Decembeb 9, 1920 



The Florists^ Review 



35 



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lOEETINO CHRISTMAS PROBLEMS. 



By MAX SCHLING. 



Plant Shortage Demands Preparation. 



A year ago we made preparation for 

 [Ihristmas more carefully than other 

 ^ears on account of missing many va- 

 rieties of Christmas plants. We have 

 to do so much more this year. Labor 

 sonditions are still unsettled, and busi- 

 ness conditions are naturally more or 

 less affected. Many large growers in 

 certain sections of the country reduced 

 their growing capacity on account of 

 being unable to secure sufficient coal. 

 Many found certain articles which they 

 grew last year unprofitable in compari- 

 son with other articles and are growing 

 stock not used so much for holidays but 

 for other seasons of the year. 



The stock available last Christmas 

 in flowering and berried plants was of 

 a different nature from the stock in 

 previous years. The general assort- 

 ment consisted of araucarias, cyclamens, 

 camellias, begonias, crotons, Pandanus 

 Veitchii, the different varieties of 

 heathers, poinsettias, cherries, oranges 

 and well colored dracsenas, with a nom- 

 inal amount of azaleas, Pyrus Malus and 

 Viburnum Sinus. 



Meeting Low-Price Demands. 



At one time we had no difficulty in 

 filling orders for small plants in other 

 years, using small azaleas, cyclamens, 

 ardisias or oranges. In later years the 



price on these plants has gone up con- 

 tinuously. The cheapest plants we 

 could purchase last year were Cleveland 

 cherries at $1.50 apiece wholesale and 

 poinsettias in 4-inch pots with one 

 small, perfect flower at $1.50. The 

 decorating of a plant of this kind 

 where, as in the city of New York, the 

 flower buying public is exceedingly dis- 

 criminating, can be nothing cheap. 

 People do not want a piece of crepe 

 paper, which looks mussed up within a 

 day or two. We have to use natural 

 green sheet moss to cover the pot, have 

 to decorate the base of the plant with 

 asparagus, pussy willow, etc., and have 

 to use good ribbon on the plant. That 

 almost doubles the wholesale price of 

 the plant. So when we get an order 

 for a $3 or $4 plant for a customer from 

 out of town or a customer calls to buy 

 a plant at a lower price, it is hardly 

 possible to give something good. 



Service Builds Sales. 



Every plant we sell should add to our 

 prestige. Florists may have ])rices 

 alike, but do widely varying business. 

 What gives one florist the larger busi- 

 ness and increases his sales is the good 

 service which he gives customers. 

 Therefore, when a customer comes to 

 us during the holidays and wants an 

 inexpensive plant and we wish to serve 

 him well, we should not try to sell him 



a .Jerusalem cherry or a small poin- 

 settia or a cheap cyclamen, which will 

 only live a short while, but we should 

 use one of the well colored dracaenas, 

 a croton, even a good fern or a Pan- 

 danus Veitchii. Decorated prettily 

 with berries or holly, these will last and 

 give pleasure to the customer through 

 their lasting quality. We are able to 

 sell such plants for $4 or $5, and they 

 will give our business more credit than 

 the lower-priced flowering plants. 



For "Candy Customers." 



We have observed this policy and 

 found that our small customers appre- 

 ciate our efforts. From year to year 

 we increase our sales on this type of 

 goods and our customers benefit, and the 

 fact that we serve them well brings us 

 more of the same type of customers for 

 this most satisfactory merchandise. 

 We used to call them our candy cus- 

 tomers, because they are mostly those 

 who buy flowers during the year and at 

 Christmas send boxes of candy. 

 Flowers and plants were too high in 

 price and out of their reach — but no 

 more candy for them! 



These same candy customers used to 

 decorate their tables with holly, greens 

 and artificial decorations, which they 

 saved from year to year until we found 

 out about it. Most of them are now 

 buying their Christmas decorations 

 from us; we taught them how to deco- 

 rate. We sell them a small wreath of 



How Foliage Plants Can Be Decorated with Greens to Make Attractive Christmas Offerings. 



