Decembku 24, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



fi 



^^^.^^r^.'^T7.'^-\^.<^-. ^^-; ■■'<•. ■■'<•. .J^r::--y^^i'A 



.^V.^V.^W^: 



m 



THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



'»^.'i<^.'^'r^.^-^.';<-r>.<<-r^.'»-r:^^r}.<»^/'fe^r»)''fe^r»)'feV»>'''r»^'v^ 



WREATH OF GALAX. 



Tlio accompanying illustration shows 

 an absolutely plain wreath made entirely 

 of galax leaves, yet a wreath that gives 

 abundant opportunity for artistic skill. 

 When properly executed, it conveys the 

 idea of mature ago, and of victory. It 

 is one of the funeral designs by Charles 

 Henry Fox, Sign of the Kose, Philadel- 

 phia. PuiTi. 



A POTTERY CHRISTMAS. 



\Vc lia\o for sonic years been hearing 

 about ' ' plant ' ' holidays, but this is a 

 pottery Christmas. Baskets and hampers 

 have boon so universally used in the last 

 few years that the leading retailers have 

 been looking about for something to 

 give variety and novelty. They have 

 found what they were after in the many 

 lines of fine jiottery which have been 

 ufVorod by the florists' sui)ply houses and 

 tiy the highclass pottery works. 



Of course, a great many hampers and 

 baskets have been sold, but the tendency 

 has been toward pottery and some of 

 the leading stores have shown not only 

 more of this class of ware than ever be- 

 fore, but for the Christmas trade put in 

 stocks of it which a year or two ago 

 would have been thought wholly unwar- 

 ranted by the possible demand. The 

 pottery is of infinite variety and of qual- 

 ity in keeping with the character of the 

 stores — there is nothing too good for the 

 high-class retail trade. 



There is just one feature about the 

 sale of ])ottory in flower stores which is 

 not pleasing; pottery in the majority of 

 cases calls for small and not costly 

 plants. But it has the great advantage 

 that attractive combinations of lasting 

 charartcr can be sold at moderate prices. 

 This assures the customers' satisfaction 

 and a lame volume of business. 



CHRISTMAS YEARS AGO. 



[Rominisocncos of B. Scliroetcr. rclatiil !.!■ 

 foil' the Dfti-dit Fl<irists' Club l>i'ctMnlnn- l(i. 

 lilOS.l 



.My Christmas remend)ranco dates back 

 as far as the year ISTI' — a hmg time. 

 thirty five years. 



Since then the florists' business has 

 had several evolutions. The largest 

 commercial greenhouse establishment in 

 Detroit in my early days was that of 

 Hubbard & Davis, on the corner of Twen- 

 ty fourth street and Fort street west, 

 where the jdant of Mr. Taplin now 

 stands. Mr. Ta])lin was niaiiagcr for 

 Hubbard & Davis at that time. 



New Yearns the Day. 



In tiiose days New Year's business was 

 ahead of Christmas, but as time wore 

 on Christmas began to forge ahead until 

 the two days were about even. New 

 Year's day was the great day for calling, 

 and, of course, the more well-to-do people 

 sent many flowers, or took them with 

 them on their calls. I say many flowers 

 were used. We considered it luanv in 



those days, for flowers wore then (■duntcd 

 by the twos and throes aiul not by tho 

 (h)zon or hundred. It was not long bo- 

 fore the calling became^ a nuisam-r to 

 about everyone but the florists and soon 

 the fad died out. This ended tho \cw 

 Year's day business and (.'inistni;i'~ \'i- 

 came the banner, day. 



Stock Available. 



TIh! few flowers at our disposal at thai 

 time were yioinseftias, doulde jiiiini-nsos, 

 camellias, Ijouvardia, Komau liyacintlis 

 and a few roses, such as Marodial Xiol. 

 Lanmrque and Gloiro do Dijon, all run- 

 ning roses grown (ui tlio inftois. I'cw 

 carnations were to bo had. In wliiti- wc 

 liad only Dc draw. Tln^ only ]iink w;i^ 



I'll!' baskets I liciMsrh I's Will iii:i'l' ol 

 wile nnd tlit-n painted while. The oiJi 

 nai'v Swiss moss baskets, sueh :i-, .■in 

 still in nse in siniill si/.os, weii' ril-.i ol.. 



t;iin;ii)le in large sizes. She, t moss. 

 wliicli wo oui'sol\-os g.-illiered in tin.' wood-, 

 w;is placed in the basket and for a t'unn- 

 d.'iiiiin ur ba(d<gr()iin<l ! ne whole pl.-mrs 

 of l\copo(lii!in, whi<'h \\i' ;^re\v ui'id'T tin 



bellrlies in tll(^ grCM'tllim ises, \vero llSe.l. 



The (lipwors ;ill had to h,. wire) ;ind 

 the wire stuck into tli'' moss. Tootli 

 picks were not known t'.ir tloi'ists' use in 

 lli(i-<e ilays. The baskets looked rdioni 

 .•ill alike. In the ceiiler n poj iis,.t t i;i 

 (lower \\:is stuck and .'ifoiiiid this- ANci'e 

 several n.ws of some small llow-(;r. ' like 

 ilonble )ii'imrosos. and to sot (dV tlie whole- 

 ••ind iidd a touch of boauty :i cnmelli:! 

 was stuck right in the center <i\' the 

 poinsellia. I'erhnps yon ^^i!i ii,,t l,.|i'\o 

 it. but some of these ba^^kots looo-lii as 

 high as -kip to *S. No ribbon \-,-a^ i..-e,| 

 ill an\- ut' our work. 



Green and Plants. 



<ireeii was ;ibout as scarce a- 'ioua-. 

 Wo ne\ci 1 hought of using tin' wiid lerhs, 

 of which so many millions jiie us-. I now 

 XeitluM' did we ha\'o much sinilax. Th" 

 most jiopiihii- green was t rade-i-aiil '..a. 



A Wreath of Galax. 



one known as La Purite. Its shade was 

 similar to that of Lawson, but of course 

 the flower was much smaller. There 

 were also fuchsitis, heliotropes, abutilon, 

 callas; in fact, anything that had any 

 resemblance to a flower was carefully 

 guarded, or, speaking in twentieth cen- 

 tury language, it was pickled until the 

 holidays. The term cut flowers was 

 hardly known in those days, few loose 

 flowers being sold; tlie long stems of 

 today were not avail.able. 



Making Up Baskets. 



I used to make up quite a few bas- 

 kets, but not as they aro lunde up now. 



wandering Je\% Kose geranium leavo-^^. 

 rose loaves, or anything green wo conlo 

 find in the greenlnniso, were used. 



<^'hristmas green was unheard of thii 

 t.v five years ago. The first ground pine 

 1 remember on sale in our city was shown 

 by .-. grocer named House, several v,.,,,,, 

 later than the period I am speakiii;,' 

 ;:l>Mit. Holly and mistletoe caiuc in -ii^' 

 later. 



There was hardly any sale for plant-. 

 In blooming plants we had onlv pii.n- 

 roses. Poinsintias, heliotropes, etc., were 

 not grown in pots. Palms had not Iron 

 hoard of and tln^ few forn< s,,] ( v . !•.• 

 Pteris fremula. 



