WONDERFUL FLOWERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 85, 11 April 1938, Page 13

WONDERFUL FLOWERS.

ATTRACTIVE SETTING. COLOUR SCHEME OF RELIANCE. "Tliev cannot be real'" This is the customary exclamation ot visitors who, oil visiting the Reliance, see the flowers for the first time. Pots of white lilac in the lounge ami great sprays of' it perfuming the air in the dining saloon— real lilac, for it is grown on the ship which carries flowers worth £1000. According to one of the stewards these lovely flowers last for about a week and as soon as they become a little weather worn they are popped straight back into a refrigerator, where they quickly revive. As well as the lilac, aspidistras and rrotons and palms of every kind are to be seen in the spacious lounges. The ship's greenhouse contains flowers of almost every variety. There are 2500 bulbs <>f lily of the valley which can be forced to flower 14 days after the lirst green shoots appear above the earth. There is no need for the Reliance to buy flowers in port, for everything that is used for decoration ii% grown on board. ]n one of the upstairs lounges two German bullfinches attracted much attention. One of this pair is an expert at whistling tunes in the well-known Germanic style. Lovely Carpets. Apart from the flowers, the furnishings of the ship are wonderful, too. Comfort is the keynote of the decorations throughout. The companionways. arc carpeted, and Persian rugs are spread over the floors in the lounges. The decorations are all subdued. In many rooms (they are too comfortable to be called cabins) the walls are covered with linen tapestry and the port holes are hidden behind quaint tapestrv blinds.

In the dining saloon a charming white and poppy red colour scheme lias been achieved. Striped red and white curtains frame the windows, which are decorated with garlands of white plaster flowers, and the same striped material is used for the long curtains at the doors. On the glass-enclosed verandah the chairs of striped red and white wooden slat* have cushions of spotted red and white oilskin conforming to the principal colour scheme of the whole ship.