36 



The Florists' Review 



Mabch 13, 1913. 



has had printed a card to mail to his 

 regular customers March 15. It reads 

 to this efifect: 



Getting the Regulars Early. 



"In the few days before a holiday, 

 such as Easter, there is a large increase 

 in the transient trade. It therefore is 

 urged that my regular customers place 

 their Easter orders during the first part 

 of the week. During these days the 

 Easter display will be at its best, and 

 regular customers can be waited on 

 without being inconvenienced in their 

 selections by the presence of those who 

 buy flowers only at holidays. Easter 

 display ready Monday, March 17, 1913." 



This retailer also will do his news- 

 paper advertising March 16 to 18. He 

 knows that by Thursday business will 

 begin naturally and that the rush will 

 increase from hour to hour until during 

 the shopping period of Saturday he will 

 not be able to wait on all the people 

 who enter the store. 



Conditions Not Unchangeable. 



This florist is not one of those who 

 believe conditions are unchangeable. 

 Too many act as though they thought 

 that what always has been must always 

 be; they seem to fear to undertake any 

 change from the routine of other years. 



The day has passed when a florist 

 may prosper by simply sitting still and 

 waiting for business to come his way. 

 The great majority still make a living 

 with no greater effort, but the progress 

 and prosperity goes to those who have 

 adopted modern methods of merchandis- 

 ing. There are dozens of retailers 

 through the country who are forging to 

 the front in their communities through 

 the use of the same methods that are 

 employed in other lines of business, 

 modified to meet the needs of the flower 

 trade. They do not wait for custom- 

 ers; they go out, one way or another, 

 after the customers. The first response 

 may not be heavy or prompt, but it is 

 an old saying that ' ' Every little helps, ' ' 

 or that "Every little added to what 

 you 've got makes just that much more. ' ' 

 Also that "Keeping everlastingly at 

 it brings success." 



It is possible to educate the flower 

 buyers to buy early and to buy often. 



just as it is possible to educate break- 

 fast-food users to call for a certain 

 brand when they visit the grocer. 



An Opportunity to Co&perate. 



The cooperative advertising that is 

 being done by the florists in a number 

 of cities offers one 6f the best means of 

 correcting the tendency to crowd all 

 the business into one day. One of the 

 advantages of the cooperative advertis- 

 ing is that it not only permits the use 

 of larger space than the individual ordi- 

 narily feels he can afford, but it seems 

 to carry a greater weight from the fact 

 that it is the concerted action of the 

 leading members of the trade in a given 

 vicinity. This extra weight should by 

 all means be turned toward starting 

 the business early, as well as toward 

 arousing additional interest in flowers. 

 As a matter of fact, under the condi- 

 tions of the past it is more important 

 to get the buyers started early than it 

 is to increase the volume of business 

 offered at the last moment. 



The Retailer's Part. 



The retailer himself should not leave 

 everything until the last moment. Too 

 many do it. They give the newspaper 

 sixteen minutes in which to get up an 

 advertisement before going to press, 

 when nothing would be lost and much 

 might be gained by allowing the print- 

 ers several days for their part of the 

 work. The retailer gets quotations from 

 several wholesalers on his Easter needs 

 in cut flowers, but he waits until the 

 day of shipment and then orders by 

 wire. The Easter plants are ordered at 

 the last moment, when the shipper has 

 more than he can do, are a day late in 

 arriving and the whole operation is hur- 

 ried and haphazard. A holiday rush 

 reminds one of a catch-as-catch-can 

 wrestling match, except that the par- 

 ticipants are not in good training. There 

 isn't the slightest need for it. In each 

 and every branch of the business it is 

 possible to act in time, so that one's 

 own work need not be hurried and so 

 that ample time for best service can be 

 given to everyone from whom the flo- 

 rists get supplies. 



It is common to hear, "Well, I am 

 glad it's over," after a flower holiday. 



and the larger the business the speaker 

 does, the more certain he is to make 

 some such remark. It's all because no 

 effort is made to push the business in- 

 stead of letting the business push you. 



EASTEB PLANT ABBANGEMENTS. 



Harmony in Materials. 



The success of plants for Easter uses 

 has depended most of all upon the skill 

 with which. the florist selected the stock 

 to be combined. It makes all the dif- 

 ference in the' world whether an appro- 

 priate receptacle is chosen. There must 

 be harmony between the plants and the 

 basket, or the plant business will not 

 come up to expectations. On the other 

 hand, where the retailer possesses the 

 real artistic instinct, the sale of the 

 Easter plant combinations only is lim- 

 ited by the florists' opportunities of 

 bringing them to the attention of the 

 buying public. 



In this issue there are a number of 

 illustrations showing Easter plant ar- 

 rangements. Some are better than oth- 

 ers, but each one shows some point 

 which can be profitably applied to the 

 production of similar, yet dissimilar, 

 arrangements. 



The illustration on page 27 shows two 

 low baskets of hyacinths. The one at 

 the left was a pink variety and with it 

 only ericas and adiantum were used. 

 In the basket at the right the hyacinths 

 were blue and the ribbon was carefully 

 chosen for a harmonious shade of lav- 

 ender. Of course both baskets were 

 fitted with the metal pans, now to be 

 had with practically everything of this 

 character. Size, shape and coloring all 

 were carefully considered. 



A Popular Bose. 



The illustration on page 28 shows two 

 plants of Hiawatha rose, one trained in 

 balloon shape and the other grown as a 

 standard. These require no embellish- 

 ment other than a pot cover, which must 

 b0 chosen to produce an air of solidity, 

 for the plants are large and heavy; a 

 light, fussy pot cover would give a 

 top-heavy appearance. 



On page 29 there is a boat-shaped wil- 

 low basket that would be nowhere near 



Low Baikrtf of Tulipt Have Become a Popular Form of Easter Plant Arrangement. 



