ADODST 11, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



11 



If without color tact, hire somebody 

 who has a little of it. If it is really 

 necessary to display flowers of inharmo- 

 nius colors, separate them in some way, 

 with one in front and the other as far 

 away as possible — one prominent and 

 the other retiring. Foliage of one kind 

 and another is a good neutralizer for 

 this kind of work. 



Size and Form of Flowers. 



The third topic of this list is, the 

 limit of number of kinds and varieties 

 to be used together. As with the color 

 question, it is almost impossible to lay 

 down definite rules governing the flow- 

 ers which make harmonious combina- 

 tions, so far as size and form are con- 

 cerned. Usually flowers of about one 

 size are best together. An exception to 

 this is the employment of very large 

 and very tiny flowers together, such as 

 lilies and violets. Thus equal sizes and 

 extremes of size are permissible, while 

 those that are nearer alike in size may 

 not be such desirable combinations, un- 

 less for other reasons. 



For other than color reasons, Ameri- 

 can Beauties and daisies make a poor 

 combination, having no similarity of 

 form or style of foliage or flower. Eoses 

 and carnations are sometimes called for 

 in sprays. While there is no special 

 discord in their union, there is nothing 

 whatever to commend it. Lilies with 

 tulips or hyacinths are ideal. Phloxes 

 and hydrangeas are equally good, pro- 

 vided the coloring is harmonious; so, 

 also, are gladioli and hydrangeas, snap- 

 dragons and hydrangeas, asters and 

 peas, snapdragons and peas, carnations 

 and peas, daisies and carnations, and, 

 for a delightful combination of extremes 

 in size, auratums and peas. Where the 

 extra large flowers and the extra small 

 ones are used, do not mix without a 

 fixed plan for their place in the design. 

 Use them for a shower, over the stems, 

 or along the edges, for embroidered ef- 

 fects on the wide chiflEon loops or ends, 

 or for bands or in place of ties. 



The Element of Individuality. 



The fourth requisite for a good design 

 is the element of individuality, that 

 which distinguishes one person 's work 

 from that of another. This consists not 

 of some trifling mannerism repeated in 

 every piece of work produced; it is not 

 a pet style, but an unnamable speaking 

 out of the personality, a giving of one's 

 own thought, which, like one's personal 

 habits of speech and demeanor, means 

 yourJelf and nobody else. 



Two things combine to produce in- 

 dividual work: First, an ability to an- 

 f-yze and understand the individuality 

 in each flower and plant to be dealt 

 ■"^Hh; second, the ability to make them 

 speak your thoughts in the assemblage 

 which is called the design. "All coons 

 look alike to me. " " Yes, and all roses 

 of one variety look alike to me," says 

 somebody. But all coons did not look 

 *Uke to Uncle Eemus; neither need all 

 Killarneys look alike to the interested 

 •tudent. 



The distribution of color, the set of 

 the flower, the turn of the stem, its 

 length, the angles of the leaves, the un- 

 folding of the petals — these are a few 

 tilings which determine the individu- 

 ality of the flower. They have expres- 

 •lons, contenances and profiles. 



Which half of this subject has the 

 Peater weight in a good design, is left 

 t*' the discrimination of the reader. 



Gertrude Blair. 



Home of the A. T. Bunyard Floral G)., New York, 



THE BUNYAED STORE. 



The accompanying illustration is re- 

 produced from a recent photograph of 

 the building in which is located the 

 store of the A. T. Bunyard Floral Co., 

 New York. Alfred T. Bunyard has for 

 years been well known in the retail end 

 of the business in New York, but it is 

 only a year since he started in business 

 for himself, at Madison avenue, where 

 Forty-eighth street intersects. He has 

 an up-to date place and is making prog- 

 ress. 



WHICH LINE PAYS BEST? 



A reader of The Review who for 

 obvious reasons shall remain nameless, 

 but who is located in a town of 20,000 

 inhabitants and who does a business of 

 from $10,000 to $12,000 per year, sends 

 the following statement and inquiry: 



"Owing to the growth of business 

 and lack of room, we find that we shall 

 soon be obliged to give up either our 

 cut flower and design work or the grow- 

 ing and sale of bedding plants. 



"The present business is divided as 

 follows: Eighty per cent cut flowers 

 and designs, twenty per cent plants, 

 etc. We have eighty per cent of the 

 local cut flower and design business and 

 seventy per cent of the plant trade; 

 have about 12,000 feet of glass and are 

 centrally located; have four competi- 

 tors, new and old. 



"Lonal trade would not use all the 

 plants we could grow and it would 

 therefore necessitate some wholesaling. 



On the other hand, we would still be 

 obliged to buy some of our cut flowers. 



"The question with us is as to which 

 branch is best to drop. While the cut 

 flower end is the most confining, it if 

 probably the best paying. We would 

 like to get the opinion of some of the 

 trade who have been obliged to take 

 this same step, as to what the outcome 

 has been. Which line is the most desir- 

 able and is our 12,000 feet of glaii 

 enough to make the wholesale growing 

 of plants combined with local retau 

 trade as paying a proposition as the 

 cut flower end would bet 



"Would you think that the dropping 

 of the plant trade would matenallr 

 affect our cut flower and design bun- 

 nesst" 



The Review is of the opinion that the 

 proper course for this subscriber is to 

 build more glass, even at the expense 

 of a change in location. If readers 

 who have met a similar problem will 

 send in their views they will be pub- 

 lished and, no doubt, read with interest 

 by many besides those whose words are 

 quoted above. 



XJxbridge, Mass. — An addition is be- 

 ing built at the High Street Greenhouse 

 and a new Kroeschell boiler has arrived. 



Alexandria, Minn. — Mrs. Joseph Pen- 

 nar says that business in all depart- 

 ments of the trade was better last sea- 

 son than ever before, and that she it 

 looking for a further increase in the 

 approaching season. 



