JULt 20, 1899. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



167 



the florist can use them to advantage 

 also. A good pan of achimines is a 

 pretty thing: cover the pot with crepe 

 paper or a band of lycopodium (which 

 can be kept growing in sizes to suit 

 pot or pan), and it is a ready-made 

 center piece for table or window. 



Purple flowers should never be used 

 in table decorations, and very few 

 ladies like to see them in the house 

 in any form because they remind one 

 too much of funerals. There is use 

 for almost everything that grows, 

 particularly is this so in flowers. Of 

 course when one is in a hurry small 

 things don't count for much unless 

 large ones are scarce. This condition 

 is often met when you are busy with 

 funeral work; when everything gets 

 suddenly scarce and you have numer- 

 ous designs to get out on short notice. 

 You are a nuisance to yourself and the 

 rest of the world when you rush about 

 like a nervous lunatic; you are lia- 

 ble to throw away your profits by 

 reckless orders on the wires. When 

 you get a large order in, sit down and 

 figure out what you think you need 

 or the amount you should spend. 

 Special orders are considered first, 

 and efforts to secure the flowers for 

 them should be your first move. 



Suppose you and I go out and see 

 what we can get. Asters are com- 

 ing in but they are poor. We need 

 a lot of flowers for groundwork. Hol- 

 lyhocks are good, cost 50 cents per 

 100. We can use plenty of those dou- 

 ble white hibiscus at 25 cents per 100. 

 Yonder are some double white petu- 

 nias at 50 cents per 100. That bunch 

 of achillea is just what we want for 

 delicate detail work; 3 bunches for a 

 quarter? All right, we'll take the lot. 

 Gladiolus, yes, they are most impor- 

 tant; very few white ones though; 

 well those light Lemoine shades will 

 do; they're high yet, 50 to 75 cents 

 per doz. Harrisiis are scarce and have 

 jumped up to $1 per doz., but we must 

 have them. That cluster of ageratum 

 will do for lettering instead of che- 

 nille or immortelles (lettering is out 

 of date but the old lady insisted). A 

 little Gypsophila paniculata will do 

 for dressing off. Sweet peas? Why, 

 certainly; they are very short-stem- 

 med and unfit for flat bunches, but 

 we'll take a few hundred bunches at 

 $2.50 or $3.00 per 100; give us fifty 

 of each color because we want to use 

 them separately; that dark maroon 

 and indigo variety is the latest for 

 wreaths. Where's all the tuberoses? 

 Didn't pay to grow 'em? Well, they'd 

 pay if you had them now; give us 

 those spikes of single ones at 75 cents 

 per doz.; they are the prettiest. Au- 

 raturu? Sure, we need them for the 

 large designs and bases; 75 cents and 

 $1 per doz.? Well, they're worth it 

 if open. White larkspur ana antir- 

 rhinum, candytuft and swninsona, at 

 3 bunches for 25 cents, are useful. 

 Just a few white roses. Never mind 

 the pink ones, but we'll take a few red 

 ones; Brunners will do if you haven't 

 Meteors; short-stemmed ones at 50 

 cents, long ones at $3. Greens? Yes, 



brown and green galas for edge work, 

 and common ferns for covering. 

 Smilax or tamarix for wires or stands. 



Why, there are enough flowers on 

 the market for any amount of work. 

 Get the stock home, put some in wat- 

 er, spread the others out on flats; 

 don't wet the peas or hollyhocks, but 

 keep them cool, like yourself. When 

 stemming up don't mix everything, 

 but keep the bench clean and damp, 

 having your flowers in neat clusters. 

 Now, in the designs where there has 

 been no stipulation, only to "make it 

 nice," we can use all the miscella- 

 neous short stuff for groundwork and 

 festoon with finer flowers. Of course 

 with some material we must make the 

 work pretty solid in order to hide the 

 quality of the flowers. When we use 

 our finer and looser designs just as 

 much care must be taken in "greening 

 up" as in the rest of the work. 

 Sphagnum moss is a detriment; use 

 green moss. Roses are poor, put them 

 in one cluster and they will look like 

 something. 



Let's make that big cross of glad- 

 iolus. After you galax it back and 

 front we'll stick these gladiolus in on 

 one side, just as they are. Have the 

 outlines accurate but not stiff. In the 

 center put a double row of open water 

 lilies, stick a few auratums in the 

 base and the job's done, and you've 

 got a cross within a cross. Green the 

 other up the same way and we will 

 make it entirely of Harrisii lilies, or 

 speciosums will do. Remember this 

 loose style of arranging is all the go 

 now; use big loose flowers where you 

 can; it not only saves time but they 

 look better. Of course you cannot 

 afford to use all such in one design, 

 if you have a lot to make up. Put a 

 cluster of the red roses across the arm 

 of that anchor or cross, or on the 

 wreath, and it will enhance it, but 

 mind you there must be no other color 

 but white. 



A customer comes in, wants to send 

 something new that never was used 

 before. Well, let him have it. Cut 

 that Clematis Jackmanii or C. Hen- 

 ryii down, arrange it in a long, grace- 

 ful, mantle-like bunch, tie in center 

 with finest white or royal purple rib- 

 bon (wreaths made of these flowers 

 look fine). 



Another particular customer comes 

 in; he probably has a garden of his 

 own and looks upon your stock as 

 cheap. We go to the greenhouse for 

 him; he can have orchids, valley, glox- 

 inias, stephanotis, clerodendron, and 

 many other pretty flowers that are 

 choice and go well together or separ- 

 ately; only don't put common flowers 

 or greens near them. We saw a lot of 

 Jasminum gracillimum lately; how 

 sweet it goes with anything, particu- 

 larly red roses. 



If your work should run in the deco- 

 rative line instead of funerals, all the 

 more cheerful, and don't wire your 

 green man for hemlock or laurel rop- 

 ing; send a man out with an open 

 wagon, the woods are full of fine oak 

 leaves, etc., just the materials you 



want. Have him tie them up in bun- 

 dles so they can be easily managed; 

 tell him to look out for a stray au- 

 tumn colored branch; it will make a 

 pretty feature. 



There are lots of good showy flow- 

 ers to be had for decorations. Among 

 vines we have the clematis, particu- 

 larly C. paniculata, which is one of the 

 grandest of all decorative materials. 

 Cut it in long sheets and use it so. 

 Then the bignonias, and the Cobea 

 scandens, and the beautiful honey- 

 suckle (Lonicera Halleana) will give 

 you enough vines. Hang them high 

 up or use them as screens on the 

 stairs. Unlike other work we can use 

 nothing but long stemmed flowers 

 here, but we have an abundance of 

 these in lilies, gladiolus, zinnias, tri- 

 tomas, helianthus, several grasses; 

 rudbeckia "Golden Glow" (which is 

 the finest yellow summer flower), dah- 

 lias, cannas and a host of others 

 which you should grow, or have grown 

 for you if your trade requires it. 



And whilst we are on the "grow" 

 line just have your freesias get in as 

 early as possible next season; you 

 know the first in the market brought 

 35 to 50 cents a bunch last season; 

 there's no reason why the freesia 

 shouldn't get in much earlier. When 

 ordering your Harrisii bulbs get a 

 good batch of candidums. How nice 

 they would go with large red roses at 

 Christmas. There was a big demand 

 for them last Easter and there were 

 none to be had. They will be in fash- 

 ion next Easter, so grow a good batch 

 of them and get the best kind. 



It's a wonder Lilium auratum is not 

 forced to a greater extent; many 

 growers out west make more money 

 out of them than they do out of Har- 

 risii. There is lots of use for them at 

 good profitable prices. Try a few for 

 next winter or early spring. Don't be 

 afraid of pansies next season; get the 

 best strain possible and grow plenty 



IVERA. 



ROSlTNOTEsT 



Planting should now be completed 

 if best results are to be obtained in 

 winter, as it is absolutely necessary 

 that the plants make a large growth 

 before the short days of autumn are 

 upon us. 



Too great care cannot be exercised 

 in watering. As soon as plants are set 

 in the bed they should be watered 

 close to the plant, so the water pene- 

 trates to the bench bottom. In suc- 

 ceeding waterings use the same care 

 in watering close to plant, not wetting 

 the bulk of the soil at the start, but 

 enlarging the watered circle as the 

 roots push out in search of food. Wa- 

 tering the entire bed is not only un- 

 necessary, but frees plant food that 

 will be needed for the development ol 

 the plant later, and which the rootlets 

 have not spread sufficiently to gather 

 nor is the plant strong enough to ab- 

 sorb and assimilate it; besides, water- 

 ing the entire bed encourages the 

 growth of weeds, which are not only 

 unsightly, but draw nutriment from 



