September 15, 1921 



The Horists' Review 



27 



A Window Display like Tliis Will Go Far Toward Making Business Good for a Florist Wiio Handles Bulbs. 



the list of applicants for space in this 

 section is the W. Atlee Burpee Co., of 

 Philadelphia, which has made a liberal 

 reservation. 



The new building in which the show 

 is to be held is rapidly approaching com- 

 pletion. Its finish is so far assured that 

 it has been leased for the use of the 

 American Building Exposition, which is 

 to open January 4 and run for ten days. 

 John Young, Sec'y. 



HOW TO SELL BULBS. 



Only a small percentage of the florists 

 who handle bulbs for autumn planting 

 make any real eflfort to sell the bulbs. 

 They put in a stock and there the ef- 

 fort ends. If customers ask for bulbs, 

 they get them, but in many cases the 

 bulbs are not even in sight in the store. 

 As a matter of good business, the selling 

 of bulbs to the public should have been 

 going on all summer. As soon as the 

 spring planting is finished the florist 

 should begin booking orders for fall 

 planting, of shrubs and bulbs. People 

 who are pleased with their flower beds 

 in summer will readily give orders to 

 fill the beds with bulbs after frost. If 

 the florist makes the attempt he can ac- 

 cumulate a nice, fat little file of orders 

 long before the bulbs arrive. But now 

 the bulbs are here, keep them in sight — 

 very much in sight. Out of sight is out 

 of mind, out of the mind of the salesman 

 as well as out of the mind of the cus- 

 tomer who gladly would buy if asked 

 to do so. There is enough business to 

 be done with bulbs to justify making 

 a window display of them. Indeed, as 

 variety is spice, a window filled with 

 ferns all summer and with flowers all 

 winter will be more attractive at both 



those long seasons if in autumn it is 

 used to show bulbs. That a window of 

 bulbs may be attractively decorated 

 only with bulbs is shown by the accom- 

 panying illustration, reproduced from a 

 photograph of the display of a concern 

 whose object it is to sell bulbs to the 

 trade and to show the trade how to sell 

 them to the public. Such a window is 

 an object lesson. 



The bulbs received in America 

 year are of unusually good quality. 

 European demand was not strong 

 better prices were obtained in 

 United States than elsewhere, so 

 Holland exporters sent their best. Prices 

 are lower here than last year, but recent 

 reports from Holland are to the effect 

 that the demand has exceeded expecta- 

 tions and that many varieties have 

 proved so short that the market has 

 been advancing steadily since the re- 

 covery set in several weeks ago. 



this 



The 



and 



the 



the 



Easter and Memorial day. From your 

 letter, it is judged that your plants 

 have only one shoot each. It is not too 

 late to give a shift to 4%-inch pots in 

 your latitude. Leave the plants out- 

 doors until frost threatens them and 

 then protect them in a coldframe. Carry 

 them over winter in a cold greenhouse 

 or in a dry, frost-proof cellar, keeping 

 them somewhat on the dry side. Start 

 them in a temperature of 45 to 50 de- 

 grees at night about January 15. 

 Gradually advance the temperature to 

 55 or 60 degrees at night and run it 

 somewhat cooler as the flower heads 

 color. Feed the plants well and give 

 them an abundant water supply. The 

 plants will stand considerable forcing 

 and they can be held back for some 

 time in a cool house when in flower. 



C. W. 



FORCING HYDRANGEAS. 



My hydrangeas are of the variety. 

 Baby Bimbinettc, and are now in 3%- 

 inch pots. Tlu'y have from four to six 

 pairs of leaves and are about ten inches 

 high. Will you advise as to how I may 

 handle them so I can have them for 

 Christmas and Easter blooming? 



T. S. G.— Kan. 



PROPAGATING VINCAS. 



"Will you please tell me the proper 

 method for propagating vincas? 



A. D. S.— Neb. 



Do not attempt to flower your hydran- 

 geas for Christmas. You cannot make 

 them bloom satisfactorily at that time 

 and, even if you could, other plants, 

 such as poinsettias, cyclamens, begonias, 

 Jerusalem cherries and primulas, would 

 be preferred. Hydrangeas are, how- 

 ever, wonderful forcing plants for 



If you refer to the variegated vinca 

 commonly grown by florists or to its 

 original green form, Vinca major, prop- 

 agation from soft young shoots is easy. 

 ;Moro mature wood can be cut in short 

 lengths and will also root, but, of course, 

 more time is needed. 



The dwarf ^■inca minor, which is 

 liardy, can be propagated in the same 

 way as V. major, and also by divi- 

 sion of the roots in the spring. The 

 shrubby Vinca rosea, used so much in 

 bedding, is propagated from seeds, sown 

 in lieat in late winter, and later potted 

 off singly. C. W. 



V 



