86 TREES AND SHRUBS 



our gardens we want the effect of well-arranged 

 pictures rather than that of shop windows. 



A variegated plant to be of real value in the 

 garden must have clear, bright, and abundant red 

 and yellow or white markings, not dotted or merely 

 margined with colour. So many worthless shrubs 

 with poor variegation have been named and offered 

 for sale that it is unwise to buy them from a catalogue. 

 We may repeat the advice already given, which is 

 to see them first. 



Trees and shrubs with coloured foliage are of 

 several kinds. Most common of all are those which 

 have leaves blotched or edged with golden or creamy 

 yellow and white, such as the variegated Hollies and 

 Elaeagnuses. Then there are those which are only 

 coloured at a certain season, like Neillia opulifolia aurea. 

 This has leaves of a beautiful self yellow colour 

 when they unfold in spring, but become green as 

 the summer advances ; or the variegated Plane 

 (Platanus acerifolia Siittneri), which is only variegated 

 in late summer and autumn. 



Finally, there are those, like the Purple Hazel or 

 Purple Beech, which have leaves of one colour and 

 remain almost of the same shade whilst they are on 

 the tree. 



On the whole the plants that retain their colour 

 till late summer and autumn, or acquire it then, are 

 most valuable, because very few trees and shrubs 

 are then in flower. 



Variegated trees and shrubs must not be planted 

 too plentifully, and studiously avoid all spotty effects. 



