18 



The Horists^ Review 



Mabch 9, 1916. 



MR. TRICKER'S 



TRI-CITIES TALK 



PLANTS FOE THE HOLIDAYS. 



[A synopsis of a paper by William -E. Trirlser, 

 read before the Illinois State Florists' Associa- 

 tion at Mollne, 111.. March 7, 191ti] 



■ The average florist takes the matter 

 of Christmas and Easter plants much as 

 a man buying a spring or fall suit. It 

 has come to be habit, in piost instances, 

 without forethought. I think the flo- 

 rists of this country should endeavor 

 to get out of the beaten track of the 

 usual stock used for these different oc- 

 casions and try to present something to 

 the public that is a novelty, that will 

 increase the plant trade in the same 

 way that the disseminators of new rosea 

 and carnations are pushing their wares 

 forward. I do not;3nean to disregard 

 the staple plants that are selling year 

 by year and that we hav« edjrcated the 

 public to call for. But perbapsit is not 

 the growers ' fault, as, wjth the excep- 

 tion of one or two retjuj florists, tbey 

 4re cautious about taKisg hold of a 

 itew litte. If something new is brought 

 to their notice, the predominant thought 

 relates to price, with the purchase of 

 six or a dozen plants, instead of enough 

 to make a large display. The result is 

 the new plan^ are hidden among the 

 general stock and unless a live sales- 

 man pushes them, often are left to the 

 tender mercies of the knock-out price 

 or the garbage can. I am afraid we 

 have not taken advantage of our best 

 opportunities to present to the public 

 other stock than the plants that grow 

 with the least attention. 



Growers' Problems. 



The pot plant business is discourag- 

 ing to most florists for the simple rea- 

 son that it costs about three times as 

 much to produce the same income per 

 square foot as it does with plants 

 benched for cut flower purposes. Many 

 growers expect all profit and no loss. 

 There must necessarily be waste and 

 cull plants, no matter how successful a 

 grower may be. You cannot take the 

 hose and water pot plants in the same 

 way you treat the rose bed. The guid- 

 ing rule with all stock to be finished 

 ahead of its natural time is that root 

 action must be vigorous before the plant 

 may be expected to break forth. For 

 instance, take azaleas. Many consign- 

 ments last season were not received 

 from abroad until December 1, but 

 many growers had stock for Christmas! 

 But what credit, what benefit, is that 

 to the trade f After such excessive forc- 

 ing the plant lasts only a few days. 

 The customer is dissatisfied, the re- 

 tailer is dissatisfied and we are not 

 satisfied, ourselves, that we did the 

 right thing. I believe that if we were 

 to sell only plants well finished and 

 hardened off, the public, instead of buy- 

 ing only at holiday seasons, would be 

 more intent on having flowering plants 

 at all seasons and that this would be- 

 come a flower-loving nation. 



We are moving too fast in these 



times. One instance in particular im- 

 presses me. When my illustrious parent 

 determined that I should have a sim- 

 ilar experience to that by which he had 

 gained knowledge, I entered the Veitch 

 establishment at Chelsea, London, Eng- 

 land. The man in charge instructed 

 me to take over certain houses. He 

 gave me two watering cans, a boy to 

 carry water, and a long-handled wooden 

 hammer to tap the pots to ascertain 

 if they were dry. Imagine my feelings 

 later when he insisted I tap every pot, 

 whether I thought it was dry or not! 

 I mention this to explain how thorough 

 the old-fashioned method was. A plant 

 was more carefully nourished, more 

 carefully handled, and I think we can 



Who'« He? 



A traveling salesman leaving a retail florist's 

 establishment after booking a eood-slzed order. 

 No prise is offered for his name, as we might 

 not be able to handle the mail. 



attribute the success of the foreign 

 firms to this painstaking care. 



Tbe Leaders for Christmas. 



Poinsettias, azaleas, cyclamens, lil- 

 iums, etc., are the Christmas plants 

 most fiorists Mali stock. Begonias in 

 recent years have not been popular. 

 They are bad shippers and, if they re- 

 ceive the slightest check or chill at any 

 stage, represent loss. Melior, of recent 

 introduction, supersedes (Lorraine and 

 Cincinnati. Among foliage plants, 

 dracnnas, crotons and pandanus in the 

 various forms are the staples. In speak- 

 ing of drac^enas everybody's thought 



flies to terminalis, undoubtedly the most 

 popular and easiest to produce. But 

 Lord Wolseley, providing the weather 

 for ten to twenty days before Christmas 

 is bright, is much superior in color and 

 general effect. Amabilis is attractive. 

 There always has been a call for red- 

 berried stock for Christmas, and the 

 various types of solanum, especially 

 Melvinii, have filled the gap on the 

 cheaper-priced stock. It has been my 

 experience with all solanums and pep- 

 pers, that while the planting-out process 

 is cheaper, a grower is doubly repaid 

 by growing this stock in pots through- 

 out the season and plunging the pots in 

 the open ground over the rim. There 

 are few growers who can lift stock and 

 pot it without its suffering materially. 

 Skimmia Japonica has come to the front 

 again the last two years, being im- 

 ported. It seldom arrives here with the 

 quantity of leaves it should have as a 

 finished plant. Another fault is that 

 the berries are not bright enough to be 

 conspicuous with the foliage carried on 

 these plants. Ardisias are extensively 

 grown in the east and will become more 

 popular as growers learn the methods of 

 growing them. 



A Good Novelty. 



Among additions to the list that 

 would be beneficial to the trade at 

 Christmas is Azalea Ksempferi. This 

 is a scarlet Japanese variety, producing 

 a lustrous mass of bloom, and, to the 

 writer's mind, much prettier and more 

 effective than Mme. Petrick. Red tu- 

 lips in pots have not gained the popu- 

 larity that one would expect for Christ- 

 mas. I think possibly the fault lies in 

 the growing. Scarlet Ihic Van Thol, 

 if handled rightly, will finish nicely 

 for Christmas in pots or pans nine to 

 twelve inches high. 



In recent years there has been a large 

 demand for 4-inch stock to be used in 

 making up baskets. These, providing 

 the linings are deep enough, give the 

 retailer excellent scope for originality 

 and should teach the grower that there 

 are large possibilities in the medium- 

 sized plants. 



The palm section, for decorative pur- 

 poses, seems somewhat on the wane. I 

 cannot help thinking that the Boston 

 fern has to a large degree been respon- 

 sible for this change. Large specimen 

 plants of Asplenium Nidus-avis, Dra- 

 caena Massangeana and the better vari- 

 eties of crotons, such as Beadii, are 

 now used extensively for home decora- 

 tions. 



That Variable Date. 



Leaving the Christmas plants in this 

 unfinished condition, and before your 

 patience is entirely exhausted, we will 

 consider the more extensive variety for 

 Easter. The public little realizes the 

 trouble the grower has in producing 

 stock for this occasion. Easter coming 

 on a variable date, it seldom comes to 



