FLOWER DISPLAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 282, 28 November 1929, Page 12

FLOWER DISPLAY.

FUNCTION FOR HER EXCELLENCY,

The large lounge of tlie Lyceum Club was a dream of beauty and fragrance yesterday to welcome Lady Alice I ergusson, warden of the club, on her last visit to Auckland. The occasion coincided with, the annual display mad" by the members of the Gardening Circle under Mrs. Tattersfield's convenership, and the members surpassed themselves in the harmony of the colour displays and the beauty of the blooms exhibited. Her Excellency, who was accompanied by Lord Waleran, was gowned in black georgette with decoration of peacock blue and silver, and a black hat banded with peacock and silver. She was received by the president, Mrs. W. H. Parkes, who wore ivory georgette and lace over black satin with large black picture hat with big pink roses. The Countess of Orford, in a coffee coloured ensemble suit and hat to match, and Mrs. A. D. Campbell, in mauve floral georgette and large black hat, were also the guests of the members. In, welcoming Lady Alice Fergusson, Mrs. Parkes spoke of the loss the Dominion was sustaining in the departure of their Excellencies, who had been untiring in promoting every movement which had to do with the interests of women and children. Their memory would remain, not only in the hearts of the mothers, -whom Lady Alice Fergusson had banded together, but also in those of the re£t of, New Zealanders, and not least in the memory of the members of the club, who as mothers, wished them God-speed. In thanking the members for their spontaneous welcome, her Excellency said how touched she was and how much' she admired the new premises, which she saw for the first time. She paid a tribute to the wonderful display which had been made by the Gardening Circle, which she appreciated greatly, as she was a flower lover herself. Nobody could help feeling regretful at leaving New Zealand, she said, where they had received much kindness for the last five years, but she was going away with a knowledge of what the women of New Zealand were doing. She had received much inspiration from her work amongst the mothers. She then declared the display open.

Tlie whole room was a mass of sweet scented blooms, with many unusual and new exhibits by some of the flower lovers amongst the members. There is no competition. The flowers are grown and staged entirely to give pleasure to the other members of the club. Mrs. Tattersfield, as became the convener, had a very handsome exhibition stand, containing forty different kinds of flower.?, all grown in her own garden. One of these was a yellow aloe, another a white feathery flower, a polygonum bauldanakum, or creeping dock. A new and deep purple penstemon, gold and purple iris, finely grown, and a bowl of viola cornuta attracted the attention of the flower

lovers as unusual. Miss Leversey also had some new and unusual bloom's. One was "The Bule Prince," a hydrangea of a deep purple blue, a largo bowl of asperuba, a deep rose coloured jasmine, called jasmine stepheneuse, and a new polyanthus dwarf rose of a deep golden colour, growing in a small pot. Mrs. W. R. Wilson had some fine delphinium in a big bowl on the stage, and deep royal blue pansies. Mrs. Roy Wilson made a fine table display of roses which contained an unusually fine example of the polyanthus rose, and another in rich golden shade that was very striking. One of the exhibits that was much admired by everybody was a bowl of dyrandra, a gold and green Australian flower, that has the merit of keeping its colour for some months, shown by Mrs. Partridge, who also had a table on which were bowls of the scarlet manuka, the scarlet Australian bottle brush, a red polyanthus rose, and, most remarkable of all, a double white manuka. ' Miss Goldie displayed a very graceful and beautiful table with a largo bowl filled with dainty white spirea and the native rock lily as its outstanding feature. Mrs. Seaman showed some unusually beautifully coloured gerbera, of which one bloom was a perfect example of a double bloom. The seed was imported from France. Mrs. Marlcr had a fine exhibi-

tion stand showing some gorgeous roses, ~ and Mrs. Roy Wilson had a table of fine » iris. A howl of tulip tree flowers was > exhibited by Mrs. J. Wilson, and a large = massed bowl of Allwoodii pinks. Mrs. Z Hyde had some fine Bermuda lilies; Mrs. r Alan Hume, a bowl of streletzia, fine and » handsome as these striking flowers always are; Mrs. Tolhurst showed some ! good delphinium; Mrs. Irwin, native orchids and ti-tree; Miss Spragg, a sage, SSI with almost black flowers, from Pales- H tine; Mrs. MacMorran, a Queen Anne jgj thimble flower; Mrs. Latimer, bowl of @ anthirrhinum and some nice violas. A M very striking exhibit was a large cushion J made of deep purple statice with the = initials of the Lyceum Club raised in a | lighter purple. This was shown by Mrs. J Schnauer. A very harmonious wreath §§ in tones of pale ping, mauve and deep g reds, shown by Mrs. Kidd, was on a g stand, and was much admired. Another M beautiful thing met the visitor at the g door, where the large antique brass call jj bell was hidden beneath a delightful g larger bell of pale pink flowers, done in §§ stripes, the work of Mrs. Ely, who with = Mrs. Whitley was in charge of the H arrangements. Mrs. Whitley had a fine {§ table consisting of twenty different g kinds of bloom, and some fine foxgloves M in pale lilac and pure ivory were shown g by Mrs. David Nathan, who also showed g some fine lupins. The posies were very §| beautiful, and the decorated tables, g which filled the large card room, were g also striking in their beauty. At the g conclusion afternoon tea was served in § the dining-room, which had been especi- §j ally decorated for the occasion, and j| where everything was arranged in the g best possible manner. g