March 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



627 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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Easier Weddings. 



Easter wediliiig decorations will be the 

 most important subject for thought 

 among many of the Review's friends by 

 the time this issue reaches them, and we 

 cannot too often repeat that inasmuch 

 as it is the universal custom nowadays 

 to ask for estimates on even the smallest 

 work, tlie first great care must be given 

 to a study of the people, the available 

 material and very often the most import- 

 ant of all, the intelligence and style of 

 your estimate, ilany a good, big job is 

 won by the apparent force of an up-to- 

 tlate letter. Many critical people either 

 <lemand or at least appreciate sketches 

 with your estimate, and a few wide- 

 awake florists provide for this. It is 

 not a new idea, for back twenty years 

 ago colored sketches of decorations, ac- 

 companied the estimates for the principal 

 events in New York. Many florists who 

 have sons and daughters attending 

 schools should provide for this most im- 

 portant branch of the future florists' re- 

 quirements. There are many decorators 

 to-day who only require a few lessons in 

 free hand drawing in order to enable 

 them to furnish customers with rough 

 sketches outlining their proposed work. 



Confidence is everything, and in order 

 to win confidence it is necessary to con- 

 tinually exert oneself and overcome all 

 obstacles. All of you know that when- 

 ■ever one of your customers or any one in 

 the neighborhood has a large decoration 

 or particular piece of work to have done, 

 they will leave their accustomed path of 

 <lealing and go to the florist they imag- 

 ine is capable of doing the work in the 

 (jest manner. It often occurs that the 

 swell florist is all appearances. There is 

 ability and lots of it in every little flor- 

 ist's establishment in -the country, but 

 the trouble is it doesn't show itself prom- 

 inently enough. People size vip your 

 personal tidiness and the condition of 

 your place at all times. Size of green- 

 houses or store is of less consequence 

 than good material and a pleasing way. 

 Plants will not stand for the treatment 

 of a careless grower. The American peo- 

 ple will not tolerate or waste time humor- 

 ing the careless florist. 



What is called "smartness" is attain- 

 able by all and is a necessity on the 

 way to success to-day. No matter where 

 you are, how isolated you are, how small 

 your business is, your business friends 

 and the outside world will most often 

 judge you by what you send them, and 

 in talking to you about Easter decora- 

 tions we cannot too strongly emphasize 

 the importance of clean, carefully com- 

 posed correspondence relative to your 

 work. You need not exaggerate or even 

 approach the fake in your descriptions, 

 but you can in many ways show an in- 

 telligence and ability with typewriter 

 or pen that will go a long way to insure 

 •confidence and win you trade. Might as 

 well do the things now that you will be 

 compelled to do later in order to win 



back trade or keep the wolf-rival out of 

 your domain. People in the small cities 

 these days look for or demand the same 

 styles and fads peculiar to the large 

 cities, in fact the United States in the 

 matter of fashion and a certain line of 

 ambition is but a great big New iork 

 city to-day. There is an imperative de- 

 mand for the "latest" in every section 

 in every walk of civilization. 



In the matter of good work or the art 

 of decorating there is no exception of 

 appreciation, and you may have and very 

 often do have, better material for fine 

 work in your small place than the im- 

 posing city florist. It is merely a ques- 

 tion of how best to use what you have. 

 The artist painter never wallows in 

 paint, the artist florist is best judged 

 also by his work, not the material, and 

 if perchance you do not grow or cannot 

 buy some things which you know are cer- 

 tain to be wanted for one thing or an- 

 other the condition only indicates that 

 you are indifferent, and indifference in 

 the florist business is like a cankered 

 plant. 



We have been told by some that our 

 notes are in too high a key to suit the 

 smaller florists, but we know them well 

 and there's time enough for all. We 

 thank the gentlemen connected with other 

 papers for their kindness, but the Ee- 

 viEW is good enough for anybody, and 

 other papers haven't got enough money 

 to purchase the points of this pencil. 

 Excuse us for digressing, we were look- 

 ing at some letters. 



Now let us chat on the '.'latest" in 

 decorations for Easter weddings. Let 

 us consider the .question of canopies. 

 They seem to be an essential, in fact tue 

 principal item in most wedding decora- 

 tions in, this country. Well, there are 

 many new things. Or rather new uses of 

 old designs and ideas. An important 

 thing is to know the taste or what will 

 please that one particular customer. 

 Don't confine your suggestion to one de- 

 sign, however; let them have several to 

 choose from, in the case of the sporty 

 or horse-racing folks the horseshoe can- 

 opy is sometimes used. This consists of 

 an immense horseshoe facing outwards 

 and ends resting on two iron posts, sis 

 feet apart and eight feet high. You 

 must make the shoe solid and of one 

 bright color, with some distinctive flower 

 representing nails and tips. 



Then there is the sea-shell canopy, 

 which, whilst it particularly appeals to 

 those who spend most of their lives upon 

 the water, also is a favorite with the ro- 

 mantically inclined and even the usually 

 cold, prosaic sort of people. If the sea- 

 shell canopy is proposed and described 

 in an intelligent way it will receive seri- 

 ous consideration from any one. It is 

 usually five or six feet in dimensions, 

 and is supported by a single iron pipe 

 stand in the back. Jt is a difficult de- 

 sign to make up in a way that the full 

 force of its beautv and meaning will 



show. No use making it of flowers, for 

 of all the designs this one demands the 

 closest imitation of nature; you must 

 show every outline and at least pretend 

 to use material associated with rocks of 

 the sea, therefore it is best to use noth- 

 ing but moss. 



We know many florists will think it 

 awfully funny when we say that the very 

 finest design can be made of nothing 

 but very green sheet moss. It is so with 

 the one under discussion. Wet the moss 

 well to make it pliable and sew it on to 

 the frame with green cord. Be careful 

 to preserve every outline of the shell. 

 You can place one cluster of apple blos- 

 soms on the top when finished. Some- 

 times grey Florida moss is used for the 

 interior of the shell, with green for the 

 outside. It can also be done by close 

 pinned leucothoe leaves, but in all cases 

 it must be simple. The surroundings can 

 be as elaborate as you please, but the 

 shell itself must be recognizable. 



For the musicians the Egyptian lyre is 

 the prettiest compliment. This should 

 be made of one or two colored bright 

 flowers, and the strings should be of sil- 

 vered and gilt tinselled ribbon. Then 

 we have the Empress wreath, which 

 makes a beautiful effect when made prop- 

 erly and tied with long streamers of 

 white sash ribbon with the monograms 

 and date painted on the ends. There are 

 the different styles of arches, love knots, 

 etc., which you all know of, and it's only 

 for you to let the people know when pro- 

 posing these designs that you are the 

 master of how they should be made to 

 look best. 



No matter what the thing inay be, 

 when used as a canopy it should be so 

 arranged as to fill out the meaning of 

 the word, that is hang overhead and 

 though it may be true that many a wed- 

 ding is but the funeral of happiness, 

 still the florist should not imply that in 

 his work. Designs such as we have men- 

 tioned should not be made as if they 

 were tokens of regard for the departed. 

 They should be bright and emblematic 

 of joy. Needn't make them loud; there 

 are soft hues which, like smiles, are 

 often more potent than loud laughter. 

 It is good to remember that in all walks 

 of life and at all times there is a soft 

 spot that can be reached by thoughts of 

 the old home. It is neither hypocrisy 

 nor sharp business acumen that may 

 prompt you to suggest the use of mate- 

 rial associated with marked periods of a 

 customer's life, it is a kindred thought 

 or wish of your own heart, l ou can 

 never anger a southern man or woman 

 by proposing to use the palms or mag- 

 nolias of the sunny south, and there are 

 parallels on all sides. 



There is another class, and it is grow- 

 ing immensely, that will have none of 

 your formal effects. They can only be 

 caught and held by an elaboration on the 

 simplicity of design copied from nature; 

 that is, an arbor of palms, an arch of 

 roses, a rose tree, an apple tree, or some 

 such form, and nothing can be jirettier. 

 There will be plenty of Crimson Ram- 

 blers left after the Easter rush. Un- 

 twine some, cut off the blooms of thos" 

 intended for the wedding arbor and tie 

 on those of any other desired color, mak- 

 ing sure that one variety only is used, 

 and that they are so wired as to appear 

 growing. Y'ou can beat any artist or 

 any design ever gotten up by copying a 

 climbing rose in the month of June. 

 Never mind far-fetched, labrred and cum- 



