544 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



APRIL 5, UOIJ. 



just cut the ends slant both the same 

 way. 



Some will have ribbons with "Easter 

 Greetings" on the ends, and there will 

 1)6 short bows of gauze or taffeta rib- 

 bons tied across fancy or special boxes 

 of cut flowers; it is often foolish, but 

 some women, and men, too, imagine it 

 is a little chic or extra finish, and ap- 

 preciate it. 



Silk tasseled cords will also be used 

 instead of common twine, and remem- 

 ber where such things are adopted they 

 are merely tied with a bow across the 

 box. It is a very common thing to see 

 rose stems sticking out of the ends of 

 l)oxes; they are delivered so even from 

 the best houses; the ends of valuable 

 boxes are cut to accommodate stem.^ 

 which could be kept inside the box if 

 they w-ere reversed. It is not the proper 

 way to deliver flowers. Try to have 

 your boxes long enough; they need 

 scarcely ever be longer than :3<j or 40 

 inches: roses longer than that are more 

 often a nuisance than a ne;es.^ity, espe- 

 cially in a house. 



Now, in regard to crepe paper, please 



Then again, this over-dre.'ssing i:j tli«- 

 cause of many a plant's untimely 

 death; many people are afraid to water 

 the plant for fear of destroying the 

 papers and ribbons, and the conse- 

 quence is that a day or so in a hot 

 room settles the poor plant. This gives 

 but little pleasure or satisfaction and, 

 if anything, injures the plant trade. 



There are some who don't care — their 

 vision is limited to the present; their 

 ambition is to make all they can out 

 of everything. Considerable of this is 

 justified as the world of today goes, 

 but it is necessary that some, and we 

 fear as far as the florists' trade is con- 

 cerned they will have to be the ma- 

 jority, who will have to be careful and 

 have their best eye on what will most 

 advance business. 



An immense quantity of baskets will 

 be used this Easter. Very high-handled 

 ones seen; to lead, and though tins are 

 a protection against damage by water 

 to carpets and furniture, yet they w.ll 

 not be bothered with this year as for- 

 merly. This time it is get the thing 

 up as cheaply as you can, and if you 



The Silver Cups offered at the exhibition of the American Rose Society, New York. 



have a little regard for the feelings of 

 your customers, if you have none fur 

 the plants themselves. We all agree 

 that there is a want for a cheap and 

 pretty pot cover; baskets, of course, 

 are the best, but they cost high, espe- 

 cially to small florists. Crepe papsr is 

 the only thing we have to fall b:Hk on, 

 and it is very effective when used only 

 as a pot cover. When, however, it is 

 turned into a skirt, bodice, hat and 

 collar for the poor plant, it's time to 

 ridicule the silly idea that it's one of 

 the items that constitutes floral arf. 



happen to be of the over-conscientious 

 sort, use the ready-made tins you can 

 buy in most hardware stores. Sphag- 

 n\im for i)acking and green mos.^ for 

 top-dressing is lighter and cleaner than 

 soil, and w-hcn well wet is just as serv- 

 iceable. ."Vvoid mixed or impossible 

 colors in baskets, just as much as you 

 do in va-ses or in the selection of your 

 own neckties. There are many simple 

 cheap baskets which go better with 

 plants than they would with cut flow- 

 ers. If you can get up the impression 

 that the flowers or plants have just 



been cut in the garden and brought in- 

 to the hou.se in the gardener's old 

 basket, ycu are more apt to please than 

 if it is too apparent that you have 

 labored to destroy the natural aspect. 



The world of art and refinement 

 dearly loves antiquity, beciuse much 

 of it is far more beautiful than the 

 moderns. To be sure, there always 

 was and will be those who love the 

 gaudy; let them have it by all means; 

 it would be bad to limit either color 

 or taste, but don't try to give the dose 

 to refinement for it will injure some- 

 where. 



Natural birch bark baskets are very 

 pretty; so are the birch and green 

 luffa; white willow, and green rush 

 baskets are coming into favor again; 

 the trouble with some stock is that it 

 is too finely finished, a more rustic 

 or home-made appearance would suit 

 best. A common bushel b.isket of roses 

 or mixed flowers may look far better 

 than your fancy celluloid affair. 



Small plants, such as primroses, 

 pansies, forgetmenots, etc., will look 

 best in low. oval or round baskets. A 

 bit of ribbon on the side handle will 

 make it look a little festive. Small 

 and delicate vases or knick-knacks are 

 more a nuisance than anything else 

 when you're busy, so avoid them. A 

 good tall vase or two may come in 

 handy for a bunch of long stem roses; 

 it's a part of the business we should 

 not neglect. No matter if you have a 

 cheap class of trade, try to have some- 

 thing extra large in the way of flower- 

 ing plants; you'll probably sell it. or 

 it will pay you in many ways you may 

 not see all at once. 



Send out a neat invitation to all the 

 prominent people in your district to 

 come and see your Blaster display; 

 don't begrudge a few dollars in this 

 way, and if you have a booklet on the 

 care of plants, or merely a leaflet in- 

 structing customers on the watering of 

 plants, it will be appreciated. 



Li'*"/iia Easter Plants. 



Tiie nearer we get to Easter, of 

 course, the better we can see what con- 

 dition stock will be in, though in a 

 country so extensive and varied in cli- 

 mate as ours it is difficult to gene aliz^. 

 It is queer that though Easter is un- 

 usually late this year, there are thou- 

 sands of lilies w-hich will not 1 e opened 

 enough to sell, and a great many mo e 

 which for various reasons will not be 

 fit to offer. Many small growers have 

 been almost ruined by the failure of 

 their lilies, and don't he surprised if a 

 share of the poor quality wh:ch 

 abounds is seen among your slock. 

 Most of the lilies will be very stunted, 

 and though there are lots of them, we 

 think there will be a greater run on 

 other varieties of plants. Dutch hya- 

 cinths, and for that matter all manner 

 of bulbous stock, seem to be far below 

 the average finality. This promises 

 much harm to the bulb trade for next 

 season; a poor florist cannot afford to 

 work for nothing and lose all these 

 times. 



