226 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



December 30, 1897 



Novelty in Christmas Wreaths, arranged by Mr. Geo. Stumpp, New York. 



NOVELTIES IN CHRISTMAS 

 WREATHS. 



It is one of the most difficult problems 

 every year to introduce something novel 

 in the way of Christmas wreaths for deco- 

 rative purposes. We have got tired of see- 

 ing the regulation stock of immortelles, 

 etc. The credit must go to Mr. George 

 Stumpp, of New York City, for intro- 

 ducing the novelties shown in our illustra- 

 tions and seen this year for the first time. 



Owing to the color plan of the whole 

 being red, the photographs do not do 

 them real justice. As a novelty, how- 

 ever, they are unique. The illustrations 

 give an idea as to the arrangement, the 

 groundwork being of red immortelles 

 and the "fixins" are dried sumach flow- 

 ers, bitter-sweet berries, Hartford fern, 

 and broad crimson ribbon. 



CHRISTMAS EVE WITH A RETAIL 

 FLORIST. 



This is the story of the night before 

 Christmas, spent at the establishment of 

 Mr. E. Wienhoeber, a leading retail florist 

 of Chicago. At lo p. m. last Thursday 

 Mr. Wienhoeber and his force of twelve 



employes began the work of selecting 

 and packing the cut flower orders that 

 were to be delivered Christmas morning. 



On Wednesday all plants, wreathin.g, 

 holly, etc., had been delivered so as to 

 leave the decks clear for action on the 

 cut flowers at the latest possible moment. 

 Thursdaj- was devote<l to waiting on cus- 

 tomers and taking orders, though the 

 clerical force was even then preparing for 

 the work at night. But before we take 

 up that, a word about the holly wreaths. 

 These were made extra heavy, on both 

 sides, and sold at an extra price, for Mr. 

 Wienhoeber's trade is of the choicest in 

 the city, and a very popular style of 

 wreath was one in which holly and lyco- 

 podium was worked in together. 



The bulk of the flowers handled bv 

 Mr. Wienhoeber come from Mr. E. Buett- 

 ner's range of glass at Park Ridge. 

 They were formerly joint owners of both 

 store and greenhouses, but a few years 

 ago dissolved partnership, Mr. Wien- 

 hoeber taking the .store and Mr. Buett- 

 ner the greenhouses. By g p. m. Mr, 

 Earl, Mr. Buettner's foreman, had ar- 

 rived with the choice Christmas stock of 

 flowers and had laid out the array of 

 boxes in the basement. The choice stock 



is held at the greenhouses till Christmas 

 eve, being reserved for critical customers 

 who have placed advance orders, while 

 the rest is sent in for earlier sale over the 

 counter. By lo p. m. the boys wer^ at 

 work in the room on the first floor un- 

 nesting boxes and piling the various 

 sizes together where they lould be quicklv 

 reached, and soon after two were set to 

 work wrapping tissue paper around the 

 stems of bunches of violets and then dip- 

 ping the papered stems in water. These 

 were violets that were to be packed with 

 other flowers, and without wet tissue on 

 the stems they are apt to suffer, even 

 when packed only over night. 



Just as Mr. Wienhoeber appeared on the 

 scene two "difficulties" were referred to 

 him for action. Both were orders sent 

 by messenger. One order inclosed one 

 dollar and instructed that "three bunches 

 of 3-our finest violets" be sent to a certain 

 address. As the price of violets was one 

 dollar a bunch, the order was placed on 

 file to be later returned to the sender. 

 Next was "Two dozen choicest roses, cost 

 not to exceed fe." "Hold it till we get 

 through and see what we have left," were 

 the instructions given. "Are these all 

 right?" says Mr. Earl to the wTiter as he 

 shows a bunch of two dozen magnificent 

 Beauties, with stems 36 to 40 inches lonsr. 

 "We cut 150 like these to-day." In addi- 

 tion to these was a host of jars of Beauties 

 of all degrees of length of stem and quality 

 of flower, tray after tray of splendid 

 Maids, Brides, Meteors, etc., and cases of 

 fine carnations tied in graceful bunches of 

 twenty-five. Trays of pink tulips and 

 violets, jars of Romans, narcis.sus, valley, 

 Harrisii, poinsettias and stevia were scat- 

 tered around the basement in orderly 

 array. 



Soon Mr. Wienhoelier took his positioii 

 at the center of a long bench with the 

 order book and a long, open paper box 

 containing a ho.st of tags and cards. These 

 had been prepared by the bookkeeper. 

 In each case there was a tag alread%- 

 addressed, and attached to this by a rubber 

 band was the card to be sent with the 

 flowers if any had been left by the custo- 

 mer for this purpose. These were arranged 

 in the box in the same order in which the 

 orders were entered in the order book. 

 One assistant took a wicker tray from a 

 pile and placed it in front of Mr. W., who 

 at once called out "One dozen extra Beau- 

 ties, two dozen Scotts and one dozen 

 mignonette." Three assistants placed 

 the required stock on the tray, it was 

 quickh' glanced at by Mr. W. who placed 

 on the tray the tag and card and a bov 

 started with it for the floor above where 

 two packers were ready for business. 

 From that time on it was a repetition of 

 the above, with occasional changes of 

 quality or kind of flowers by Mr. W., 

 whose eye pa.ssed on each bunch of flowers 

 that went into the orders, and who some- 

 times asked as to quantity of certain 

 flowers on hand when making up orders 

 of mixed flowers where varieties were not 

 specified. 



Following the stream of wicker trays 

 going up the stairs the packers were 

 found busily engaged above. At a glance 

 the proper size and shape of box was 

 determined, quickly lined with tis.sue 

 paper, the flowers placed to show to best 



