IRISH GARDENING 



/ 



I'Utliiit alnifulia is anotlier plant whose leaves 

 assume a golden-yellow ediour. 



Of Enkniniiius, the luightest of all is E. 

 jaiionicus, blood-red, although E. rampmiul i*us 

 runs it very close for honours, and is a liigger 

 grower. (TUi/hissacias aie always good, but un- 

 foirtunately the first frost brings the leaves down. 



Shortid (jalac'tfoVta now lias some of its leaves 

 varying shades of red, and some are beautifully 

 marbled with ivory. 



Of Vacciniuin, 1 give the palm to T'. cori/in- 

 husuin, a brilliant scarlet. 



All the foregoing, exce))t the Larch, are " Peat 

 Lovers," and consequently abhor lime. 



The Maple family furni.'ihes us with many sub- 

 jects resplendent in their autiumi garb. .4<er 

 (■aipi)iifoliiiin, canary-yellow, A. Hai'idii, the new 

 Chinese snake-barked Maple, was particularly 

 good this season. A. jaiiunicum and its forms. 

 Acer m(tcropliyUi(iii. the strongest grower of the 

 Sycamore tribe, and its variety, A. nuH-ruphuIhiiu 

 atiretiiii, were very good. The latter is very dis- 

 tinct as a winter tree, the young wood being ivory- 

 tinted with pink. Acer Mkoenne, a very rare tree, 

 is one of the choicest of antunm colours. 



The Japanese Maples are well known as stibje.jts 

 for antunm effect. The type A. palmatinn is rather 

 varying in its colouring habits; in a row of this 

 small tree some will be perfectly green, whilst 

 others are brilliant red, and I noticed a tree lately, 

 one half of which was blood-red and the o1l;er 

 half green. Now. a foitnight hence, the leaves 

 that were red have fallen and those that were 

 green have become red. "Why is this thus?" 

 Of the forms of this plant none are better than 

 iifniimrpurea, beautiful in the spring, and if any- 

 thing more telling in the autumn. 



There are many other Maples that should not 

 be left out of this chapter, but I will be content 

 by mentioning Acer Giiiiiula, generally called .1. 

 tatdihuin <Tiiina}<i, and .4. Ukuruniluensc, the 

 former a siuall bushy tree and the latter quite a 

 dwarf bush, both with richly-coloured leaves. 



The Arnehincliiers, or Smnry Mespihis, are useful 

 shrubs, and .1. rotundifilia one of the best, it,< 

 leaves beconnng a rich purple-red whilst the corn 

 is l)eing cut. 



Aridid cliineiisis is a tree whose immense bi- 

 I)innata leaves are amongst the very first to colour 

 (this year in August); they gradually become rich 

 purple, and a bold line or group is very effective, 

 even at a distance. The first frost brings the 

 leaflets down, and with the succeeding frosts tho 

 leaf stems drop bit l>y l>it like so many shank 

 bones. 



There are in the Boc/k i/ </ family many members 

 worth growing for their autumn colournig alone; 

 notably ]i. Tliiiiilienjii, one of the most brilliant 

 bits of colOiUr we have; liut alas, it does not last 

 long enough when Jack Frost is about. B. Guim- 

 peli is very pretty now, the leaves being green, 

 more or less mottled with scarlet, and whilst 7>'. 

 i/iiinifiiiense is also good, the palm nnist be given 

 to Ji. rirescens, one of the most useful of this 

 nmneraus family. Its leaves do not colour until 

 November, remain on the bush (unless very severe 

 weather intervenes) ruitil Christmas, when the 

 bushes are quite as striking with their bright-red 

 stems glowing in the winter sunshine. 



The Birch. Beech. Siianish Chestnuts. Horn- 

 beam, and Ash paint the landscape in autmnn in 

 shades ranging from canary-yellow, gold cinna- 

 mon to russet-brown ; special note should be nuidi- 

 of the Golden Ash with golden foliage and bark. 

 The Cherries are all useful for autmnn effect. 



1 the Conunou Geau " Frunus 

 especially on calcareous soils. 



VIZ. ; — ('. ciriidKlix^iiiKi, 

 Xutialii. and ('. ujjici- 



none mc«e so tli 

 (Cerasus) Aviiun. 



The Cornus or Dogwood, ('. iiIIki, should be 

 planted in bold masses for its autiinui colours and 

 deep red bark in winter, and its variety, flari- 

 riiiiieu, whose leaves turn yellow and whose bark 

 is also yellow, forms a striking contrast to the 

 type if associated with it. In the same family the 

 following are always good. 

 ('. flaridd, ('. K'liisd, (' 

 Idllis. 



Cofiiiieuster Jim i~.tiiitiilis ranks high in that very 

 nmneious family as one of the most useful bits of 

 eoloiu' liefore the leaves fall, brightened also by 

 its brilliantly-coloured berries. 



Amongst the I 'rdtn-ijus, or Thorn family, we 

 have many good autumn-coloured kinds, particu- 

 larly C. pruiiifdlid, said to belong to the Cockspur 

 Group. Its dark green leaves gradually change to 

 shades of yellow, orange, and crimson, and a good 

 tiee has a remarkable effect when projjcrly pUiCtd. 



That beautiful flowering shrub, Eticryphia 

 piiitditifiAid, retanis its leaves after nuuiy others 

 have fallen, and becomes very charming in shades 

 of yellow and bronze, with occasional splashes of 

 red for some weeks before they fall. 



The Spindle trees {Eiidii i/iiiiif:) have one member 

 amongst them ])re-eniinent for its brilliant 

 antunm plumage, viz. : — E. dldtim. 



The Witch Hazels {Hd finnneli.i) represented by 

 H. iirlidied, with red-tinted leaves, and H. ririjiiii- 

 iriKi. with leaves of a beautiful golden colour, and 

 producing its flow-ers at the same time. 



The Liquiddmhdr, or Sweet Gum, I do not re- 

 member ever seeing in Ireland well-coloured in 



Erica Veitchii. 



