January 12, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



I 



I THE RETAIL 



I'^^x^^ FLORIST 



A "DIFFERENT" WINDOW. 



So many retail florists mass their 

 -windows with eut flowers that the pub- 

 lic can not fail to be appreciative of 

 the occasional variation. 



As a study in harmonious arrange- 

 ment, as well as for sake of variety, the 

 window recently shown by A. C. Sin- 

 ram, at Denver, will not fail to interest 

 the retail florists. The accompanying 

 illustration, while prepared from an 

 excellent photogrjaph, fails to give the 

 •eflfect of depth, which was obtained in 

 the arrangement itself. The idea was 

 a semi-tropical scene, running back 

 along the sides of the window and 

 -across the back, so that a middle ground 

 of some considerable proportions was 

 obtained. ^ Kentias formed a back- 

 ground, with araucarias and Ficus pan- 

 durata. Green sheet moss was used to 

 coyer the uneven, rocky floor of the 

 window. Adiantum Croweanum, As- 

 paragus plumosus and Eex begonias 

 were placed at intervals, the pots set 

 beneath the moss, and cattleyas were 

 apparently growing on the trees on 

 each side of the window, these trees 

 in reality being the regular column 

 supports of the steel-framed building, 

 covered with cork bark and southern 

 moss. Paper White narcissi were grow- 

 ing in a pond in the center of the 

 window, the water being supplied by 

 a waterfall just above. 



SOME DUTCH WINDOWS. 



A Dutch Bulb Garden. 



Now that the season for bulbs is well 

 on, some native settings for them may 

 help sales. 



The corner of a Dutch bulb garden 

 might be laid out, if there are any facil- 

 ities for water about the window. A 

 •canal which runs diagonally across the 

 window or straight toward a mirror 

 may be rigged out, and the banks on 

 both sides lined with heavy borders of 

 the various kinds of narcissi or hya- 

 cinths. Back from this border, set on 

 a patch of green, place growing bulbs 

 in pans and delft blue dishes. In a 

 -conspicuous place fill a wooden shoe 

 with hyacinths. Or, if it is possible to 

 get hold of an unusually large wooden 

 shoe, fill it with growing hyacinths and 

 surround it with smaller wooden shoes, 

 filled with Romans or freesias. On the 

 canal place a birch bark canoe with a 

 red sail. Load the canoe with plants 

 in bloom or with cut flowers. 



A Cottage and Other Features. 



If you have some particularly fine, 

 large hyacinths, plant a good sized 

 group of them behind a tiny Dutch cot- 

 tage, somewhere near some water. 

 Whatever is attempted in the way of a 

 garden or field should have a suggestion 

 of water, or a windmill in the distance. 

 Browns and grays are good colors for 

 •constructing whatever is decided on in 

 the way of buildings. It is well, also. 



to keep the size and position of these 

 subordinate and the flowers prominent. 

 A good color scheme for such a win- 

 dow is blue, white and yellow for one 

 day, yellow for another, and red or red 

 and white for another, while no one 

 could censure your choice of a red and 

 yellow window. If the latter is at- 

 tempted, it will be best to keep to the 

 coppery reds found in so many tulips, 

 rather than to the crimson reds com- 

 monly found among the hyacinths. If 

 too many narcissi are at hand, have a 

 border of as many varieties as can be 

 obtained. Have the accessory pieces of 

 narcissi, too. Arrange for a press no- 

 tice of your special display. 



Bouquets of Bulbous Flowers. 



Any made-up work which accompa- 

 nies the Dutch bulb display should par- 

 take of the same style of arrangement. 

 Have a bride's bouquet of Roman hya- 

 cinths. Let it be round and old-fash- 

 ioned, with an outside border of either 

 pink or blue. For a tie have a row 

 of rosettes of chiflfon under the edge, 



A bridesmaid's bouquet of Paper 

 White narcissi might accompany the 

 bride's bouquet, and be a help in plan- 

 ning a yellow and white bridal outfit. 

 Yellow rosettes and streamers may fin- 

 ish the narcissus bunch. These flowers 

 pack in a round bunch if one is not 

 careful in the construction. Pad in be- 

 tween the stems with some stiff foliage, 

 to keep the stalks -apart. 



Gertrude Blair. 



THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THINGS. 



The Necessity for Fair Profits. 



There is only one way to know 

 whether a business pays or not, and 

 that is to keep a clear account, not 

 only of sales, but also of expenses. An 

 account of expenses is what will show 

 where the small leaks are, if there are 

 any. We must determine not only 

 whether we are giving our customers 

 good value for their money, but whether 

 we are receiving a reasonable profit, to 

 pay us for our own time and trouble. 



While some may demand an excessive 

 profit, there are those who often err the 

 other way. This is especially true in 

 design work. A good way to find out 

 what can be put into a piece in the 

 line of flowers, is to allow a certain 

 amount for the wirework and accesso- 

 ries, from 50 cents up, and then add 

 flowers according to the price you are 

 getting for them. Design work, on the 

 whole, is what should pay you, if any- 

 thing does. Do not be afraid to charge 

 well for an idea when a piece looks 



Window Decoration by A. C Sinranit Denver, G>Io. 



close against the stems. To each rosette 

 of chiffon attach a streamer. Place the 

 bouquet in a tall, slender glass vase 

 and the streamers will hide the vase. 

 Bouquet holders might be added, also. 

 Rainbow colors of violet, pink and 

 green may be used in rotation among 

 the chiffon rosettes. 



This style of bouquet is also appro- 

 priate for a debutante. A card explain- 

 ing briefly the use for the bouquet 

 should be attached conspicuously in the 

 window. 



"flnished, " without the full value in 

 flowers and other £iaterial. We must 

 lose on some things, so make it up 

 where there is a fair and justifiable op- 

 portunity. 



Attention to Collections. 



The booking of sales and deliveries 

 is not, perhaps, so much neglected as is 

 the collection of unpaid accounts. Some 

 of these are always lost, but the num- 

 ber need not be large. Remember that 

 there is a class of people who will owe 



