Hr indies' S'toml iStifiiriRi tmtl Pictorial Home Companion, 
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ARRANGEMENT OE CUT FLOWERS. 
There are many persons who cultivate flowers that 
have not the “knack” of arranging cut flowers to 
make them bring out their fine colors as 
they should. The same knack that makes 
it easy for some eyes to mark the fleeting 
secrets of color, some ear's to catch the 
subtle changes of harmony—the knack 
we call taste. Some of us are born with¬ 
out it, aud even our best endeavors, 
assisted by patience and perseverance, 
which, the copy-book assures ns, “con¬ 
quers all things,” will not conquer the 
difficulty. 
We must go through life aggravated by 
sundry persons about us doing with ease 
the things we find hard or impossible. I 
believe there are no positive rules about 
flower arranging. The art or gift, which¬ 
ever it may be, is too fine and delicate to 
be reduced to a system. Still there is a 
certain oracle in the world called expe¬ 
rience. 
Too many fly out and gather a heap of 
flowers, and leave them to half wilt, while 
they do something else which occurs as 
important. 
Do you know that if the geranium 
leaves or salvias once get limp, or the pan¬ 
sies curl up, it will be of no use to come 
with your patience or watering-pot. Put 
them on a tray, and sprinkle them as soon 
as gathered, before you do any thing else. 
What flowers to cultivate to have a good collection 
for making up into bouquets, floral devices, &c., would 
make a long list; but I would say you can never have 
too many white flowers. They are especially in de¬ 
mand for weddings or funerals; besides, they are the 
best filling-in on groundwork where bright flowers are 
used. In buying vases, do not insist on buying- 
gorgeous creations in flowered China or “ Etruscan,” 
red, and then 
BLENDING OF COLORS. 
When you have a great basket to fill with mixed 
flowers, do not go to work blindly and lay the delicate 
pinks against the yellows, the crimsons against the! 
scarlets, without plan or sequence. These colors 
always kill each other. Lay crimson against scarlet, 
and see what a brick red you have. Make a mental 
division of the whole into half a dozen small groups, 
medallions 
of flaring 
wonder that the flowers do not look pretty in them. 
These staring colors kill the delicate tints. The vase 
should always be a subordinate thing. Cool greens 
and dark browns, pure white—such as bisque or 
parian—silver, or bronze, are always effective. Then 
the form of the vase should suit the flowers. Do not 
chop off all the stems of those royal lilies, 
in order to get them into a shallow bowl. 
Keep the bowl for roses, and buy a vase 
for the lilies and other tall flowers ; and do 
not crowd the violet and anemones into 
the large bouquet where they are lost, but 
put them by themselves in a tiny vase, 
and see how sweet they will be. 
Do you know that some flowers will not 
mix with others, and should always be 
arranged by themselves. Almost all the 
wild flowers belong to this class—laurel, 
a alia, columbine, gentians, and the sweet 
water-lily ; lilies of the valley, too, which 
clasp and twine so charmingly in sister¬ 
hood, and struggle awkwardly when di¬ 
vorced from each other; and all that 
gi’oup of flowers w r hose hues seem caught 
from the sky or the water-color boxes, such as bal¬ 
sams, phlox drummondi and sweet-peas. 
Cone Frame. 
and employ yourself in making each group in turn 
harmonious in color. Blue larkspur will make an 
effective tri-color with red geranium and white phlox. 
This cream-colored rose will 
set off the purple verbenas; 
this pink geranium must blend 
with white roses ; this knot of 
wine-red fuschias needs a tip of 
vivid yellow to brighten it. 
By-and-by your vase is full of 
such groups, and filled in with 
fresh leaves and some of the 
neutral-tinted flowers, such as 
heliotrope, verbenas or mignon¬ 
ette, the whole forms a de¬ 
bs 
ARRANGING DEVICES. 
Beautiful crosses, harps, lyres, anchors and crowns 
can be made for funerals, fairs, festivals and church 
displays, by purchasing the wire frames and filling 
them with moss and flowers. 
The tube-rose and double white balsams are most 
beautiful arranged together, and fill up so rapidly 
that by placing a few green leaVes on each side they 
are quickly made. Broom-straws or sharp 
whittled pegs an inch or so long inserted 
through the flowers will keep them to 
their place. 
If persons will begin without depend¬ 
ing on the florist for such things, they will 
be surprised what a little practice and 
experience will produce. I once knew a 
lady who furnished flowers for a church 
every Sabbath for six months in the year, 
and so varied were her designs that the 
same one would not be repeated more than 
once or twice in a season, unless it was a 
pure white cross, which would find its way 
to the altar more frequently than the 
others. Let me describe it. It was made 
of wood, say an inch square and 18 inches 
high, with the arms 6 inches from the top, 
they being 10 inches across; insert this 
into a long square block or thick piece of 
plank, and nail this to another of a larger 
size, forming steps. Cover all with moss, 
which can be kept in place by wrapping 
with dark thread. Wet it thoroughly, set 
it on a tray, and it is ready for the 
flowers. 
Almost any small white flowers will do, 
such as candytuft, alder, &c. After the 
white flowers have been put on, arrange 
some bright colored ones with green leaves where the 
arms cross; then lay on the bright ones around the 
base, first by putting a row of green around the edge 
of the tray. A vine twined around the 
cross and over the arms is very pretty. 
The Alleghany vine answers finely. A 
lyre made up the same way is the most 
beautiful of all, the strings being of nar¬ 
row slats, and covered with feverfew. A 
beautiful ornament for the centre of a 
table can be made by taking an ordinary¬ 
sized tin pan, and getting a silver-plated 
rod 18 inches high soldered in the center 
of it, and a smaller-sized pan soldered on 
the top. 
Fill each with wet sawdust, cover with 
moss, put an edging of asparagus to 
droop over the sides, and fill in with 
flowers. 
There is no end to the number of beau¬ 
tiful designs that can be made if the per¬ 
son has only the “ knack.” 
Tina Ingham. 
Scene in Central Park, N. Y. 
lightful study of color—soft, yet brilliant, 
contrast heightens, but does not conflict. 
in which 
Amaryllis. —For the benefit of those 
who have spoken of the Amaryllis as 
blooming in summer, I have succeeded, by 
repotting in June, and cutting down, to 
make them bloom in mid-winter. Will 
some one please enlighten as to the Passi- 
flora (Passion Flower)—howto propagate, 
when and how to trim, in preparation for 
the next winter’s luxuriance in-doors ? 
L. H. W. 
Sri 
