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26 



The Weekly Florists^ Revi^wl 



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Ai-HIL «, 1911. 



of Lorraine begonias. Aftor covering 

 the floor space with a solid groui) of 

 the plants, use a line of gilded Ji^nging 

 baskets or ra^Sa hangers, one aoOve iifi- 

 other, irregularly ' from the ceiling to 

 the floor. Make a screen effect of these 

 hanging baskets across the rear of ihe 

 window. Break the floor group occa- 

 sionally with Farleyense ferns. 



A lilac and green window is a pleas- 

 ant change after the aggressive color- 

 ing of the begonias. Purple and violet 

 cinerarias may form the principal at- 

 traction, with cut lilacs and Sprengeri 

 plants. 



An Easter lily window may be ar- 

 ranged with two lines starting from 

 each front corner of the window and 

 extending far to the rear, perspective 

 fashion. At the rear place a showy 

 group of hydrangeas, and plant either 

 side of the lily line with valley, hya- 

 cinths or tulips. (Jertrude Blair. 



BASKETS OF BAMBLEBS. 



The plant basket shown on this page 

 was one of the most attractive seen in 

 a Chicago flower store last Easter, where 

 it was tagged Avith a selling price of 

 $12. The braided basket was of pink 

 and white, excellently in keep'ng with 

 the character of the occasion. The Crim- 

 son Eamblers were s|)lendidly flowered 

 and the spiraea at the fullness of its 



actual article on display; when the cus- 

 tomer has made his selection the plant 

 , Ts tH«ged and 'set away. jfl the a*iprerobnj 

 'for delivery and ftS'pla<ie is taken A)y 

 another arrangement, whether or not^o:^ 

 similar jijiaracter, for ^he processes of 

 selling and making up ,are prQceeding 

 simultaneously. •' . -''' ..^ " ' 



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'ilASTEB. BASKETS. ' ,. 



The Early Preparations. 



Be careful of every detail of the col- 

 oring of your Easter baskets. If you 

 must use a heliotrope-tinted basket for 

 ifuid azaleas, restain it or cover it with 

 new material. (Jut oft" any faded straw 

 trimmings and wrap the handle with 

 fiber ribbon or satin. 



Pans for baskets should be planned 

 some weeks in advance of Easter, with 

 due reference to the coloring and gen- 

 eral adaptability of the plants to one 

 another. The decorations can be added 

 quickly at any time. 



The average holiday plant basket is 

 filled as full as the pan will permit and 

 some on top, stuffed to the brim. The 

 aim seems to be to fill every inch of 

 space, from the bottom of the pan to 

 the top of the handle, religiously set- 

 ting every plant bolt upright and aim- 

 ing at a pyramid shape for the group. 



■r^'»^l«l al* fcl 



The Ribbon is Essential on a Fine Basket. 



beauty. There were in addition several 

 plants of Dr. Encke azalea and some 

 ferns and adiantum. The ribbon was 

 dark green, a shade darker than the 

 foliage of tho spiraea and just a shade 

 lighter than the rose foliage. A coun- 

 terpart of the basket without the ribbon 

 was not nearly so eflfective. 



The store in which these baskets were 

 shown pursues the policy of selling the 



Half the material, arranged with a fair 

 mixture of common sense, would bring 

 as much if not more money. Study and 

 plan the grouping of the plants and the 

 blending of the foliage, both as to color 

 and form. 



With a Kentia in the Center. 



Select a tall, slender plant, such as a 

 kentia palm, for the center — not the 



center of the basket, but of tne group — 



and assemble under it, close together, 



'two or three plants oj^iOlwe^ growing; 



Habit; tO' ayoid"iivaliog the kentia in' 



■ height or style. 



..\ Afii to cororing, there* are as many, 

 tones 0^ ^r'feen as of any other color. 

 Tii^re; are vi6let, greeiris, red greens, yel-', 

 low greens,, blue greens, in innuinerable ' 

 variations aiid combinations, and one i 

 should be as careful of these as we ever 

 are of reds and scarlets and pinks. With 

 the kentia we will group a short ram- [ 

 bier rose, a table fern or two and a Eex 

 begonia, and on the far edge a sprink- 

 ling of white crocus, through which a 

 duckling is pushing his way to see the 

 world. 



Other Arrangements. 



A bulbous basket will take in a com- 

 bination such as Easter lilies, yellow 

 tulips, crocus and purple pansies. Tiny 

 square and round baskets of pansies and 

 crocus would surely sell, while a more 

 elaborate arrangement of ericas, roses, 

 or bulbous stock and Farleyense would 

 be higher priced. 



Another: A Boston fern with a mar- 

 guerite plant and candidum lilies. Trim 

 a high-handled basket with tree cat- 

 kins, a spray or two of peach blossoms 

 in an underground vase, a Spiraea Glad- 

 stone and some Murillo tulips. 



Azaleas are better with no company 

 in baskets, unless it is a handle trim- 

 ming of outdoor material, and a moss 

 and pansy plant covering for the soil. 



"Whatever grouping is undertaken, let 

 no one plant interfere with the lines of 

 another. Let them fall into the same 

 lines and groups of lines. Be liberal 

 with vacancies and openings among the 

 foliage. Tilt a plant against the edge 

 of the basket once in a while. Make 

 the view agreeable from every side of 

 the basket. Gertrude Blair. 



WHEEE EXTBEMES MEET. 



In the Easter stock of the up-to-date 

 flower store there must be a meeting of 

 extremes — some customers demand the 

 extreme of simplicity, while others are 

 not to be satisfied with anything less 

 than the most elaborate plant combina- 

 tion the florist can provide. As an ex- 

 ample of extremes, take the big basket 

 of azaleas, Soupert roses, primulas and 

 crotons figured in the illustration on 

 page 29, and for its antithesis there is 

 the crocus and scilla arrangements on 

 page 31. These simple flowers of spring 

 have proved good sellers among the 

 class of trade of discriminating taste. 

 In the illustrations both crocuses and 

 scillas are in pottery in the form of 

 baskets, with grape embellishments. Of 

 course these high-class receptacles rep- 

 resent rather more in the selling price 

 than do the flowers themselves, and 

 such stock is not to be offered where 

 the class of trade handled will not stand 

 for a fair price. • ♦ 



On the other hand, in the big combi- 

 nation baskets the receptacle usually 

 represents only a small part of the total 

 cost of the arrangement. This class of 

 thing usually appeals most strongly to 

 the flower buyers who have not had 

 their money long enough to feel quite 

 natural with it; they arc willing to 

 give up $1"), or $25 or more, providing 

 the arrangement is sufficiently showy. 

 It must be large and it must be full 

 of plants. The ribbon is almost as es- 

 sential as any other part of the com- 

 bination. 



For the average flower store a happy 

 medium is to be sought. There should 



