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Decbmber 3, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



WEDDING BOUQUETS. 



Valley the Most Popular Material. 



The majority of the brides carry bou- 

 quets of valley; indeed, it is probable 

 more bride's bouquets are made of valley 

 than of all other flowers combined, al- 

 though the sweet pea also is a favorite 

 flower for this purpose. I described the 

 construction of a shower bouquet of val- 

 ley in a recent issue of the Review, and 

 anyone with a little aptitude for cut 

 flower work can, by the aid of those di- 

 rections and a little practice, become pro- 

 ficient. It often is said that a florist's 

 abilities are judged by his bride's bou- 

 quets more often than by any other class 

 of work, so it pays to pay attention to 

 the little details of good craftsmanship. 



Sweet Pea Bouquets. 



Sweet peas are among the flowers 

 which do nicely for almost any kind of 

 work. They make up exceptionally well 

 as wedding bouquets and, what is more, 

 it does not require much experience to 

 make a pretty sweet pea bouquet. 



It will be necessary to wire most of 

 the flowers into bunches of about six to 

 nine flowers in each bunch. In wiring see 

 that each bunch is in itself loose and 

 airy. A good plan is to wire a spray of 

 green in with some of the bunches. 



Proceed to make the bouquet the same 

 as you would with valley. You can ob- 

 tain a fine shower effect by using some 

 long sprays of Asparagus Sprengeri for 

 a starter, tying only a few of the 

 bunches of peas in with this ; then as you 

 work along use more flowers until at last 

 you build up a bouquet of good size. 



If any of the sweet pea green is avail- 

 able I would use, some of this, but do not 

 use this entirely, for by using some other 

 green you will find your customer will be 

 better pleased. Asparagus Sprengeri is 

 one of the prettiest greens to use with 

 sweet peas. 



A bouquet of medium size will call for 

 the use of about 150 to 250 peas. This 

 will give you enough for use in the 

 ribbon. 



Gauze ribbon is by far the nicest to 

 use witli the peas, although satins are 

 fashionable this year. 



Violet Bouquets. 



Violets are not commonly used in wed- 

 <ling bouquets, but once in a while they 

 are called for; I heard of an order re- 

 cently where nothing else would do. Vio- 

 lets find their principal use for the cor- 

 sage, but if a customer wishes to carry 

 them, she should have them, by all means, 

 and if carefully made she will carry a 

 very pretty bouquet at that. 



First of all, secure as fresh violets as 

 IS possible and, before attempting to use 

 them, get them thoroughly hardened by 

 immersing the stems well in water. Tie 

 a sheet of wax paper lightly over the 

 flowers. This will exclude the air and 

 help retain the odor. Never under any 



circumstances wet the flowers. Some flo- 

 rists do not believe in keeping violets in 

 a refrigerator or cooler, but I always 

 have followed this practice and never 

 heard any complaint. Of course it is not 

 advisable to keep them in too cold a 

 place, for then they would not stand up 

 when taken into a warm room. 



After you have finished all the other 

 bouquets the order calls for, start on the 

 violet bouquet. As in the case of the lily 

 of the valley, it will be necessary to wire 

 the violets, not only some of them, but 

 all of them. Wire them into bunches of 

 from six to twelve. The smaller the 

 bunches the better will be the effect. 



Secure the shower effect with ribbons 

 by tying quite a few of the flowers in 

 with the small bows. The trouble is that 

 as soon as the violets commence to hang 

 their heads, which will be very soon, the 

 whole effect will be spoiled. 



Points Worth Remembering. 



As in all other w^rk, the florist should 

 study the taste or style of his customer 

 and, if possible, the person who is going 

 to carry the bouquet. Some people think 



ends all over in the bouquet, and not too 

 near the end of the flowers. 



If possible, find how the bouquets are 

 to be carried. If over the arm, a one- 

 sided bouquet should be made. 



And after all these precautions see 

 that the bouquets are packed carefully, so 

 that they will arrive at their destination 

 in perfect condition. 



Last, but by no means least, be 

 prompt. If you have promised delivery 

 for a certain hour, keep your promise. 

 If you find it will be a little later, call 

 up your customers and advise them of 

 this fact. Delay will not be forgotten 

 or forgiven. Hugo Schboeteb, 



ADVERTISING PAID. 



C. H. Green, Fremont, Neb., says 

 Thanksgiving business was most satisfac- 

 tory, supply, demand, prices and weather 

 all good. For the few days before the 

 holiday he printed the following in the 

 local daily: 



A TbankBglTingr Dinner Table without a few 

 flowers is a Tbanksgiylng dinner table that 

 could be made considerably more attractive. 



There was no name or address, but Mr. 



Green says, ' ' This little business bringer, 



scattered liberally over the columns of 



the paper, caused more comment and 



brought greater returns than all the rest 



of the advertising we did. ' ' 



A MONTREAL STORE SHOW. 



Betail florists who have tried giving 

 "openings," or other forms of private 

 exhibitions, at their stores have almost 

 invariably found that they attracted a 

 most gratifying amount of attention 

 from just the class of people it is most 



Bride's Party in McKenna & Son's Window. 



far more of tea- roses than of orchids. 

 Also try to find out the material of the 

 gowns to be worn, as well as the colors. 

 All should harmonize if a really artistic 

 effect is desired. 



It is essential that you cover the han- 

 dles or stems of your bouquets with foil 

 or some material that will not allow 

 dampness to get through. 



When arranging the small ribbon, 

 guard against the ribbon being tied to 

 the bouquet in one place. Fasten the 



desired to "interest. It repeatedly has 

 been proven that the women, who are 

 the principal buyers of flowers, always 

 are interested in demonstrations of the 

 best ways of using flowers. At public ex- 

 hibitions no feature attracts as much at- 

 tention as the displays of the retailers. 

 No matter how marvelous the perfection 

 of finish on the 100 mammoth blooms 

 that capture first prize, the interest of 

 the ladies, and of the men, too, for 

 that matter, is but momentary compared 



