252 AUTUMNAL FOLIAGE 



turned an intense blood-red, such as I have never seen 

 matched in autumnal colouring. Some of the common 

 Azalea pontica and its hybrids run it very hard; 

 indeed, there is no class of shrubs which enrich autumn 

 gardens with so much profusion and variety as these 

 deciduous rhododendrons. Yellow, orange, deep red, 

 carmine, and puce it is rare to find two azaleas exhibit 

 identical dying tints. The Persian Parrotia is equally 

 brilliant just now. perfectly hardy in mild districts, but 

 said to require the protection of a wall in cold ones. 



Passing to the orange and russet tints, British 

 beeches and oaks need fear no rivals in that line. The 

 Turkey oak changes more slowly, lingering long with a 

 subdued tawny glow before turning into russet. The 

 deciduous cypress (Taxodium distichum) takes on an 

 orange brown hue, peculiar to itself. The famous ones 

 at Syon must be a sight for gods and men at this 

 moment. 



Do not forget in furnishing your landscape to finish off 

 with a liberal under-planting of Monbretia and its cousin, 

 Antholyza paniculata. Their flowers, like sparks of 

 fire, will not be all extinguished before the first hard 

 frost, and their flag-like foliage forms most delightful 

 undergrowth, taking on full tones of yellow and orange. 

 In the moister places and by the waterside the umbrella 

 plant (Saxifraga peltata), largest of its race, will charm 

 you with the fine red and orange which its great leaves, 

 as big as soup-plates, assume ; but this grand herb does 

 not stand as much overhead shade as the Monbretias do. 



One other unexpected result from this wet summer 

 is the abundant promise of bloom next season. Profuse 



