SKl'lKMBER 30, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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BASKETS AND RIBBONS. 



Need of Care in Buying. 



III. xperienced buyers of baskets and 

 .imiis are apt to do some expensive ex- 

 ■iiiKMiting and sometimes it takes years 

 i lisjiose of undesirable material. To a 

 ,.,.,iaiii extent you can sell what you push, 

 1,1 1 an article must have some intrinsic 

 \ iiiu' to be anything of a taker. You 

 ,;iii overcome some defects of form in a 

 I .iski't, or make them inconspicuous, but 

 ■,t ciiiiipletely awkward shape can not be 

 tianst'ormed. A skilful selection of color 

 may greatly improve a gaudy, shiny 

 liaskft, but it can not change the leop- 

 ard's spots. While it is true that you 

 (an sell what you push, you must have 

 sDiiic liking for your wares and see their 

 |possibilities if you are to become en- 

 ilmsiastic over them. 



If undecided as to style of baskets, buy 

 cautiously of what the best decorators 

 use in natural or neutral colors. Avoid 

 ilicided or brilliant colors, such as deep 

 [links, greens or yellows. 8o many green 

 liaskcts, contrary to what one might ex- 

 pect, are bold blue-green and will, kill 

 every bit of duller soft foliage which is 

 jilaced near it. Then there is the op- 

 piisite extreme of green, which is marked 

 iiy tlie ])resence of too much yellow and 

 uliich will not admit of purplish or red 

 tnliage and flowers. 



The Better Baskets. 



I 'refer the dull gray or olive greens, 

 inclining to the browns. Natural hrowns 

 and creams found in willow, raffia and 

 leeds are always reliable. Dull stains 

 taiiuT than bright dyes or varnished 

 liiiislies are best. You will also be safe 

 in liuying neutral or dark brown stained 

 "illows. The natural, unfinished willow 

 'in he stained quickly to suit any color 

 "i-iicnie. 



Medium sized baskets of sinipk' form 



^'1 tlic most serviceable all-round s^oek. 



'•mile baskets admlL of more elaborate 



oration. Either (juile high or very 



'' liandhs are the mot artistic. Tlies > 



'■ : lie used for decorative, presentation, 



'inl or display purposes. 



^ liasket is tl-.e most adajjtalde flower 



i'lant reeej) acle to be had. It is sub 



to tlip objections of neither a flat 



'>■ nor a set design. It is not thrown 



It i's earekssly by tlie undertaker a^^ 



"Sprays are, when they are piled se. 



' ' 'leep; neither can a basltet be criti- 



I I's a set pie,-e if it i-! |)ni|ierly filled. 



'v flower in it shouiiT stantlout as 



' '.inws, and iiigiiiy decorative. eflPee'.s 



'•e obtained witli a moderate amount 



• iiaterial. Therefore be liberal with 



I'Hsket stock, but if you want tliose 



' IK' lughest possibilities buy the twigs, 



" 'Is, barks, willows and raffias in neu- 



' i"id natural colors. Have plentv of 



' '' "I'ers except of the decorated 'and 



'" ',;ed breeds. 



j '"ly baskets are tempting to tiie 



^ '""''■. but are not as salable articles as 



" '"edium sizes. Unless the decorative 



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trade is well established, occasions for 

 their use will be rare. Aside from table 

 decorations their liest uses are for dis- 

 playing small flowers or ferns, for May 

 baskets, window trimming, and for flower 

 bearers at weddings. 



Filling the Baskets. 



Have pans for as many of the baskets 

 as is practical, and their usefulness will 

 be increased a hundred per cent. Many 

 a time you have a few spare minutes 

 when you can throw together a display 

 basket if you can fill it with water with- 

 out hunting up vases or jardinieres to 

 fit it. Baskets that are shown will sell. 

 Have a few good ones for displaying 

 flowers always filled, not indifferently, 

 but with your best skill. Sometimes it 

 may be all flowers needed to be pushed, 

 and again, when flowers are scarce, a fern 

 or two will fill out nicely. 



For a hurry-up window decoration, fill 



Best Width of Ribbon. 



The most needed ribbon in a flower 

 store is tlie wide and the narrow. Me- 

 dium widths do not have much place, 

 from \(>. 22 up and from No. 3 down, 

 the better grade of satin, taffeta or moire 

 iil)l)on in the greatest widths being used 

 for larger bunches and higher-priced de- 

 signs and baskets, the No. 3 and nar- 

 rower for the showers and daintier clus- 

 ters, while chifton fills the bill for a tie 

 for the average and cheaper bouquets. 

 With a stock of ribbon from No. 5 to 

 No. l(i, which should be reduced, use it 

 in Frencii kiiots and clusters, and buy no 

 more. Fancy flowered and painted rib- 

 bons are not in favor in the better class 

 of flower stores. The purpose of ribbou 

 is supposed to be to tie the flowers. It 

 should be .subordinate in color and at- 

 tract ivenei-s to the flowers themselves. 

 Using this style of ribbon with flowers is 

 a bit like putting flowers in a flower or- 

 namented jar or vase. Any ribbon, 

 chitt'ou or other tie which exceeds this 

 I Si! is out of place. 



The Colors Most Needed. 



The colors for which you will find the 

 most use are white, cream, lijjht pink, 

 lavender, i)urple, yellow, green, red, and, 

 rarely, l)hie. Black ribbon has no ex- 

 cu>:e for a |)lace in a florist's ribbon case 

 except as a sjciety, school or lodge color 

 in combination with some lighter color. 

 While many rilibons are designated by 



Tw- x . 





^^ 



6 4 



^^X^'- 



w ^j 





Display tia^k«ts in the Store of W. A Hammond, Richmond, Va. 



.' rirj.'e 1 a Mper wirii . ti c't of medium 

 leng 1: of .stem. Belli '1 one corner set a 

 lail, s'en Icr vas.» ( f The same flowers, so 

 that the vas.^ holds tho lid about straight 

 up. Thniw a sjtray of green or two so 

 Ihat it falls j'gains: xh-^ irsi le of the lid. 

 Set a fe;n with long fronds close to the 

 vase. Let the fern 's fronds, long- 

 stemmed flowers and sprays of green 

 reach out each way ;;s tar as they will, 

 and you have a grouj) of interesting 

 things. Slime ( ne m v, hich somebody will 

 want. 



flower nauu'S, the colors can scarcely be 

 had as an exact match to the colors of 

 the (ioweis with Avhich they are to be 

 used, owing to the differences in texture 

 between ilie tissue of the flower and the 

 fabric of the ribbon. In fact, a blend 

 wiiich is made by the combination of a 

 flower and a lighter ribbon is better than 

 a vaii\ attem])t to secure a perfect match. 

 The glint of light on a flower of which 

 painters despair defle.s a perfect match 

 in color of flower and ribbon. 



The Libertv red ribbon is often better 



