DKCBMBKB 10, 1014. 



The Florists' Review 



43 



_. ' ,! I I 



;. ^ 



Some of these Big Baskets in the Store are Good AdFvertlsing, Even if too Costly to Sell Rapidly. 



HOLIDAY PLANT AB£ANaEMENTS. 



This issue contains a number of illus- 

 trations of the popular style of plant 

 combinations. While there is an ex- 

 cellent sale for single plants in simple 

 form, the pots concealed with inex- 

 pensive covers, the effort of the florist 

 should be toward better things; toward 

 those items of the stock that give him 

 the opportunity to make a charge for 

 his artistic skill as shown in the ar- 

 rangement. When a sale consists of 

 a plant with nothing but a piece of 

 crepe paper around the pot' there is no 

 opportunity to charge for the florists' 

 knowledge of his business. One's ex- 

 perience in the trade can only be rep- 

 resented in the price when artistic com- 

 binations of plants are offered. It is 

 not necessary that these plant combina- 

 tions be large or expensive, like some 

 of those shown in this issue. It is 

 possible to make up artistic combina- 

 tions in small baskets to sell at mod- 

 erate prices and yet bring more money 



than the plants would ^b*- worth with- 

 out the addition of '^fe baskets, rib- 

 bons and artistic '>qua}|ties. 



j[".vi.^ ' 



. poinsJttias. 



Poinsettias, the- ever popular Christ- 

 mas plants, require handling with 

 great care. They ate grown in a high 

 temperature and atfe often not sub- 

 jected to any gradl»l"v«ooiing before 

 being shipped away. The "charm of 

 poinsettias consists not so much in the 

 size of their brilliant bracts, as in 

 plants well clothed with foliage. Any- 

 one can grow plants scantily leaved, 

 but good growers are necessary to pro- 

 duce such as have beautiful, dark 

 green leaves to the tops of the pots 

 or pans. Careful watering, good judg- 

 ment in feeding and an even tempera- 

 ture are conditions making for ideal 

 poinsettias. In order to keep the 

 plants in good condition for even a 

 few days in the store, some judgment 

 is needed. See that they are kept 



neither soggy nor dry at the root and 

 stand them where they will not be sub- 

 jected to cold drafts. Poinsettias, 

 to be salable, must have green leaves. 

 In order to retain these, more care is 

 needed than in the case of almost any 

 other flowering plants. As these 

 plants are quite tender, be sure to 

 wrap heavily when delivering. Do not, 

 even on mild days, stand the plants 

 on the sidewalk for passers-by to in- 

 spect. Azaleas, solanums, oranges and 

 other plants may stand this, but never 

 poinsettias. 



There need not be a complete loss 

 on plants which have lost considerable 

 foliage. Provided the stems are of 

 fair length, the cut bracts will be 

 salable. In order to make them keep 

 fresh, however, the ends of the stems 

 as soon as cut should be either seared 

 on hot coal ashes or dipped for a short 

 time in water as near the boiling point 

 as possible. This stops bleeding and, 

 if the stalks are wrapped separately in 



