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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



The Display of Autumn Colors 



THERE can be few places in the world where 

 colors of ripening leaves are so varied or are con- 

 tinued through so many weeks as at the Arnold 

 Arboretum. For the leaves of the plants of eastern 

 Asia, which are well represented in the Arboretum, 

 usually are beautifully colored after those of our east- 

 ern American trees, with the exception of the Oaks, 

 have fallen. A few conspicuous exceptions to this gen- 

 eral rule are worth noting. Nearly three weeks 

 before the leaves of the Red ^laple (Acer ritbrnm) 

 have begun to change color, those of the Cork-barked 

 tree of Eastern Siberia {Phellodendron amurense) 

 are bright gold color, making the two trees on the 

 right-hand side of the Meadow Road the most bril- 

 liant objects in the Arboretum. After these trees have 

 been bare of leaves for several days they are still 

 interesting objects, however, for after the leaves 

 are gone it is possible to see clearly the pale, deepls 

 furrowed soft corky bark of the trunk and large 

 branches to which this tree owes its name. The genus 

 Phellodendron is confined to eastern Asia, and the five 

 species now known are well established in the Ar- 

 boretum. (Jn account of its bark, Phellodendron 

 amurense, the type of the genus, is perhaps the most 

 interesting species. The others, however, are larger 

 and more shapely trees, and the species of northern 

 Japan and Saghalien ( P. sachalincsc ) is well suited 

 for street planting. The pungent oil which abounds 

 in the leaves of these trees protects them from the 

 attacks of leaf-eating insects. Another conspicuous 

 exception to the rule that the leaves of Asiatic plants 

 change color later in the Autumn than those of east- 

 ern American plants is found in the lUirning Bush, 

 with winged branches, Euonyiiins alatns, a native of 

 Japan and Korea. The flowers and fruits of this plant 

 are small and inconspicuous, but few plants surpass 

 it in the beautv of its rose-colored Autumn foliage, 

 which is unlike that of any other plant in the Arbore- 

 tum. This plant, if it gets the opportunity, will spread 

 into a shrub from ten lo fifteen feet across, with lower 

 branches laying close to the ground, and will form a 

 compact round-topped head. It is a plant, however, 

 which unless it can have plenty of room in which to 

 grow is not worth a place in the garden. Aeer 

 ginnala is another Asiatic plant which takes on its 

 autumn colors early. This small maple, which is a 

 native of eastern Siberia, Manchuria, and Korea, is not 

 surpassed in autumn brilliancy by any American 

 Scarlet Maple. One of the early introductions of the 

 Arboretum it has been taken up by some American 

 nurserymen and is now sometimes found in northern 

 gardens. 



Another Korean and Manchurian maple, Acer 

 mandshuricum also illustrates the fact that the leaves 

 of some Asiatic trees turn color and fall early in the 

 season. This is one of the group of maples with 

 leaves composed of three leaflets and one of the lar- 

 gest and handsomest trees of Manchuria and northern 

 Korea. Like those of a few other plants, notably the 

 Japanese Acer nikoense, the leaflets of this maple re- 

 tain in Autumn the pale color of their lower surface 

 which increases the beauty of the bright red upper 

 surface. 



Little attention has been given by park and 

 garden-makers to the selection and arrangement of 



plants lo produce brilliant and harmonious Autumn 

 eilects of Autumn colors, with the result that there is 

 less beauty at this season of the year in planted 

 grounds than it is possible to obtain. Trees and 

 shrubs grouped to protluce the best Autumn color ef- 

 fect would compose well at other seasons of the j'ear. 

 The success of such an arrangement of plants depends 

 on knowledge which can only be obtained by the con- 

 stant study at all seasons of the year of living plants. 

 Opportunity for such study is found in the Arbore- 

 tum, in which nearly every tree and shrub which can 

 grow in the northern United States is established. 

 The leaves on some individuals of a species turn more 

 brilliantly than on other individuals of the same 

 species and this individual character is constant from 

 year to year. It is therefore possible to increase the 

 number of trees with exceptionally handsome autumn 

 foliage by grafting or budding, grafts or buds being 

 taken from selected trees worked on- stock of the 

 same species, as trees with pyramidal or pendulous 

 branches are jiropagated. The value of propagating 

 trees for the Autumn color of their leaves is shown by 

 a Red Maple tree. This tree was obtained by graft- 

 ing a Red Maple seedling with a branch of a tree 

 growing in lirookline with crimson Autumn foliage. 

 The leaves of the grafted tree have the same color as 

 those of the Brookline tree, and for more than two 

 weeks this tree has been the brilliant object of the 

 Arboretum. Near it are standing two seedling Red 

 Maples. The leaves of one of these trees turned pale 

 yellow and are fast falling; from the other the nearly- 

 green leaves have already fallen. — From the Arnold 

 Arboretum Bulletin. 



CHOKECHERRY FOR THE GARDEN 



/^I'R ciimmon Chukecherry or Prunus virgininna 

 due to its suckering roots tends to develop into a 

 shrubbery clump of its own, though with a little at- 

 tention it can be grown either as a large shrub or small 

 tree. It is not to be recommended for general plant- 

 ing, particularly not where a more cultured specimen 

 of shrub or small tree can take its place, but to tidy 

 up the ragged ends of a place it is sometimes about the 

 only thing that will grow satisfactorily and persist. 

 Its roots will push their way through almost any- kind 

 of a soil and once established the plant is drought re- 

 sistant. Left alone a Chokecherry will sooner or later 

 occupy all the ground available. Growing at its own 

 sweet will a few of the innermost shoots develop into 

 small trees while the outermost shoots grow as short 

 canes that carry the foliage of such a clump down to 

 the ground. If one has a mind to do it a Chokecherry 

 can be grown as a well balanced lawn tree while the 

 persistent suckers that keep springing up all about the 

 l)ase of the tree can be easily held down with the lawn 

 mower. They do not injure the lawn. During its 

 blossoming time, a period of about two weeks, a 

 Chokecherry clump is really pretty and the fragrance 

 is all pervading. When the fruit is ripe there is a 

 feast for the birds, robins appear to be especially fond 

 of it. This is a point in its favor not to be forgotten. 

 As a means of screening an objectionable view, es- 

 pecially on poor soil that cannot be given much prepara- 

 tion and where subsequent care is out of the question, 

 Prunus lir^iiiniana is to be recommended. — The (.nirden 

 Magacine. 



