May 31, 1917. 



The Florists^ Review 



13 



as a background at the altar. Some 

 retailors have been known to sacrifice 

 ]»art of tlieir profits on wedding work 

 in order to give their ' customers com- 

 jilete satisfaction. The florist should 

 have a full equipment of wedding ac- 

 cessories, sucli as vases, gates, kneeling 

 stools, aisle posts, wedding rope, rib- 

 bons, baskets, etc. The retailer who 

 is ready to execute any and all kinds 

 of wedding work surely makes a better 

 bid for success than one who has to 

 "hunt" his accessories. 



One of the acconipaiijd.ng illustra- 

 tions sliovvs how Mrs. M. E. Irbv, of 

 Memphis, Tenn., improvised an altar 

 for a home wedding. The other pic- 

 ture depicts the interior of Calvary 

 church, Memphis, after Mrs. Irby and 

 lier assistants of the Flower Shop had 

 completed their work. 



TREATMENT OF TORCED PLANTS. 



Can you tell me how to treat my 

 azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas and 

 spirajas so that they will flower again 

 next year? — C. A. M. — Mich, 



Easter Lilies in Church Decoration by Memphis Flower Shop. 



uries, but, as the prophets said, we 

 should worry; as it seems to be a cut 

 and dried matter that for all occa- 

 sions in which joy, welcome, love, sor- 

 row, condolence and remembrance en- 

 ter, flowers really are well-nigh indis- 

 pensable. Witness as proof of this 

 the Mothers' day business. One is able 

 to explain the unusual increase in busi- 

 ness for the day only by the belief that 

 people are seeing the futility of ex- 

 treme retrenchment and refusing to 

 forego the pleasure of purchasing what 

 might be considered by some to be lux- 

 uries. 



That was Mothers' day, and now 

 June with its brides is here. From the 

 facts ,on hand, it is obvious that, war 

 economy or no war economy, the June 

 bride will have her flowers. A woman's 

 wedding is the most important event in 

 her life, an event that sticks in the 

 memory, and on such an occasion those 

 in charge usually are free-handed in 

 their expenditure for wedding flowers. 

 It is difficult to draw a line between 

 the beauty and utility of wedding flow- 

 ers; these attributes are inseparable. 



Make It a Good Job. 



The important role which flowers 

 play in the wedding ceremony should 

 furnish the florist with his cue, that 

 an order for wedding work is a key to 

 greater patronage. A wedding order 

 is a business-bringing opportunity par 

 excellence. It brings the florist into 

 contact not only with the new home or 

 family, but also with the families of 

 the bride and bridegroom. Other wed- 

 dings in cither of the two families, fu- 

 nerals, anniversaries and the flower 

 days may contribute a large share to- 

 ward building a bigger business. If 

 one were to multiply the possibilities 

 for future business in each wedding 

 order by ten, twenty, thirty or fifty 

 such orders per year, the significance 

 of pleasing the June bride and her rel- 

 atives would be brought home more 

 forcibly. 



Admittedly, if there is any work 

 that is worth doing well, it is wedding 

 work. Wedding flowers are subject to 



almost as critical a survey as the 

 bride's gown, so it behooves the florist 

 — if he be the kind that plans for the 

 future — to str^^e hard to please the 

 bride and bridegroom. Whether church 

 or home decoration, whether the bride's 

 or the bridesmaid's bouquet, everything 

 must be worked out carefully, with 

 brain as well as with hand. Wedding 

 anniversaries come each year to remind 

 people of their wedding day, and among 

 the remembrances may be that of a 

 florist 's good work. 



The Illustrations. 



Of course, good stock is essential to 

 good work of any kind, but it is par- 

 ticularly necessary when it is held in 

 the hands of a bride or when it serves 



Eemove all the seeds from your azaleas 

 and rliododendrons and put the plants 

 outdoors where you can readily reach 

 them with the hose in warm, dry 

 weather. A coldframe is a suitable 

 place for the azaleas. Set the plants 

 in a mixture of loam, leaf-mold, sand 

 and a little old manure. Plant them 

 firmly and keep them well syringed and 

 watered. There is no reason why the 

 azaleas should not be bristling with 

 buds next fall, and, unless all signs 

 fail, azalea importations the coming 

 season will be nil. Tiie rhododendrons 

 will only set buds moderately, especial- 

 ly that fine variety. Pink Pearl, and 

 may require to be carried a second sea- 

 son. Spiraeas can be planted out in 

 good garden soil, grown a couple of 

 seasons and then reforced. Hydrangeas, 

 both Otaksa and the French varieties, 

 can be cut back well, planted outdoors, 

 dug up and repotted in early fall. Give 

 them a good soil to grow in. C. W. 



Decoration by the Flower Shop, Memphis, for a Home Wedding. 



