MARCH 20. 1902 The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



569 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



i 



Easter Chat 



There is an all-puiverful something 

 about the approach of Easter that in- 

 spires and elevates all life. Nature not 

 onlj- imparts a beauty -ivith every growth 

 and hue of her awakening, but mankind 

 is enthused with new hopes and higher 

 ambitions. There is a universal feeling 

 of generosity which spends itself in the 

 presentation of plants and tiowers as 

 tokens of regard. It is well that all 

 who are in the florist business should 

 grasp the intent and the full force of 

 this festival. Unlike at Christmas, with 

 its snows and winter gales, flowering 

 plants seem to be especially appropriate • 

 at Easter, with its sweet, soft breath of 

 spring, and if in the trials and troubles 

 attending the handling of extra stock, 

 there is a strong desire to grumble, it 

 might be well to remember that people 

 cause much of their own difficulties. It is 

 always wiser to stop and thinl- than in- 

 differently rush into the unknown. 



We have said in a previous chat that 

 this will be a great Easter for plants 

 and flowers. The people have money to 

 'spend and the future of the country jus- 

 tifies even the poorest to indulge in the 

 luxury of flthvers. A mistake is gener- 

 ally jnade by the florists who imagine 

 that the people will pay any price asked 

 and that they must make enough money 

 at Easter to tide them over the summer 

 months. Whenever business is good, 

 there is a wild desire to stop it by over- 

 charging, and the consequence is lost 

 trade and general disappointment. Of 

 course there are quite a lot of people wao 

 appreciate a thing only when the cost 

 is high, but this class arc fast dwindling 

 down. It is the general custom for the 

 retailer to double the price charged by 

 the grower, which is fair, but many 

 treble and quadruple it, which is tmwise, 

 unless in the case of novelties or wealth 

 of trimmings. 



We have just returned ffoni a trip 

 among the principal Eastern plant grow- 

 ers, and the average quality of their 

 stock is not equal to that of other East- 

 ers. Lilies are very dwarf and that is 

 undesirable in a large degree; they will 

 have to be arranged in larger groups in 

 order to be presentable to city custom- 

 ers. We have referred to the making up 

 of lilies in pots and tubs in a previous 

 paper. All we can add is that we con- 

 sider it unwise to offer them at so much 

 per flower and bud ; it is better to say 

 that this pot of lilies is such a price. 

 Many, as you know, have but one or two 

 flowers open, and people don't like to 

 pay for buds. There should be no paper 

 or trimmings put on a lily pot; it is al- 

 ways more beautiful and significant in 

 a clean pot. tub or basket. A light blue, 

 pink, yellow or white ribbon can be used 

 as sash and bow, and many ribbons will 

 have "Easter Greetings" painted on the 

 ends. 



There is a growing demand for and 

 an increasing supply of large Azalea indi- 



ca. Large azaleas in good condition are a 

 favorite Easter plant in the big cities; 

 so are rhododendrons. Strange to say 

 that particularly in the case of the latter 

 there is an absence of size and form so 

 desirable to the American trade. In the 

 case of azaleas there are a few very 

 dwarf growing varieties, and no matter 

 how small the plants of these may be. 

 they are invaluable for basket work. You 

 can exercise all your desire for trimming 

 on azaleas, but the simpler is the cheap- 

 est and most often the best. To dress 

 these plants like huge paper dolls may be 

 attractive to some eyes, but it's a cruel 

 joke on the harmless plants. A mistake 

 is often made by trimming plants at 

 night without matching colors by day- 

 light. This accounts for some of the 

 awful combinations seen even in the pal- 

 ace stores. 



Hose plants will be popular, providing 

 they are in good sizes. We are going to 

 use dark green matting to cover the 

 boxes (that is, where they are growing 

 in flats). A great many will be made 



what you will offer Easter week. Many 

 people go around buying presents long 

 before the time for delivery, and if they 

 see nice things in the window they are 

 aipt to purchase. They will at least re- 

 member. 



There is nothing specially new or 

 novel in plants. The chief attraction 

 will be your own handiwork. The plant 

 baskets permit joxi to create all the nov- 

 elty you can get up, and a vast amount 

 of small plants can be used ^irofitably. 

 In all your arrangements, aim for har- 

 mony, fullness and finish. You will get 

 many plants that are growing in too large 

 sized pots. There is nothing so bad, ex- 

 cept it be the poorness, of the plant it- 

 self. There is a chance to display all 

 your skill in arranging the plants in 

 your store Easter week. We believe in 

 grouping each variety together as much 

 as possible and to so put the colors that 

 they will bring out the full beauty of 

 all; made-up work should be elevated 

 and made to stand out prominently. 



The beauty of your work is lost where 

 all is jammed together and customers see 

 but a mass of blooms, not the pretty bas- 

 ket or pot you have taken so much trouble 

 to fix, and which they would often buy 

 had they seen it to advantage. 



Many adopt the plan of putting prices 

 on all their plants; this is a dangerous 

 thing to do, for in the rush the price 

 tag is often left on. Of course all man- 

 ner of help is put into service during a 

 rush, but it often occurs that you can 

 get more for your goods from one than 



An Easter Plant Arrangement. 



up in rose baskets and many will prefer 

 them in clean pots. Roses will stand for 

 a bow of bright ribbon. Hydrangeas 

 promise to be good sellers again, and 

 those we have seen are in good condition. 

 There is no fixing necessary on these 

 plants. There is a large assortment of 

 plants to select from, too numerous to 

 specially describe. You have all bought 

 the majority of your Easter stock by this 

 time, and it is only our desire to point 

 out how they can be arranged most at- 

 tractively. It is none too early to make 

 a display of a few good examples of 



the other, and where all have a general 

 idea of the values it is best to leave 

 tags off. We know very few will agree 

 with us on this point, but they will be 

 compelled to admit that if the customer 

 knew that the price tag went with their 

 present there would be no sale. Water, 

 and plenty of it, dispensed with com- 

 mon sense, is absolutely necessary to 

 keep your plants in good condition, and 

 it is false economy to begrudge to pay 

 for experienced help. 



It isn't absolutely necessary to use 

 soil when making up your plant baskets. 



