56 Notes and Gleanings. 



Arranging Cut Flowers. — A writer in "The Gardener's Chronicle " ob- 

 serves, that, of all the mistakes that are made in arranging flowers, the common- 

 est is that of putting too many into a vase ; and next to that is the putting too 

 great a variety of colors into one bouquet. Every flower in a group should he 

 clearly distinguishable and determinable, without pulling the nosegay to pieces. 

 The calyx of a clove-pink should never be hidden by being plunged into the 

 head of white phlox, however well the two colors may look togetlier. Sweet- 

 pease never look so well in the hand as they do on the plant, because they cannot 

 be carried without crowding them ; but put them lightly into a vase with an 

 equal number of pieces of mignonette, or rather ornament a vase half full of 

 mignonette with a few blooms of sweet-pease, and you get a charming etfect, 

 because you follow the natural arrangement by avoiding crowding of the blooms, 

 and putting them withthe green foliage, which they want to set them off. Few 

 people are aware, until they try it, how exceedingly easy it is to spoil such a 

 pleasing combination as this : a piece of calceolaria, scarlet pelargonium, or blue 

 salvia, would ruin it effectually. Such decided colors as these require to be 

 grouped in another vase, and should not even be placed on the same table with 

 the sweet-pease : they also require a much larger preponderance of foliage to set 

 them off to advantage than is wanted by flowers of more delicate colors. 



Propagating Golden Balm. — This plant strikes from cuttings as freely 

 as, if not more so than, the white-variegated variety, but is not so constant in its 

 variegation. Cuttings put in sand in a cold frame, shaded, and kept close, will 

 soon root, and, being protected over the winter in a cool house or frame, will fur- 

 nish a quantity of cuttings in spring. These will strike freely in a gentle heat. 

 You may take up two or three old plants in autumn, wintering them in a cold 

 frame ; and, by placing them in heat in spring, you will be able to obtain a num- 

 ber of cuttings. These, if put in in March or the early part of April in heat, will 

 be fit to plant out at the end of May. 



Azalea Cuttings. — The cuttings should be taken from the shoots of the 

 current year, selecting those which are moderately strong. When the wood 

 becomes a little hard, or what is known as half-ripe, the points of the shoots 

 should be taken off at a sufficient length for cuttings. Cut below the lowest 

 joint which they may have ; remove the leaves from the lower part of the cutting, 

 and for half its length ; then insert the cuttings up to the leaves in silver sand. 

 The pots may be plunged in a hot-bed of from 70° to 75°, with a shaJed and 

 close atmosphere. 



