmica.

*Hordium jubatum. „ zebrina.

Coix lacrima.

166 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

FLOWERS FOR DRYING

These everlasting flowers will be found very valuable, when
dried, for winter decoration.

*Statice sinuata (all varieties).

* „ Bonduella.

* „ latifolia.
*Eryngium (all varieties).

Acrodinum. (Pink and white.)
Helichrysum monstrosum.
Gypsophila paniculata.

„ „ Jlore pleno.

*Echinops Ritro.
Physalis Franchetti. Commonly called the Cape Gooseberry.

* „ Bunyardii. An improvement on Franchetti, as the

seed-pods are produced higher up the stems, and
it is also taller.

Rhodanihe maculata. (Cool greenhouse annual.)
*Linaria. (Honesty.)

All flowers for drying must be cut just when they have
arrived at their full perfection, and must on no account be
left to get spoiled either by rain or exposure to the sun. The
colour will fade in the process of drying if this is not carefully
looked to.

* These are the best in their respective classes.

XV

USEFUL ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS
FOR CUTTING

OF late years there have been so many beautiful
additions to our annual flowers that I feel they
well deserve a short chapter to themselves.

It is unfortunate that a great many of them,
owing to their somewhat frail nature, cannot be
successfully packed for travelling ; this limits, to a
very great extent, their field of utility, but those
who can devote a small piece of their garden to
growing them for home use will find many of them
provide a welcome change in colour and line.

Some of the colours under this heading are in-
describably beautiful, such as Godetia Schamini
H. pl.y Lavatera, Scabiosa Caucassica, Aquilegias
(Columbines), to say nothing of Shirley and Iceland
Poppies.

All annuals should be cut quite early in the
morning, as when once the sun has opened
them they last a very short time. It is also most

167

168 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

essential that they are put into water immediately
they are cut, as being of a soft and succulent nature
they soon collapse, and are not easily revived.

The majority of annuals are already so well
known that my list is confined to a few of the
newer varieties or the less-known ones.

Aquilegias. These have been developed marvellously by
selection during the last few years. Most of the
leading seedsmen, such as Messrs. Veitch, Dobbie, or
Sutton, have carefully selected strains of this truly
beautiful annual. There is scarcely a flower that can
be called to mind that is more beautiful than the
Columbine, and I look upon it as the Orchid of the
Annual world : it possesses nearly every good point
for the florist, colour, lightness, and length of stem.
There is no doubt that it would be still more
popular if it were not for the fact that it is some-
what difficult to pack.

Asters. Comet, Ostrich Plume, Early Wonder (single), and
Salmon Queen.

Cornflowers. The Bridegroom, a beautiful heliotrope-coloured
variety.

Clarkia elegans. Salmon Queen. A perfectly lovely shade of
salmon-pink.

Cosmea. New early flowering varieties.

Delphinium. Blue Butterfly.

Gaillardia. Picta Lorenziana.

Godetias. Duchess of Fife ,• Schamini fl. pi.

Gypsophila elegans carminea \ These are invaluable

„ „ grandiflora alba V for mixing with all

„ „ rosea J other flowers.

USEFUL ANNUALS FOR CUTTING 169

Lavetera and Malope. Beautiful annuals, but too fragile to
travel. Capital things for home use.

Nemesia strumosa Suttoni and its selections.

Nigetta. Miss Jekyll.

Salpiglossis grandiflora.

Scabiosa Caucassica. This is decidedly one of the most use-
ful of all annuals. Its colours, of every conceivably
shade of grey, lavender, and mauve, vie with those
of the Sweet Pea, with which, by the way, they
associate most admirably in table decoration.

Iceland Poppies, of which Miss Hemus's strain embraces
several new and beautiful art shades.

Stock. Beaute de Nice, Gloire de Nice, Giant White (ten
week).

Anchusa Italica (Dropmore variety). This is one of the most
beautiful shades of blue in existence.

Antirrhinum nanum. Rose-pink and terra-cotta shades.
These latter are truly exquisite colours, and should
be grown by every one who has to keep a house
supplied with cut flowers.

Kochia trichophylla. This is particularly useful on account of
its delicate green foliage, turning in the autumn
to golden and red.

Sunflower. Stella.

Sweet Sultan (Jarman's strain). These are most useful, as
even in the hottest summer weather they last many
days in water.

Shirley Poppies. These exquisite annuals are very fragile and
should be cut just before the buds burst. They
pack and travel safely in this condition.

XVI
DAHLIAS

THOSE who remember the early Cactus Dahlias
such as Juarezi and Mrs. Hawkins with their
somewhat heavy flowers and the unfortunate habit
of producing them on short stems, below the
foliage, will scarcely recognise, as their progeny,
the beautiful flowers of to-day.

Among the newer varieties of Cactus Dahlias
will be found some of the most exquisite flowers
for the florist, of colours so quaint and artistic
that it is with some trepidation one attempts to
describe them.

Many of them create the most gorgeous masses
of colour in the garden, and the flowers themselves
are so graceful and dainty that they may be used
for every kind of floral work.

As I write I have in my mind's eye a beautiful
table of Cactus Dahlias and autumnal leaves to
which, although in competition with many others

170

DAHLIAS 171

composed of much choicer flowers, I awarded first
prize at Colchester Show.

It was arranged by Mrs. Orpen and the variety
used was Pearl, while for foliage nothing more
elaborate was employed than common bracken,
sprays of Amphelopsis Veitchii and a few other
autumn leaves.

The importance of this flower to the florist is
forcibly marked by the fact that at many of the
leading Horticultural shows special classes are
provided for bouquets of Cactus Dahlias and are
always most beautiful and interesting ones.

CACTUS DAHLIAS

The Cactus Dahlia is by far the most important to all
those who are likely to read " British Floral Decoration," and
the varieties given below are all fine upstanding flowers of
either strong decorative, or highly artistic, colours.

s* Dainty. Primrose.

*Caradoc. *Star.

*C. E. Wilkins. s*Harold Peerman.

*Rev. Arthur Bridge. Ibis.

Mrs. Shoesmith, or *Pearl.

s*Fairy. The Pilot.

$*Francis Grahame. Mrs. McMillan.

Coronation, or *C. H. Curtis.

s.*Amos Perry. Thomas Wilson.

s*Kreimhilda. Gondola.

172 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

*Flame. x.Lancer.

H. Shoesmith. ^.Jupiter.

Anemone. ^.Little Beeswing.

^.Indomitable. ^.Stormer.

x.Iolanthe. x.Rev. T. W. Jamieson.

jfj.Prima Donna. -^.Monarch.

-s.Lady Muriel. w.Nisi Prius.

^.Goldcrest. iz.Snowdon.

* A distinct and representative collection.

N. New varieties which should be kept in view.

s. A fine six for small growers.

POMPON CACTUS DAHLIAS

Delightfully pretty little flowers which, if the contrasts
or harmonies are carefully chosen, are most useful for mixing
with the larger ones.

Freedom. Mrs. H. B. Brunt.

Little Fred. The Bride.

Grade. Coronation.
Nain.

Although there are many very beautiful flowers among the
single and Pompon Dahlias, I am not of the opinion that
they are useful to either amateur or professional decorators
and I therefore give no lists of them.

PEONY-FLOWERED DAHLIAS

These are very useful for large vases, and are also glorious
things in the garden.

*Geisha. *Glory of Baarn.

Kmg Leopold. Germama,

DAHLIAS 173

*Dr. Van Gorkom. *Mrs. R. Copland.

Ironmonger. *Mrs. A. McKeller.

*Solfatera. Princess Royal.

Queen Emma. Nicholas II.

* Six really good ones.

XVII
CHURCH DECORATION

THE subject of Church Decoration is one which
perhaps claims the attention of amateur florists
more closely than any other, as the arrangement of
church flowers invariably falls to the lot of lady
amateurs, and I regret very much having to be
somewhat hard in my remarks about the majority
of them.

Being engaged as I am almost daily in work
of some kind at one or other of the London
churches, I see a great deal of their work, and I
cannot help being struck by the very severe and
formal way in which most of it is done, espe-
cially the decoration of the altar, which invariably
consists of a very amateurish cross in the middle,
and a kind of shield of flowers on either side.
These shields are usually quite round, and have
troughs in them to hold water, but I find that they
never hold enough water to be of any real service

174

CHURCH DECORATION 175

to the flowers, and so they are practically useless
and certainly not ornamental. I am quite sure that
if five vases of undulating heights were filled in a
perfectly natural way with Lilium Harris!, Arums,
white Tulips or other long-stemmed flowers which
the seasons give us, the altars would look much
more simple and artistic, and moreover the flowers
would last considerably longer.

There is one church to which I should like to
point as being beyond criticism in the way their
floral arrangements are carried out ; it is St. Paul's,
Knightsbridge, where a large number of important
society weddings take place.

For many years I was appointed by them to
carry out the decorations for a great proportion of
these ceremonies, but it was not until the wedding
of Miss West to His Grace the Duke of West-
minster that I was able to prevail upon those in
authority at the church to allow me to depart
from the usual formal style of decoration, and con-
vert the altar and screen into artistic bowers of
flowers and foliage ; the fact that they have never
returned to the old way speaks volumes for the
result of the experiment.

An ecclesiastical edifice is naturally and pro-
perly sombre and dignified in its lines, but weddings

176 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

and christenings must surely be looked upon as
joyous events, and I hold that it is therefore the
duty of florists to endeavour on these occasions to do
everything that lies in their power to brighten and
relieve the severity of the building.

It has also always been a matter of regret to me
that a few soft colourings are not more often per-
mitted, at any rate for weddings. I have been
allowed a little latitude in this direction several
times, and always with perfect success.

GENERAL VIEW OF RECEPTION HALL AT CLARIDGE S

Decorated by command of the Japanese Embassy for the reception given to T.R.H.
Prince and Princess NasLimoto of Japan

XVIII
CHILDREN'S FLOWER SHOWS

MUCH might be done by local horticultural societies
to influence a love of art in the application of wild
country flowers or flowers of a cheap and inexpen-
sive character to the beautifying of village homes.
There is no doubt that the love of flowers thus
inculcated in the children in their early life must
have a refining and ennobling effect in their later
years. If teachers would interest their little charges
in the wild flowers which crowd our country lanes,
suggest their gathering some of the favourites,
and bringing them to help adorn the schoolrooms,
the children would inevitably drop into the habit
first of admiring and then making use of these
"wayside weeds" in their homes, and if the local
flower-show committee could be interested in the
matter much more might be achieved.

As an instance of what can be done in this
direction 1 will quote the little village of Bishop's

177 M

178 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Waltham, in Hampshire, where in 1874 a Horti-
cultural Society was established, mainly for the
benefit of cottagers. They were induced to cultivate
their gardens better, and prizes for all produce were
well competed for. The children had their corner
too, prizes being offered for Nosegays and Baskets
of Wild Flowers, until it was no unusual sight to see
over a hundred in competition, and before long the
children's corner outgrew the space that was avail-
able, and the exhibits became so crowded that
justice could not be done to them. Then it was that
the idea of a Children's Flower Show was broached.
A committee, mainly of ladies, was formed and
classes were arranged. A grant from the parent
society, together with special prizes, was readily
forthcoming, and a very interesting schedule was
drawn up. We found the " Best arranged vase " very
popular, especially amongst infant exhibitors, their
difficulty being to grasp sufficient flowers to make
a nosegay. For a Basket of Wild Flowers there
were many tasteful exhibits. The handles were
prettily entwined with ivy, or other creeping
plant, care being taken that the damp sand used
in the baskets was well covered with moss. Then
there were classes for Vases of Garden Flowers,
Buttonholes, Ladies' Sprays, Best Wreath, Soup-

CHILDREN'S FLOWER SHOWS 179

plate and Tumbler decorated (very difficult to
accomplish, but receptacles possible in every home),
and last but not least Best Trimmed Hat with
natural flowers and foliage. Of course some of the
children are naturally more fond of flowers than
others, but when once their interest is aroused they
are very keen and " their " flower show has become
quite an event in the village. It was noticeable,
too, how quickly they grasped colour-schemes (a
mixture of crude colours being one of the principal
failings in exhibits from grown-ups at most shows),
and how quickly they realise when an opponent wins
that it is choice of colour before quantity of variety
that the judges, usually three of the leading resi-
dents, like best. Even a Sunday-school teacher can
profitably spare five minutes for general talk about
flowers, and as so often happens when a buttonhole
is brought her, can point out why colours blend or
the reverse. It used not to occur to these youth-
ful folk to follow Nature's mixture of colours — but
they are learning that where pink flowers have
yellow centres other yellow flowers of the same tone
can quite well be arranged with them. Then, too, we
have many mauve flowers, which, as age increases,
show pink shades, and to emphasise this blending of
shades is one of the main points in our floral decora-

180 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

tions. Children should be taught to observe how
the flower grows, and if it has an upright habit
what folly it is to arrange it drooping, when perhaps
only the back of an otherwise beautiful specimen
is shown. I do not hesitate to say that, as the
years go on and these children grow up, we shall
find them, if circumstances allow, well able to
compete, yes, and win ! against others who have
been decorating at shows for years. Certainly
great strides have been made in various decorations
at flower shows, but much remains yet before we
can say perfection has been reached. Take the
class for Table Decoration (and no show can keep
the public interest alive without these Decorative
Sections), and you will find that most societies
have various restrictions which cramp competitors'
work and should be done away with. A sweetly
simple table is one of little cut glasses, and for a
centre nothing more than a salad-bowl. These
should be filled with little single weed Camo-
mile and the ever-popular Scarlet Poppy with
some highly coloured Hornbeam, young Oak shoots,
trails of Bramble, deep rich bronze-red leaves,
emphasising the Poppy, as well as sprigs of Dock,
Sorrel, gone or going to seed, and light grasses
having a brown hue : clear crystal glass and great

CHILDREN'S FLOWER SHOWS 181

lightness of arrangement are essential for this
scheme. One of those glass blocks with holes
pierced, sold by all china dealers and most florists,
is very helpful, in fact a necessity, when arranging
a bowl. Table-centres of silk or muslin are quite
out of date and should never be used. Many rustic
stands are used at shows and are certainly very
helpful and rather suitable for wild flowers, but
I do not recommend them, they so soon tarnish,
and unless frequently silvered their dirty appearance
is fatal, or should be, to a judge. Moreover in one's
own home they hold too little water to be generally
useful.

Wild flowers should be gathered with dew upon
them, placed in large bowls, &c., and allowed a
free supply of water for a few hours before being
used for decorating.

Poppies should be cut whilst in the bud and
allowed to develop in water. If this is impossible
their stalk-ends must be burnt — mere singeing is not
sufficient— or in a few hours' time their heads droop
and all their graceful curves are lost.

In arranging a vase of Wild Flowers one needs
a firm base to commence with. It is well to place
first the greenery, choosing that natural to the
flowers if possible, or at any rate of the same tone,

182 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

then any trails that may lend themselves to the
beautifying of the vase ; placing a few flowers for
centre and then working up to the summit, finishing
off with a few light grasses.

In thanking Miss Molyneux for the charming
insight into village flower-show work from which
this chapter has been written, I should like to
fully endorse all she says ; but there is one other
point that she seems to have overlooked, which is,
that the love of flowers, and arranging them, has not
only a refining influence, but it fits the children to
be helpful in later life in the situations they may
take where flowers are used in the house. There are
few men or women servants in the houses to which
I am professionally called to carry out special
works who arrange the domestic supplies of flowers
in an artistic or even correct way ; indeed many of
them who have beautiful flowers to work with
make nothing whatever of them, and I am quite
sure that young people going out into service
would be able to command higher salaries if they
were able to add to their other accomplishments
the art of arranging and caring for cut flowers.

XIX

A FEW USEFUL HINTS

HOW TO PROLONG THE LIFE OF CUT FLOWERS

To get the longest possible life out of cut flowers
fill all vases with water every night and take them
out of the room in which they have been all day and
put them on the floor of the hall ; if the hall is
tiled so much the better. It is most important
that the glasses are filled with water, not merely
taken out as they are, as many flowers, such as
Tulips, Daffodils, and others which have fleshy
stems, will often empty a narrow vase in less
than twenty-four hours.

When flowers arrive from the florist or are sent
in by the gardener the stems should be either
broken or cut with a sharp knife, never with
scissors. The object of cutting or breaking them
is to open the pores or water-passages of the stem,
and if scissors are used for the purpose they have

183

184 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

a tendency, unless they are very sharp ones, to
pinch them off and thus do more harm than good,
as instead of opening the pores they close them.

It is this first cutting of the stems which is most
important, as if it is carefully done and the flowers
are immediately put into water the pores will not
readily close again, and it is therefore not necessary
afterwards to cut the stems daily, as every two or
three days will be quite sufficient.

If flowers are badly withered after a long journey
and are required for use soon after their arrival
they will recover in a remarkably short time if the
stems are cut and they are put into very hot, indeed
nearly boiling, water ; this practice should only be
resorted to if necessity demands, as the process,
although it pulls them together temporarily,
shortens their ultimate period of existence.

In the course of my experience I have had dozens
of so-called invaluable recipes for prolonging the
life of flowers, such as adding salt, soda, Condy's
fluid, &c., to the water, and they have all been given
careful trial, but I can assure my readers that none
of these artificial concoctions are of the slightest
use and many of them are actually injurious. Pure
cold water (rain-water if possible), changed every
day in the summer, when vegetation soon clouds

A FEW USEFUL HINTS 185

the water, or every other day in the winter, is all
that cut flowers require. A piece of charcoal,
however, put into each vase has a tendency to keep
the water sweet and will do no harm.

All flowers should be cut as early in the morning
as possible and always just before they are fully
open.

All Narcissi, except the Polyanthus section, and
Tulips, should be cut just before the petals burst
open, as they will open better in water and the
possibilities of their being dashed by rain or bruised
by winds will be averted.

ABOUT SCENTED FLOWERS

Never decorate tables or drawing-rooms with
heavily scented flowers when you are expecting the
rooms to be fairly crowded. This advice applies
specially to the summer months, as it is then that
all flowers give out their scent in great volumes.
I consider this matter so very important that I
am giving a list of flowers which should be specially
avoided on these occasions. Tuberoses, Gardenias,
Stephanotis, Orange flowers, Lilium auratum (and
other strong-scented Liliums), Boronia mega-
stigma, Daphne, Tobacco-plant, Herbaceous Phlox,
Polyanthus Narcissi, all scented varieties of Acacia

186 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

(Mimosa), Hyacinths, Jasmine, and Heliotrope. I
also append a list of sweetly scented flowers which
I have never found objectionable even to the most
sensitive and fastidious. Roses, Carnations, Violets,
Lily of the Valley, Ghent Azaleas, Wallflower,
Narcissus Poeticus, Lilac, Sweet Peas, Stock,
Tulips, many of which have a fresh and very
seductive odour, and Freezia. All spring blossoms,
such as Peach, Almond, and Prunus, are also safe.

WIRING FLOWERS

Much as I dislike the idea of wiring flowers it
becomes in many cases an absolute necessity when
arranging fancy designs. The flowers have to take
certain angles to suit various styles of work in
which they are to take their place, and moreover
many of the varieties of Carnations, Roses, &c.,
have beautiful flowers with stems quite unable to
support them ; it is therefore advisable to have
always at hand four sizes of wire, Nos. 20, 22, 24,
26, at least eighteen inches long. Most florists
have these sizes in stock, but unfortunately few
keep them so long, which is strange and unfortunate
as the longer the stems are the more necessary
wiring becomes, and it is so easy to cut long wires
shorter, but impossible to lengthen them.

A FEW USEFUL HINTS 187

I am shortly sending out, through the medium
of wholesale sundriesmen, a new green lacquered
wire which will be a great boon to all florists.
Among its many advantages over the old iron wire,
the most important are that it is almost invisible,
being the exact colour of the stem, it does not rust
and injure the dress of a lady who may be wearing
flowers wired with it, and it is moreover specially
soft and pliable. Unfortunately I have to get this
wire made for me in Germany as I can get no
English firm to undertake it.

When wiring flowers it should always be borne
in mind that nearly every one of them requires a
different-sized wire according to the amount of
support needed. It is almost better to leave a
flower helplessly hanging over the side of the vase
than mount it with too heavy a wire, as no one can
possibly make an artistic vase or design with flowers
which have been so stiffly mounted that they will
not bend.

Always bear in mind that it is not by cramming a
vase full of flowers that effect is produced. Flowers
that grow in clusters, such as Rambler Roses, Azalia
mollis, &c., may be so arranged again, but those
which grow singly should always be arranged in
such a manner that they may be seen separately.

188 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

EXTERIOR DECORATIONS

When decorating exteriors for Royal visits, the
purpose for which the work is being done should be
constantly kept in view, and an endeavour should
always be made to pay a compliment through it to
whoever is at the moment being feted. This point
never seems to have the smallest consideration with
our English decorators, the same cheap flags and
banners are brought out time after time, no matter
what the nationality of the visitor, and these, instead
of beautifying the premises upon which they are
employed, hide any architectural lines that may
exist, and add no dignity whatever to the occasion.

Exterior decorations cannot be done cheaply and
well, as it is heavy and difficult work, and my advice
is to leave them alone altogether unless you intend
to have them tastefully executed, as less comment
is made if decorations are not done at all.

The importance of carrying out decorative
schemes in an appropriate way was very forcibly
illustrated on the occasion of the late visit of H.I.M.
the Emperor of Germany, who was so struck by
one of the decorations which I had the honour of
designing and executing that he caused his carriage
to be stopped while he inspected it, and on his
arrival at the Mansion House he made the

A FEW USEFUL HINTS 189

decoration the opening subject of his speech. It
was this particular work which led to my being
commissioned to go to Berlin to strike an English
note in the decorations which were to greet H.M.
King Edward VII., on the occasion of his recent
visit to the German capital.

I remarked when I was in Berlin that the Germans,
although they decorate exteriors in a very extrava-
gant way, appear to have but one idea, which
consists of line upon line of wreaths and garlands
arranged in a stiff and almost funereal way, and
consequently one of the works which I created was
unique and had so many admirers that the traffic
became blocked, and had to be frequently cleared
by mounted police, and yet there was nothing extra-
ordinary about the work, and it was certainly much
less costly than many of the others. Its principal
charm lay in the fact that the colour-scheme was
correct, the architectural lines of the building were
religiously preserved and the decorations made
subservient to them.

It is a pity that real flowers and foliages are not
more generally used in this style of work, instead of
the hideous strings of gaudy coloured flags and
bunches of tissue-paper which are supposed to repre-
sent roses. A much less extensive scheme of

190 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

decoration carried out with living things and a
judicious mixture of flags would look infinitely
more dignified.

DECORATIONS FOR PUBLIC BANQUETS

Those connected with the arrangements of large
public banquets cannot attach too much import-
ance to their floral decorations. At these func-
tions it is the first impression that lasts, and there is
nothing gives a better first impression than an
artistic and even lavish display of flowers.

The " Sphinx Club," which is one of the leading
and perhaps the most important of London's
social clubs, has, since its formation, always made
floral schemes a special feature, and by way of
marking the importance of this matter I am
permitted by Mr. Balch, the President, and
Mr. McLeod Moore, the Secretary, to record that
the joy which their floral decorations have always
given has played a no unimportant part in the
rapid progress of the club to its present exalted
position. Conversation can never flag if there are
beautiful flowers to talk about, and many an
awkward break in the sequence of courses can be
comfortably tided over if the guests have something
upon which to feast their eyes.

A FEW USEFUL HINTS 191

VARIOUS

When employing contrasts always take care that
the weaker colours are in the majority.

Blue, mauve, or violet coloured flowers should
never be used alone for dinner-table decorations, as,
beautiful though they are in daylight, they lose their
effect entirely under artificial light.

Never put two vases opposite one another either
on a table or in a room. It is in the art of placing
objects irregularly but still preserving the artistic
balance that the Japanese and Chinese workers are
so far ahead of all others. Oriental work is never level
and never crowded, indeed it sometimes seems to err
on the side of skimpiness ; but it is always artistic.
The smaller the garden or greenhouse the more
important it becomes, before adding to stocks, to
consult the lists contained in this book, as good
varieties take up no more room than inferior ones
and are invariably easier to grow.

Owing to the fact that most of the varieties
enumerated are the best, and therefore much in
demand, they may sometimes be difficult to procure,
but they can always be obtained.

XX

THE REFRIGERATOR

THE cold subject of this chapter has not been left
until the last with a view to putting a damper on
those which have preceded it, but because it cannot
be gainsaid, that, whether we like the idea of
refrigeration or not, it now plays a very large part in
the world's floral-supply, and has created possibilities
which are of the greatest importance both from a
commercial and artistic point of view, and I am
therefore bound to say something about it.

In olden days forcing was the only method of
prolonging the flowering season of bulbs and
deciduous trees, and then, every one knew when
the early flowers appeared that their natural season
was approaching, but now no one knows by the
flowers what the season is, and I even find myself
often at a loss to tell whether certain flowers
appearing out of season are the result of forcing
or retardation.

192

THE REFRIGERATOR 193

This is not remarkable when it is remembered
that it is no uncommon thing for bulbs to be in
their artificial winter quarters for over two years.

Any one who has a small forcing-house may now
procure throughout the year a regular supply of
bulbs, and other things, with which they may
keep the conservatory and the home constantly
bright.

Appended will be found a list of such things as
lend themselves most willingly- to the science of
refrigeration, and which are therefore the best.

Lilac. Lilium (nearly all varieties).

Azalea mollis. Lily of the Valley.

Ghent Azaleas. Laburnums.

Prunus trilobus. Guelder Rose.

Double Cherries. Spiraeas.

My book is now finished, and feeling a little
anxious about its reception I bring it to a close
with a little poem, the author's name of which I
have unfortunately forgotten, and, I fear, most of
the poem too, but the few remembered lines convey
precisely the feelings I have with regard to my first
serious work.

Go, little book, perhaps some kindred soul
May find in thee some usefulness or joy ;
Look on it, reader, as a garden open wide
And seek a moment^ rest beneath its shade.

N

194 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION

Be kindly wanderer in the garden paths,
Nor let thine indignation guide thy hand
To cast injurious stones because perchance
Some imperfection thou hast found, some tree
Bearing no fruit, some flower wan and pale.
The gardener toiled to make his garden fair,
And all for thy pleasure.

FINIS

Printed by BALLANTYNK &> Co. LIMITED
Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London

FRANK CANT & Co.

HAVE THE FINEST STOCK OF

ROSES

FOR ALL SOILS OR SITUATIONS.
PATENT

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COLCHESTER

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Please address carefully to BRAISWICK to ensure correct delivery

SPECIAL NOTICE

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AT MODERATE PRICES,

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VEGETABLES, FLOWERS AND BULBS
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Being the Selections of the Lirgest Seed Growers, Market Gardener;:,

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Kingdom. They also contain very useful cultural instructions.

The quality of their Bulbs and Seeds is well known all over
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XL ALL Quassia Extract

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XL ALL Nicotine Liquid Insecticide

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NSECTICIOl

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As a Fertiliser none

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than >

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Please ask your Nurseryman, Seedsman, or
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F.N.C.S., etc. (Florist to the late
King Edward VII. and many Courts
of Europe). 28 Full-Page Illustra-
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English Costume

Painted and Described by DION
CLAYTON CALTHROP. In Four Sec-
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many Illustrations in the text :
Section I. Early English-.! I. Middle
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Georgian, etc. Price 75. 6d. net each.

Grouse and
Grouse Moors

Painted by CHARLES WHYMPER,
F.Z.S. Text by GEORGE MALCOLM
and CAPTAIN AYMER MAXWELL. 16
Full-Page Illustrations in Colour
(Size Large Crown 8vo.).

William Callow

By H. M. CUNDALL, I.S.O., F.S.A.
22 .Full-Page Illustrations in Colour
and Numerous Illustrations in the
Text.

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Haunts of Ancient Peace

15y ALFRED AUSTIN (Poet Laureat-}.
Painted by AGNKS LOCKE. 20 Full-
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Flowers and Gardens of
Madeira

Painted by ELLA Du CANE. Des-
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Full;Page Illustrations in Colour.

Our Life in the Swiss
Highlands

By JOHN ADDINGTON SYMONDS and
his daughter MARGARET. Painted
by J. HARDWICKE LEWIS. With a
Preface by MRS. VAUGHAN (MAR-
GARET SYMONDS). 22 Full-Page
Illustrations (20 in Colour).

The Heart of Scotland

Painted by SUTTON PALMER. Des-
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24 Full-Page Illustrations in .Colour.
(Size 10} X7^ ins.)

Malta

Painted by SIGNOR V. BORON. Des-
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The Homes of Tennyson

Painted by HELEN ALLINGHAM,
R.W.S. Described by ARTHUR H.
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Inns of Court

Painted by GORDON HOME. Des-
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Middlesex

Painted by JOHN FULLEYI OVE, R.I.
Described by A. R. HOPE MONCRIEFF.
20 Full-Page Illustrations in Colour.

Montreux

Painted by J. HARDWICKE LEWIS.
Described by FRANCIS H. GRIBBLE.
20 Full-Page Illustrations in Colour.

Days •with Velasquez

By C. LEWIS HIND. 24 Full Page
Illustrations (K in Colour and 16 in
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Isle of Man

Painted by A. HKATON COOPER.
Described by W.RALPH HALL CAINE.
20 Full-Page Illustrations in Colour.

Moscow

Painted by F. DE HAENEN. Described
by HENRY M. GROVE (H.M.'s Consul
at Moscow). 32 Full-Page Illus-
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Westminster Abbey

Painted by JOHN FULLEYLOVE, R.I.
Described by MRS A. MURRAY SMITH.
21 Full-Page Illustrations in Colour.

Isle of Wight

Painted by A. H EATON COOPER.
Described by A. R. HOPE MONCRIEFF.
24 Full-Page Illustrations in Colour.

Winchester

Painted by WILFRID BALL, R.E.
Described by the REV. TELFORD
VARLEY, M.A., B.Sc. 24 Full-Page
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The New Forest

Painted and Described by MRS.

WlLLTNGHAM RAW.XSLEY. 2O Full-
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Lamia's Winter Quarters

By ALFRED AUSTIN (Poet Laureate).
Painted by GEORGE S. ELGOOD, R.I.
16 Full-Page Illustrations in Colour,
and 13 Head and Tail Pieces by
WILLIAM SCOTT.

Nuremberg

Painted by ARTHUR GEORGE BELL.
Described by MRS. A. G. BKLL. 20
Full-Page Illustrations in Colour.

Windsor

Painted by GEORGE M. HENTON.
Described by SIR RICHARD RIVINGTON
HOLMES, K.C.V.O. 20 Full-Page
Illustrations in Colour.

Lausanne

Painted by J. HARDWICKE LEWIS
and MAY HARDWICKE LEWIS.
Described by FRANCIS H. GRIBBLE.
24 Full-Page Illustrations in Colour.

The Rubaiyat of Omar
Khayyam

Translated by EDWARD FITZGERALD.
Painted by GILBERT JAMES. Edited,
with notes, by REYNOLD ALLEYNE
NICHOLSON, M. A. 16 Full-Page Illus-
trations in Colour. (Size toj X 7$ ins.)

Worcestershire

Painted by THOMAS TYNDALE. Des-
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Letters from the Holy
Land

By LADY BUTLER, Painter of "The
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in Colour by LADY BUTLER.

The Wye

Painted by SUTTON PALMER. Des-
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Pompeii

Painted by ALBERTO PISA. Descril>ed
by W. M. MACKENZIE, M.A., F.S.A.
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Yorkshire

Coast and Moorland Scenes

By GORDON HOME. 31 Full Page
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Liege and the Ardennes

Painted by A. FORESTIER. Des-
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St. Petersburg

Painted by F. DE HAENEN. Des-
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Dales and Fells

Painted and Described by GORDON
HOME. 20 Full Page Illustrations in
Colour.

London

Text by A. R. HOPE MONCRIEFF.
32 Full-Page Illustrations in Colour
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Scottish Life and
Character

Painted by H. J. DOBSON, R.S.W.,
A.R.C.A. Described by WILLIAM
SANDERSON. 20 Full-Page Illus-
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Yorkshire

Vales and Wolds

Painted and Described by GORDON
HOME. 20 Full-Page Illustrations
in Colour.

The Tower of London

Painted by JOHN FULLEYLOVE, R.I.
Described by ARTHUR POYSER. 20
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The Cotswolds

Painted by G. F. NICHOLLS. Des-
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Ireland

Painted by FRANCIS S. WALKER,
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Liverpool

Painted by J. HAMILTON HAY.
Described by WALTER SCOTT. 25
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The Upper Engadine

Painted by J. HARDWICKE LEWIS.
Described by SPENCER C. MUSSON.
24 Full-Page Illustrations in Colour.

Jamaica

Painted by A. S. FORREST. Des-
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The Norwegian Fjords

Painted and Described by A. H EATON
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Galloway

Painted by JAMES FAED, Jun. Des-
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Kew Gardens

Painted by T. MOWER MARTIN,
R.C.A. Described by A. R. HOPE
MONCRIEFF. 24 Full-Page Illustra-
tions in Colour.

Paris

By MORTIMER MENPES. Text by
DOROTHY MENPES. 24 Full-Page
Illustrations in Colour and numerous
Line Illustrations in the Text.

The Peak Country Tyrol

Painted by W. BISCOMBE GARDNER. Des- Painted by E. HARRISON COMPTON. Des-
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Trout Fishing

By W. EARL HODGSON. Third
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Salmon Fishing

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A Guide to the Beautiful Scenery and Interesting
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