March 13 



1902. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



523 



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ITHE RETAIL 



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FLORIST 



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Pencil Points. 



Prince Henry's visits to the different 

 cities have caiiseil many florists to be 

 somewhat grateful. We are sorry to say 

 that we were prohibited from taking pho- 

 tographs of some of the principal worlf 

 on account of the necessity of using flash- 

 lights and the stringent rules against 

 such. The insurance companies are op- 

 posed to it and the magnesia causes so 

 much extra work that it renders photo- 

 graphing floral decorations' nigh an im- 

 jiossibility. We have, however, made ar- 

 rangements to show you a series of the 

 principal decorations done in the past few 

 "lecades. 



We expect to see some retailers adopt 

 the European custom of putting on their 

 stationery and wagons "By special ap- 

 pointment purveyors to H. E. H. Prince 

 Henry- of Prussia." They do funnier 

 things. 



German beer mugs filled with blue corn 

 flowers or carnations, handle tied with 

 Herman colons, are liable to be the most 

 ]]opular thing to put on your counter just 

 now. 8(Mne of these mugs are splendid 

 works of art, and florists who carry a 

 stock of fancy vases might do well to 

 invest in a few; tliey are a most accept - 

 table present to more than those of Teu- 

 tonic blood. 



Glad to see that the Chicago retailers 

 have organized to protect their interests. 

 There was something of the sort done in 

 New York, years ago but it accomplished 

 nothing but to prove that there was 

 no lasting unity. There might be cause 

 for differences of opinions but we are in 

 favor of all sections of the trade organ- 

 izing. People unite for better or worse — 

 aim to make it the former. The Chicago 

 retailers must have exceptional influence 

 and de; ermination. Note tlie city author- 

 ities' action in driving fakirs and stands 

 off tlie streets. These things have as- 

 sumed gigantic proportions in New York 

 where it woul<l seem to require an earth- 

 quake to change matters. 



We note "S. F. C.'s" inquiry about re- 

 tailers' advertising. Your reply was right. 

 It ."just depends where your trade is and 

 what class it is. A few florists have a 

 short adv. immediately after the obituary 

 list in some papers ; they seek for funeral 

 trade. New Y'ork florists have been com- 

 pelled to abstain from advertising on ac- 

 count of the thousand and one claimants 

 for a share of their patronage. The neat 

 booklet on cut flowers or plants, mailed 

 to the best buyers, is the most generally 

 adopted form. Might be able to do 

 something by a catchy adv. in the prin- 

 cipal paper of your section, but a goo'l 

 location, fine work and fair dealing are 

 the main roads to success. Unless you 

 offer some exceptional inducement the 

 American people won't travel very far to 

 patronize you. 



Remember Patrick's Day is next Mon- 

 day, and it might be well for you to 

 make a display of Shamrocks in your 

 window. Any florist ought to bo ashamed 

 to fake the public by offering all sorts of 

 cattle feed as Shamrocks. The right stuff 



is obtainable and a big trade will be 

 done by those who cater to it. The tiny 

 inch or even two-inch pots of this plant, 

 trimmed with Emerald ribbon, will sell 

 well if displayed to advantage. 



Who's going to invent a special cap 

 for lilies? Needn't be a Parisian crea- 

 tion, just a soft cotton-batting cap with 

 a rublier band rim and an indented top 

 to go between the petals. Thousands of 

 lilies are bruised and rendered unfit for 

 sale for the reason that they are badly 

 packed. Y'ou all have records of lament- 

 able stories anent Easter deliveries. 

 Strange we are so far behind the times 

 as not to provide the trade with some- 

 thing practical at an infinitesimal cost, 

 easy to put on and of immense benefit to 

 grower and retailer and the "public. Yes, 

 let's manufacture caps now for our lilies. 



"Cape Smilax" is the latest addition to 

 the long list of names given to "Wild" 

 smilax. "Wild" is a poor name to give 

 it anyhow. There is a good deal in a 

 name sometimes. It lessens the value of 

 any material to call it wild, and the trade 

 should drop the word as applied to dec- 

 orative material. 



We are going to have painted pots and 

 saucers again for Easter plants. It is 

 impossible to grow plants for any length 

 of time in ordinary pots and then have 

 them fit to mingle with refined furnish- 

 ings. One needs be either blind of eye 

 (ir blunt of taste who fails to recognize 

 the crime of placing an ordinary plant 

 pot in close proximity to some grand 

 work of art; besides there are other rea- 

 sons why we should show the public that 

 we are educators in color effects. Get 

 some pots, dip them in a thin solution of 

 enamel paint, foliage green, red, white or 

 yellow colors, with saucers to match. You 

 need not take some of your plants out of 

 pots they were grown in; put them in a 

 size larger and top off with green sheet 

 moss. Lilies can be i)ut in white, green 

 or yellow pots. Genistas in same. Azaleas 

 in white or green. Red will show off some 

 of your green plants. 



The good trade will have none of your 

 crepe paper; the thing was overdone and 

 is now detested. Some will ask for it in 

 the best stores, but only when they see it. 

 Porto Rican matting will be popular, but 

 it must be used moderately, unraveled and 

 made very light and graceful ; it requires 

 considerable more ability to trim with 

 this material than it does with crepe 

 paper, but it's easy to supple fingers 

 and a color sensitive eye. 



You might prepare a lot of Porto 

 Eican pot covers now. Cut the sheets 

 into different widths, just wide enough to 

 suit the several size pots. When half of 

 it is unmatted for a fringe you can tie 

 them in the center with a bow of gauze 

 rilib(ui and taseled cord. They are easily 

 adjusted to pot and plant and it saves 

 you time when time is most wanted. 



There will be a good demand for well 

 flowered plants of Lady Campbell violets 

 as usual this Easter, but don't you know 

 the over anxiety and unnecessary haste 

 in shipping these plants to the stores long 



before Easter Saturday docs great harm 

 to the future of this section? A basket 

 of ill smelling violets is not only an in- 

 sult but a danger to health; they should 

 and can be sent to customers in an ac- 

 ceptable condition. It is impossible for 

 you to sell stale cut violets; don't defraud 

 by selling tliem stale on plants. Get a 

 few sample plants in on time to sell by 

 but demand sweet ones from your grower 

 for Saturday and Sunday delivery. 



Small jdants of Asparagus tenuissimus 

 are being used to much satisfaction in 

 fern dislies. 



Just a word or two about decorations 

 where roses are used. When roses, no 

 matter how fine, are arranged in a man- 

 ner that the reverse of their foliage shows 

 prominently the effect is marred or ruined 

 altogether. The roses look old or faded. 

 In order to create the best impression ar- 

 range your roses to face up or outwards 

 as if growing; they last much longer and 

 at all times look more natural, conse- 

 quently better. Never forget that a good 

 cluster of roses is more artistic than any 

 so-called screen or scattered arrangement 

 and that the foliage needs as much care 

 as the blooms themselves. 



There are very few forms of decora- 

 tion where the fiowers cannot be arranged 

 in vases of water; that is the oldest and 

 most popular way. Nearly all the prin- 

 cipal table decorations recently consisted 

 of bowls or vases of flowers instead of 

 the stiff flat baskets. There are two main 

 reasons for this. The wealthy people 

 who have won cups at horse shows, etc., 

 like to display them and then the flowers 

 last so much longer in water, you know. 

 It requires more ability to fix up a bowl 

 than a basket and anything requiring ex- 

 tended ability elevates the art. 



Don't forget a well composed and 

 cleanly gotten up estimate may land you 

 many a good job after Easter. Learn 

 how to truthfully describe your work and 

 ideas. There will be plenty of Easter 

 weddings, and plenty of flowering plants 

 to use at them. Y'ou will find it very 

 diflScult to create anything finer than a 

 hedge row effect of pink, red or white 

 azaleas. They must be all one color, 

 need not be of one height, but the fore- 

 ground is most important. A plastered 

 balustrade or a trellis of roses can easily 

 be made; what you must aim to create is 

 a summer hedge in bloom. You can call 

 it a Venetian or Italian rose garden ef- 

 fect, or whatever you like. We always 

 suggest this kind of arrangement where 

 there is a marble staircase, and they are 

 in every modern home of the rich. 



All the trade reports teem with neces- 

 sary complaints about wholesale houses 

 being glutted. Nevertheless the fact re- 

 mains that higher prices have been paid 

 for stock this year than for seyeral years. 

 There were never better prices than were 

 obtained for many things and on the 

 whole it was a very good season so far. 

 The man who had good stock sold it at 

 very remunerative prices. The market is 

 heaped with all manner of ill-grown stock, 

 which can only be used in cheap made-up 

 work. 



You will soon need lots of pansies and 

 bulbous flowers for boxes and vases and 

 l)eds. and please don't have your messen- 

 ger boy or driver plant them. Hire a 

 gardener. Find a good plantsman to care 

 for your Easter plants, get one or two 

 from your gower if possible for Friday, 

 Saturday and Sundaj'. 



We '11 give you our Easter ideas in 

 color combination and plants next issue. 



IVERA. 



