August 7, 1902 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



303 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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Window Boxes and Vases. 



Tlio majority of the wiiiilow lioxes anj 

 garden vases that are filled with geran- 

 iums specially grown for market or auc- 

 tion trade have been flat failures, as far 

 as we have seen, this summer. Many of 

 those outside the principal hotels and 

 restaurants h.ave had to be refilled with 

 such plants as aspidistras, Aueuba japo- 

 nica, Ficus elastica and mixtures of 

 small palms, ferns and foliage plants, 

 which have all done remarkably well 

 and consequently are doing much to en- 

 oourage a more extensive use of them, 

 (irowtrs of geraniums and other soft- 

 wooded bedding plants adopt extreme 

 measures in order to get their plants in 

 condition for the early market. The 

 consequence is that after what we may 

 <;all the market blooms are ofif the plants 

 take too long to recuperate. The vitality 

 of soft-wooded plants is not such as can 

 long withstand the fertilizers used and 

 it might be well for retailers to see that 

 ultra artificial methods are not employed 

 to produce fleeting beauty where it is 

 needed to last a reasonable length of 

 time. A distinction should and must be 

 made between the street fakirs or ped- 

 dlers and legitimate store trade. One 

 is responsible, the other is not. 



Some very pretty window screen boxes 

 ran be made entirely of ivy and Euony- 

 mus radicans var. A low trellis is used 

 in the back to train as desired. There 

 has been more ivy used this year than 

 in almost any other two years. It has 

 <lone well and will suffice when the time 

 ■comes to plant conifera;. Speaking of 

 i-oniferse reminds us that some very beau- 

 tiful effects can be produced by planting 

 lieds containing a variety of very small 

 evergreens. This style of bedding out 

 is becoming very popular, for it has 

 a permanent summer and winter attract- 

 iveness about it that appeals to a great 

 many. Some very notable examples of 

 this style are to be seen at Newport, 

 R. T. 



C'oba;a scandens is being much used 

 for screen work, and looks very pretty 

 with its white and blue bell flowers. 

 Thousands upon thousands of the Cali- 

 fornia privet are being used for parti- 

 tion screens. It makes a cheap, rapid 

 and most effective screen. More of it 

 might be used thus all over the country, 

 particularly out west. The city florist's 

 store is a dull, sleepy place during mid- 

 summer months' hot days, but green 

 foliage always looks cool and refreshing. 

 For this and greater business reasons 

 your windows, even if business be 

 extremely poor, should be kept attractive. 

 A few clean plants, an occasional vase 

 of flowers, and change the design every 

 few days. 



Preparing for Christmas. 



These need not be dull days. You 

 can be busy preparing for Christmas. 

 It is better to stem up your immortelles 

 and make up your Christmas bells now, 

 •even just a little at a time, than be work- 



ing at it all nights during December, 

 after putting in long, hard days. Tliere 

 will be a big demand for neatly made 

 red immortelle bells next Christmas, and 

 you can get your material ready now, 

 and you can make them up nicer with 

 plenty of time. Cover them with tissue 

 paper and pack them away in some clean, 

 dry place. 



Newport. 

 Newport, R. I., is now the busiest 

 place in the United States from a re- 

 tailer's standpoint. It's a good place 

 for those wlio want to get posted on 

 summer flowers and styles to spend a 

 few day.s or a season. Pity it seems 

 to us that a great floral fete couldn't 

 be organized there. Those who can 

 should not miss seeing the Saratoga 

 carnival next month; it is worth seeing. 

 The only disagreeable feature about it 

 is that the local, and outside florists, 

 also, do the work too cheap, in some 

 instances for almost nothing, in order 

 to keep it from a rival. Rivalry in 

 trade doesn't necessitate doing work for 

 nothing. They who do it injure them- 



Funeral Designs. 



A recent visit to all the principal 

 stores of New York was almost fruitless 

 as far as information for this depart- 

 ment is concerned. There is very little 

 doing beyond funeral work, and there is 

 absolutely nothing new. Galax leaves 

 and purple asters are the principal funer- 

 al design materials recommended, and 

 there is more money in it than aught 

 else, providing you get a chance. Asters 

 are more plentiful and of better quality 

 than seen here before. They constitute 

 a leading flower to keep in stock. It is 

 wise to always have a goodly share be- 

 cause you are then always ready to put up 

 a design on short notice, and that is 

 frequently the case in hot weather. There 

 ai-o many beautiful types of asters never 

 seen on our markets which it would be 

 well to get acquainted with. Most grow- 

 ers go in for cheap seed, which cannot 

 but produce poor flowers. The aster 

 is an important flower, deserving of the 

 highest development for summer and 

 winter use, both as pot plant and cut 

 flower. 



Annuals. 



This brings us to that important class 

 of flowers classed as annuals, which are 

 now in full glory, and a great many 

 of them are very useful for cutting. 

 Zinnias are extra fine for general decora- 

 tive purposes, but especially for bizarre 

 designs, such as we see at floral parades, 

 because they last so well and then the 

 colors are very brilliant, two most im- 

 portant characteristics of the commer- 



A Floral Pil'ow. 



selves and the trade, and breed im- 

 pecuniosity among flower buyers.* 



There promises to be a good time and 

 some very useful information, as usual, 

 in connection with the S. A. P. con- 

 vention. Some of the supply dealers have 

 returned from Europe with the latest in 

 designs. It is to be hoped that a goodly 

 crowd of retailers will attend, and not 

 only be there, but take part in whatever 

 discussions may arise pertaining to the 

 retail trade. At future conventions wo 

 hope to see practical lessons given in 

 decorative art and color combinations, 

 something that will instruct the eye as 

 well as the ear. 



cial flower. Then there are African 

 marigolds, both the lemon and the 

 orange; they are very good for solid 

 work. You can do some fine ribbon work 

 with the above flowers. Then for indoor 

 decorations balsams are beautiful, and 

 poppies are grand. If you wish to please 

 any Parisian or sesthetic eye let them 

 see a nice, simple arrangement of white 

 and yellow poppies, or the brilliant reds 

 alone. True, such flowers are very deli- 

 cate, but there is lots of beauty that is 

 only skin deep, and it is generally most 

 valued when it is most delicate. In this 

 class are the nasturtiums, and how 

 beautiful they are — nothing finer for the 



