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The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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Summer Decorations. 



Suiiniier decorations are etmparatively 

 ^I'eakiiig inexpensive and more of them 

 might lie done were the particulars bet- 

 ter known. Possibly because there is an 

 aliundance of summer beauty on ah sides 

 |ieop!e are not so eager to indulge in 

 elaborate interior decorations, yet we 

 know from experience that many mere 

 i-lecorations would be done were the tlorist 

 equal to each particular occasion. There 

 is a time and place for everything and 

 often people are scared away from the 

 store by supertiuous or over-elaborate 

 suggestions where something very simple 

 i < not only wanted but is best on all siiles. 

 A store man may consider himself ex- 

 tremely smart if he succeeds in extracting 

 the very last dollar from a customer's 

 pocket, but it isn't always the best policy, 

 feeause it is only human nature to regret 

 excess, and there is the inevitable re- 

 bound. The steady trade, even if it be 

 ^ mailer, is far more profitable than the 

 spasmodic, because it is more secure and 

 its possibilities are greater. There is, to 

 lie sure, a certain class of customers in 

 every large city who having easv means 

 of procuring nuine.y are indifl'ereut as 

 to how it goes; they are willing to pay 

 high for what they purchase, but even 

 they don't want to be "done up," and 

 it is always the liest to secure and hold 

 the confidence of all. A business man 

 can never afford to be indifferent ; he 

 may have a motive in pi'etending so be- 

 limes, but he soon wakes up. 



This is a critical time of the year. 

 People expect and can obtain lots for 

 their money, yet it is often workman- 

 sliip and not material that counts in 

 estimation. Often a mass of common 

 stock can only create indifferent appre- 

 ciation, whereas, the arrangement and 

 tinish may call forth the highest praise. 

 .\void the former for it detracts from 

 tlie latter. Green and gold are the two 

 most abundant colors on Nature's mantle 

 at the present time, and unlike most 

 I ther colors they are not so despised on 

 arcount of abundancy. They are fash- 

 ionable because there is in them a spleu- 

 ilid harmony of richness, and' you can 

 make no mistake in suggesting their use 

 uu all festive occasions. But it must 

 li" remembered that different events and 

 dispositions call for different degrees of 

 elaborateness, and it is always well to 

 study the circumstances surrounding each 

 affair. Satisfaction is a most desirable 

 A\ord to hear from your patron and it is 

 easily accomplished, especially during the 

 next few weeks. 



There will be many weddings from 

 now till frost-time, and the same ma- 

 terials will be available all that time. Of 

 course it can be done — nothing shouhl be 

 impossible — but no decorator should give 

 an estimate on any job without first visit- 

 ing the house or scene of the proposed 

 work, because often his very suggestions 

 whilst on the spot not only create im- 

 pressions but olecide his future ccnnee- 

 lions, and then again most people even 



for the simplest affair prefer to have 

 you call and see what is best recpiired. 

 Therefore, every tlorist who aspires to 

 please, and that is the foundation of all 

 successes, should make himself or herself 

 thoroughlj' conversant Avith tlie teclmical- 

 ities of artistic house decorations. Flow- 

 er.; and foliage are mostly always beauti- 

 ful to some eyes, no matter how they are 

 arranged, but no flower is so beautiful 

 that one cannot emphasize its beauty by 

 proi^er arrangement, and though the vast 

 ma.jority of jieople may be pleased when 

 they see jilenty for their money, yet the 

 artistically critical army is growing im- 

 mensely, and modern architecture is main- 

 ly responsible for this. Owners of mo<l- 

 ern built houses and the architects, who 

 very often have all the say about what 

 can be put in, like to see the florist 

 acquainted with their particular fads or 

 fancies and these should, wherever it is 

 possible, be accentuated. Every room in 

 a house requires a clift'erent style of treat- 

 ment. 



The houses that are being built at the 

 present time will not permit of very lav- 

 ish floral decorations, that is, in the old- 

 fashioned way, with garlands or masses 

 of comnmn green. To even suggest such 

 things would offend and justify a severe 

 rebuke, but such places do aft'ord a splen- 

 iiid opportunity to displa.v qualil.y of 

 plants and refinement of tlowers and 

 art. In a great many instances only 

 graceful plants and choicest flowers can 

 be used, and they should be so placeoi as 

 to bring out the full beauty of the sur- 

 roundings and no attempt should be made 

 to over-elaborate or introduce made-up 

 designs or even hang uj) greens of any 

 kind. 



There are many occasions, to be sure, 

 where people wish to hide inferiorly fur- 

 nished walls and hail with delight any 

 suggestion that vn\l make the occasion 

 seem specially elaborate, and for this you 

 cannot do better than use plenty of pin 

 oak foliage. 



One thing to remember is that people 

 have a great dread of having their place 

 ruined by the florist driving nails. Mod- 

 ern equijunents and ideas render it un- 

 necessary to use many, if any. nails in 

 even extensive decorations, and the florist 

 who is careless in this respect injures not 

 onl.y his own trade but decorative art in 

 general. 



In the course of a few weeks we hope 

 to be able to show practical illustrations 

 of both simnle and elaborate decorative 

 work. In the meantime, we can only 

 dwell upon the principles of art and a 

 few hastily jotted down thoughts. Yel- 

 low flowers can be used extensively in all 

 summer or autumn decorations (except 

 for funerals). In the majority of cases 

 they can be made the most prominent 

 flower, and this not because they are 

 superabundant, but because the.y have a 

 peculiar expressive effect. Even in the 

 case of church weddings they can form 

 the main wall decoration, leaving the 

 center aisle and altars for white flowers 

 if desiiable. lint even they can be deco- 



rated with yellow. There is a strong 

 pcetic >eutinient surrounding such flow- 

 ers as solidago (golden rod), and Ruil- 

 beckia specicrsa (yellow daisy), and 

 though yellow is the least of church 

 colors, still there are occasions when we 

 must not be always thinking of death 

 and the hereafter, and severe lines must 

 he covered. Purple, the principal church 

 col(U', and the cress, its cherished em- 

 blem, need not be even seen at a wed- 

 ding festival. Golden rod may be the 

 very comnwnest material, but its com- 

 monness does not affect its value when 

 properly arranged, and you can make no 

 mistake in suggesting its use in most 

 summer work, even if you confine it to 

 one room. 



We always try to introduce one yel- 

 low anol green room in our decorations, 

 and at the present time it is tlie hall- 

 wa.y, library or dining-room. The iraiu 

 entrance or hallway can always be made 

 most attractive with "such materials as 

 oak leaves and rudbeckias. There are 

 many lovely varieties of these and 

 heleniums which make superb pictures at 

 little cost. The only thing is to mass 

 them in great loose 'clusters and have 

 onich kind of flower separate. In the 

 ilrawing-rooms, or where there is deli- 

 cate or expensive furnishings, coarse 

 foliage or flowers are entirely out of 

 place, but here you can use tamarix or 

 asparagus or such grasses as Eulalia 

 gracillima. 



If flcorways or walls need to be cov- 

 ered you can use very deep-cut oak 

 foliage. We recommend it because it 

 keeps and looks the best of all outdoor 

 foliage. Such as grape vine, ampelopsis, 

 honeysuckle or any such vines can be 

 used for pendent effects. Great care should 

 be used to either avoid or appropriately 

 decorate pictures. A background of 

 green foliage will the more effectively 

 show off an.y picture, but it is against the 

 laws of good taste to decorate a frame in 

 a formal manner. Pictures illustrate 

 many topics in life, and it is often the 

 case that you can add a vast amount of 

 beauty and intelligence to .your work by 

 showing that you understand what is ap- 

 propriate. A vase or cluster of suitable 

 flowers gives you more expression than 

 frames or garlands of such as smilax. 



If the subject be of harvest time in- 

 troduce a little wheat, barley or oats as 

 a background to poppies, cornflowers or 

 some such flower identified with the sea- 

 son. Jf the painting be of roses then 

 select the color in roses that will either 

 match or harmonize with those in the 

 picture. If it is an illustration o'f vic- 

 tory or of plenty then you can introduce 

 a garland of flowers or a small wreath 

 of bays, or both, and so on. Whatever 

 the subject be in picture or statuary try 

 to show that you understand, and in ail 

 possible eases use either graceful palms 

 or foliage as a background to statuary. 

 The same rule applies to vases. If it be 

 of Cliina or Japanese ware endeavor to 

 employ either the flowers or the st.yles 

 especially associated with those countries. 

 Even wdiole rooms which are furnished in 

 the different styles of the several artistic 

 countries should be decorated with a view 

 of conforming to that particular style. 



When .you decorate a library it is not 

 necessary to struggle hard to hide every- 

 thing in the room. A few good books 

 always look well alongside a vase of 

 mixed flowers. You can use mixed flow- 

 ers in a library where you may not in 

 amcither room, because "they are appro- 

 priate to the dift'erent beauties on the 



