TTW^^^K 



December 9, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



J3 



THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



,<»%.<#%.<»%.<»^'»^^<^<<^^ 



COMMON SENSE IN DESIGNING. 



A Use for the Loose Style. 



Common sense must be used in our 

 making up. We need all the looseness 

 that is necessary to give a careless grace, 

 but none of the looseness that looks like 

 slovenly work. Effective looseness de- 

 mands not only room, but judicious use 

 of the flowers. 



The difference in designs must be re- 

 spected; we should keep within their 

 general outlines, and although they are 

 artificial, they can be made the setting 

 of the natural gem itself, which is a 

 Mower or foliage. 



In such pieces as the sickle or the Odd 

 Fellows' three links, one must be satis- 

 fied with pleasing effects in color, as the 

 blending of several shades, the contrast 

 of two or three, or the simple dignity of 

 one, and must not hide the meaning of 

 the design by long stemming. 



There is room for loose work with 

 small ,)|owej"S, such as Romans, valley, 

 violets, daisies, etc., in the average small 

 design, as bits of relief in clusters of 

 two or three of odd lengths among roses, 

 earnatioBS and larger blooms, or as a 

 part of the whole piece. Care must be 

 taken, however, to avoid the top-heavy 

 look in standing pieces, caused by filling 

 the upper part with the heavier lilies, 

 mums or roses. 



Sprays should be loose, but well made, 

 so as not to fall apart. Often a customer 

 wishes to spend, say, less than $5 and 

 would like a piece. Unless he seems to 

 have a decided preference for the piece, 

 you may without much effort persuade 

 him to have a spray ir stead. This, ^t. 



Ti'^^^^^Ti^Ji 



you have something with fair stems on 

 hand, will give a better show for the 

 money than the piece will, while if you 

 have short stuff only, it would be better 

 to put it into the design. 



Misuse of the Loose Style. 



It is unfortunate that the so-called 

 loose style has been, and is still, so mucn 

 used merely to satisfy a demand for 

 large, showy pieces at a low price. Any- 

 one having no real love for the work is 

 constantly keeping down the standard of 

 floral designing. Money should be one 

 among other considerations and not the 

 only thought ; then there would be a well 

 established trade among a loyal and in- 

 creasing number of flower lovers, instead 

 of bitter competition, cut prices and too 

 often insolvency. 



If you are not sending attractive work 

 from your place of business, it would pay 

 you to learn the art, or to hire someone 

 that has the ability to make up things 

 that make people ask where they came 

 from. Sometimes it seems as though it 

 would be a good thing to have a school 

 for florists' designing, where the trade 

 could be thoroughly studied, and where 

 natural taste could be guided and de- 

 veloped in those who would take up the 

 profession. There are undoubtedly hun- 

 dreds of overworked men and women 

 who would be really better off in every 

 way if they would spend most of their 

 time in managing their business, instead 

 of attempting the unhappy combination 

 of managing and making up, when the 

 latter could be better done by an able 

 designer. Then some of the designers 

 might be willing to spend a few weeKs 

 at different places for the sake of wider 



experience and travel, giving others a 

 chance to learn or to take a needed vaca- 

 tion. However, there is a great abun- 

 dance of good help in our trade discus- 

 sions. The photographer is another excel- 

 lent help for the designer. 



Violet Sylvester. 



NOVELTIES IN POTTERY. 



In the better grade of flower stores 

 there haa been a constant development of 

 the business through the use of novelties 

 in pottery and similar articles in conec- 

 tion with cut flowers and plants. In the 

 leading stores this feature has been 

 worked up to the point where a number 

 maintain special, richly appointed rooms 

 for the display of articles of pottery, 

 glassware, brass, baskets, pot covers, 

 window-boxes and similar requisites. 

 Wherever a line of these articles has 

 been attractively shown it has , been 

 found that they aided the sale of plants 

 and cut flowers and' at the same time 

 afforded the florist a profit equal to his 

 usual margin on the regular stock. 



The accompanying illustration servds to 

 give an idea of the character of one of 

 the better grade of novelties and is from 

 a photograph made in the display room 

 at C. A. Samuelson's new store in Chi- 

 cago. It is Copenhagen ware, which he 

 imported direct. '^The coloring is ex- 

 quisite, being in an unusual shade of 

 blue. Each of the shapes is out of the 

 ordinary and combines a' figure repro- 

 ducing a living object. Note the lifelike 

 earnestness with which the dog and child 

 are regarding the pinch-bug on the dish 

 in the center. Uncle Sam exacts a duty 

 of sixty per cent on this class of im- 

 ported pottery, so that it is of necessity 

 that high pVices are asked, but the fact 

 that these pieces sell at from $5 to $15 

 each does not interfere with their sale 

 when shown to the right people. 



A SPOKANE STORE. 



Eastern florists, as a rule, do not appre- 

 ciate the extent to which the business 

 has developed in the far northwest, where 

 rich, metropolitan communities have 

 sprung to life these last few years to call 

 for the best that the art of the florist can 

 provide. As pictures often speak louder 



Quaint Figures and Rare Coloring Give Distinction to Copenhagen Ware. 



